CIBSE Hong Kong Branch

Annual General Meeting: Seminar

8MMar 2011 (T
(Tue))

Green Roof Systems in Hong Kong

Dr Sam C M Hui and Ir Prof

Dr. Prof. K K Lam
Department of Mechanical Engineering
The University of Hong Kong
1911-2011
Contents

• Introduction
• Green roof systems
• Benefits of green roofs
• Hong Kong situation
i i
• Worldwide experience
• Developing
p g technical gguidelines
• Conclusions
Introduction

• Problems in urban cities

• Urban heat island (UHI)
• Lack of greenery space
• Green roofs can mitigate the adverse effects
• Bring the nature back to urban area
• Make better use of roof space
• Green
G rooff market
k t iin Hong
H K
Kong
• Still developing
p g and immature
• Lack of technical guidelines & policy
 Examples of green roofs in the world

Solar Campus Jülich, Germany (11 Jul 2001) IBN-DLO Wageningen, the Netherlands (2 Jul 2001)

Putrajava Int. Conven. Centre, Malaysia (30 Jun 2006) Beitou Taipei Library, Taiwan (6 Aug 2007)
(Photos taken by Dr Sam C M Hui)
 Examples of green roofs in Singapore

Carpark roof of public housing (modular green roof) Carpark roof of housing estate (built-in green roof)

Carpark roof of public housing (intensive green roof) Lawn green roof (Nanyang Techn. Univ.)
(Photos taken by Dr Sam C M Hui, 29 May & 1 Jun 2009)
 Examples of green roofs in Hong Kong

Ocean Park Hong Kong EMSD Headquarters

Parklane, Tsimshatsui A school in San Po Kwong

(Photos taken by Dr Sam C M Hui)
Green roof systems

• Green Roofs: roofs bearingg vegetation

g – FLL
• “Living vegetation installed on the roofs”
• “Vegetated
“V t t d roof”f”
• Green Roof System
y – Definition
• “A roof area of plantings/landscape installed
above a waterproofed substrate at any building
level that is separated from the ground beneath it
by a man-made
man made structure.
structure ” – NRCA Green Roof
System Manual 2007
• Other
Oth tterms: Eco-roof,
E f Living
Li i rooff
Green roof systems

• Major types of green roofs (see Table 1)

1)*
• Extensive
• Semi-intensive * Could also be combined
as hybrid systems
• Intensive
• Roof gardens: usually intensive greening with
other features such as potted plants, pond, etc.
• Examples in HK: podium gardens
gardens, sky gardens
• Classify
y ggreen roof systems
y by
y basic design:
g
• Built-in green roofs vs Modular green roofs
 Table 1. Major types of green roofs and their characteristics

Characteristics Extensive Semi-intensive Intensive

Depth
D th off 150 mm or less
l Above and
Ab d bbelow
l M
More th
than 150 mm
material 150 mm
Accessibility Often inaccessible May be partially Usually accessible
accessible
Fully saturated Low (70
(70-170
170 Varies (170
(170-290
290 High (290
(290-970
970
weight kg/m2) kg/m2) kg/m2)
Plant diversity Low Greater Greatest

Plant Moss-sedum-herbs Grass-herbs and Lawn or perennials,

communities and grasses shrubs shrubs and trees

Use Ecological Designed green Park like garden

protection
te ti layer
l e rooff
Cost Low Varies Highest

Maintenance Minimal Varies Highest

Structure of extensive green roof
Green roof systems from Germany (left) and Japan (right)
Vegetated mat system (www.elteasygreen.com)
(www elteasygreen com)

Tray
y system
y ((www.liveroof.com))

Sack system (www.greenpaks.com)

 Modular green roof system from Japan

Waterproofing Roof barrier layer Drainage layer

Install modules Fix modules (if needed) Completed

(Source: www.tajima-roof.jp)
 Table 2. Initial and maintenance costs of green roof systems

Intensive Extensive

Initial cost 1,000

1 000 to 5,000
5 000 400 to 1,000
1 000
(HK$/m2) (average: 2,000) (average: 500)

Maintenance cost 6.5 to 44

0.8 to 2.25
$ 2/yr)
(HK$/m (average: 20)

(Source: (Urbis Limited, 2007))

Benefits of green roofs

• Green roofs provide many benefits to the

society (public) and building owners (private)
• 1. Environmental benefits
• 2.
2 Economic benefits
• 3. Amenity and aesthetic benefits
• Important considerations:
• Some benefits are common to all green roofs,
roofs but
many are project design specific; some benefits
will
ill be
b apparent if rooff greening
i isi on a large
l scale
l
 Table 3. Public and private benefits of green roof systems

Public benefits: Private benefits:

- Aesthetic value - Increase roof life span

p
- Mitigate urban heat island - Reduce cooling loads
- Stormwater retention - Contribute to green building
- Create natural habitat rating credit points
- Functional open space - Better use of space
- Agricultural space - Reduce noise levels
- Filter dust and pollutants - Reduce risk of glare for
- Filter rainwater surrounding buildings
Benefits of green roofs

• 1.
1 Environmental benefits:
• Biodiversity and wildlife value
• Stormwater management
• Rainwater runoff quality
• Air pollution mitigation
• Carbon sinks (sequestration)
• Mitigation of urban heat island
• Control of noise pollution
 Green roof hydrograph comparison
Green Roof Hydrograph
y g p Comparison
p 12-2-05

4.50

4.00

3.50
Green roofs can reduce
stormwater runoff and
3.00
control peak stormwater flow
Flow [L/min]

2.50

Green Roof
Hydrograph
2.00 EVO1
F

1.50 Control Roof

Hydro-graph

1.00

0.50

0.00
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Time [min]

(Source: Stormwater Academy, University of Central Florida)

Benefits of green roofs

• 2.
2 Economic benefits:
• Extends roof life
• Reduces air conditioning & heating costs (energy
and maintenance))
• Reduces capital costs for equipment and
installation (air conditioner,
conditioner drainage and pipes)
• Reduces water and sewerage charges
• Attracts buyers and tenants
• Attracts
Att t andd retains
t i employees
l
 Thermal properties of green roofs
O td
Outdoor
Evapo-transpiration

Shading
Insulating
Thermal mass property

Roof slab
I d
Indoor
Benefits of green roofs

• 3.
3 Amenity and aesthetic benefits:
• Aesthetically pleasing, useful space
• If roof loading is sufficient, green roofs can be planned
for amenity and recreational use
• Food production (e.g. community gardens)
• Opportunity for growing healthy food in urban areas
• A range of marketable products (vegetable, fruit)
• Local
L l job
j b creation
i (direct
(di andd indirect)
i di )
• On green roof maintenance, urban agriculture, etc.
• Useful for low-income group
 Horticultural therapy &
Urban farming & education social
i l functions
f ti
 Rooftop urban farming in the world

Bangkok, Thailand (with rice and fruits) Tokyo, Japan (rooftop greenhouse)

London, UK (with bee keeping) San Francisco, USA (for kitchen/restaurant)

(Source: www.time.com)
 Container garden in Taiwan

(Source: http://yiu.com.tw/green.htm)
 Sustainable rooftop farming 可持續的天台農耕
Wind
energy

Greenhouse

Composting

Solar
energy

Rainwater
harvesting
(Source: www.skyvegetables.com
 A green roof project with integrated systems

Micro-wind Rainwater Modular Built-in

turbines recycling system system
微型風力 雨水回收 模塊化 固有綠化屋頂
發電機 綠化屋頂

Space for green roof

research and urban farming
f
綠化屋頂研究及都市耕種
Hong Kong situation

• Some intensive green roofs can be found on:

• Landscape podium roof gardens
• “Sky gardens”
• Public open spaces built on government structure
• Extensive green roofs and other urban
greening technologies is still limited
• No government policy and requirement
• Little incentives for private to invest on it
A landscape podium garden in North Point, Hong Kong

(Photos taken by Dr Sam C M Hui)

A landscape podium garden in Tseung Kwan O
Hong Kong situation

• Greening policy set up in recent years

(www.devb.gov.hk/greening)
• Aims to improve urban greenery and maximise
ggreeningg opportunity
pp y
• Greenery and landscaping in the planning of new
towns and new development areas
• Space
p constraints limit ggreening
g in urban areas
• Green roofs is a promising choice
• However,
H a clear
l policy
li ffor green roofs
f iis nott available
il bl
 Potential of promoting green roofs in urban areas

Kwun Tong

(Source: http://hk.centamap.com)
Hong Kong situation

• Government pilot projects, e.g.

e g by:
• Architectural Services Department (ArchSD)
• Drainage Services Department (DSD)
• Housing Authority (HA)
• But, the technical requirements and actual
performance of the green roofs are not well
defined and understood
• This will hinder development of the local green
roof or greenery market and technology
Hong Kong Wetland Park Phases II
(the largest green roof in Hong Kong)

(Source: Architectural Services Department)

Green roof on a water treatment plant in Hong Kong

(Source: Drainage Services Department)

Hong Kong situation

• Green roof research

• In 2006-07, the Government commissioned a
consultancy
l study
d on “Green
“G Roof
R f Application
A li i in i
Hong Kong” (Urbis Limited, 2007)
• In the past few years some research projects on
green roof are developed; but most of them
focuses on field experiments and measurements
• A lack of research on practical design issues and
technical codes (c.f. FLL in Germany & CUGE in
Singapore)
Worldwide experience

• Germany and Japan are more advanced

• Germany: FLL guidelines (FLL, 2008)
• By Research Society for Landscape Development
and Landscape Design (Forschungsgesellschaft
Landschaftsentwicklung Land-schaftsbau e.V.)
(www fll de)
(www.fll.de)
• Set quality standards for green roof systems
• Complement the construction regulations in
Germany and the DIN standards of landscape
contractors
Worldwide experience

• Japan guidelines on rooftop & wall greening

• Started in 1990 by the Organization for Landscape
andd Urban
Ub G Green T
Technology
h l D
Development
l
(www.greentech.or.jp)
• Organise annual competition on greening technology
since 2002
• Coordinate R&D work, conferences and incentive
schemes on urban greening
g g
• Local provincial governments also developed their
requirements and standards
Worldwide experience

• Other places which have developed guidelines

and codes for roof greening:
• UK: GRO Green Roof Code 2011
• Canada
• Australia
• China (Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen)
• Singapore
• UAE
• USA
Worldwide experience

• Some countries have also developed technical

standards, e.g.
• ASTM standards
• SPRI standards (on wind and external fire)
• Singapore standards (on design loads and safety)
• Toronto Green Roof Construction Standard 2010
Developing techn. guidelines

• A research project sponsored by CIBSE Hong

Kong Branch
• Prepare technical guidelines for green roof
y
systems in Hongg Kongg
• Learn from experience of other countries/cities
• Will also
l consider
id andd adapt
d the h local
l l conditions
di i
of Hong Kong
• Project duration:
• September
S b 2010 to M
March
h 2011 ((~ 6 months)
h)
 Table 4. Proposed contents of the guidelines

Part 1 1. Introduction
2 Scope
2.
3. Definitions

Part 2 4. Planning Requirements

5. Design Considerations
6 C
6. Construction
i
7. Maintenance
8. Project Management

Part 3 References
A
Appendices
di ((with
i h case studies)
di )
 Table 5. Major factors to consider
Planning
g - Functions and effects
Requirements - Structural loading
- Accessibility
- Site conditions (wind, shade)
- W t proofing
Water fi condition
diti
- Green building credits
Design - Landscape design
Considerations - Irrigation & water supply
- Stormwater drainage
- Plant species
- Wind design (e.g. typhoons)
- Sustainable technologies (e.g. solar)
- Food production (farming)
- Rainwater recycling
- Roof slope
Construction - Safety issues (preventing falls)
- Vegetation planting method
- Testingg & monitoringg
Maintenance - Maintenance requirements
- Warranties
- External fire hazard
- S f
Safety iissues
Project - Green building assessment
Management - Financial incentives
- Regulatory measures
- Contractual matters
Developing techn. guidelines

• Considerations for Hong Kong:

• High-density urban areas
• Very limited roof area
• More effective to apply green roofs to podiums and
medium- or low-rise buildings/structures
• Green roof on existing buildings
• Limited by loading capacity
• Guidance
G id to
t help
h l peoplel select
l t a suitable
it bl green rooff
system (usually light-weight)
• Typhoon and stormwater
Developing techn. guidelines

• Green Building Assessment Methods

• Such as LEED 2009 and BEAM Plus
• They are becoming more and more popular and
p
important
• In fact, greening technology has significant
implications to the assessment results
• Our guidelines will include information to help
people optimise the credit points from green roofs
Table 6. LEED 2009 credit points of green roof systems
LEED criteria impacts: Points
Sustainable Sites (SS)
Credit 6.1: Stormwater design – quantity control 1
Credit 6.2: Stormwater dseign – quality control 1
Credit 7.2: Heat island effect – roof 1
Water Efficiency (WE)
Credit 1: Water efficient landscaping 2-4
Energy
gy and Atmosphere
p (EA)
( )
Credit 1: Optimize energy performance 1
Materials and Resources (MR)
Credit 4: Recycled content (roof components) 1-2
1 2
Credit 5: Local/Regional materials 1-2

Secondary credit impacts: Points

Water Efficiency (WE)
C dit 2:
Credit 2 Innovative
I ti waste t water
t technologies
t h l i 2
Credit 3: Water use reduction 2-4
Innovation in Design (IN)
Credit 1: Innovation in design 1-5
Source: extracted from USGBC (2009)
Table 7. BEAM Plus credit points of green roof systems
BEAM Plus criteria impacts: Points
Sites Aspects (SA)
Perequiste: Minimum landscape area Req’d
SA 5: Ecological impact 1
SA 7: Landscaping and planters 1-3
SA 8: Microclimate around buildings (roof) 1
M
Materials
l Aspects
A (MA)
MA 7: Recycled materials (roof components) 1
Credit 5: Local/Regional materials 1-2
Energy Use (EU)
EU 1: Reduction of CO2 emission 1-15
EU 2: Peak electricity
y demand reduction 1-3
Water Use (WU)
WU 1: Water efficient irrigation 1
WU 6: Effluent discharge to foul sewers 1

Secondary credit impacts: Points

W
Water U (WU)
Use
WU 4: Water recycling (rainwater) 1-2
Innovations and Additions (IA)
IA 1: Innovative techniques 1-5

Source: extracted from BEAM Society (2009)

Developing techn. guidelines

• Green roof performance and quality

• Avoid poorly designed/constructed green roofs
• Consider the true value of green roof systems and
p
their impacts
• Types of performance
• Thermal
Th l andd energy performance
f
• Hydrologic or stormwater management performance
• Air quality/ pollution control
• Ecological function is also important
 Green roof inspection report – Checklist

Testing:
Flood test Electrical field vector mapping
Impedance test Infrared (IR) thermal imaging
Low voltage test Moisture sensors

Inspection:
A. Green roof size and location H. Waterproofing
B G
B. Gravity
i lloads
d I D
I. Drainage
i
C. Slope stability J. Water retention
D. Parapet height and/or overflow K. Vegetation performance
scupper
E Wind
E. Wi d uplift
lift L Plant
L. Pl t selection
l ti
F. Fire safety M. Irrigation
G O
G. Occupancy andd safety
f N M
N. Maintenance
i plan
l

(Extracted from Toronto Green Roof Construction Standard, www.toronto.ca/greenroofs )

Developing techn. guidelines

• In Germany, FLL has developed a

performance rating system for green roofs
b d on the
based h desired
d i d ecological
l i l functions:
f i
• Water retention capacity of the growing medium
• Water retention capacity of the drainage layer
• Number of plant species for extensive green roofs
• Plant biomass or volume for intensive green roofs
• It also help to judge whether a project is
suitable for ecological compensation
Table 8. FLL’s qual. parameters for assessing green roof performance
Category: Description:
Soil Quality of soil
Water Improvement in surface water quality
Reduction in load of the sewer system
Improvement in groundwater recharge
Purification of stormwater
Air & Filtering of air
temperatu Contribution to oxygen production
re Contribution to urban temperature levelling
Habitat Contribution to establishment of flora and
fauna habitat
Landscape Contribution to landscape and urban scenery
Amenity y Contribution to amenity y for people
p p / leisure /
healing

Note: * Each parameter is deemed “possible to fulfill completely”,

“possible to fulfill partially”, or “slightly or not possible to fulfill.”
Developing techn. guidelines

• Example: “Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe Performance Rating
System” for green roofs, according to five
naturall functions:
f i
• Type and depth of soil used (Soil) – 15%
• Impact on climate due to evapotranspiration
(Cli t ) – 15%
(Climate)
• Type
yp and varietyy of vegetation
g ((Flora)) – 30%
• Impact on zoological biodiversity (Fauna) – 30%
• Average
A annuall stormwater
t t retention
t ti (Water
(W t
Balance) – 10%
Conclusions

• Urban cities like Hong Kong can benefit from

green roofs and walls
• There is a need to develop local technical
guidelines for planning,
planning designing and
commissioning green roof systems in HK
• To achieve a sustainable urban environment
• Financial incentives & public awareness
• Promote roof and multi-level greening
• Green roof movement in HK has just begun!
THANK YOU 謝謝 !!

(More information: www.hku.hk/bse/greenroof/)