OPEN ACCESS
The urban environment in the UAE is classified as hot and humid. During the summer months, humidity is high when compared with the winter months. Solutions for sustainable development are of high priority in the region to meet the goals of the UAE Vision and meet notable recommendations at the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) held in the UAE, January 2013. In order to achieve a balanced environment, help mitigate climate change and demonstrate a means of achieving a temperature reduction as recommended by Conference of Parties (COP) 18 held in Qatar, November 2012, a study on measuring the performance of green roof to reduce climatic temperatures in the UAE has been undertaken in the urban Dubai Marina development. Plant and air exchanges have been measured using ENVI-met micro-climatic simulation software. From previous research findings, parameters such as Surface Albedo (SA), Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT) and Relative Humidity (RH) were instrumental in measuring green roof performance and effectiveness towards sustainable development. This research explores the impact of green roof on sustainable development given two different periods of the year, the summer solstice, June 21st and the winter solstice, December 21st. A simulation con-ducted during the two periods on ENVI-met investigates the following parameters, SA, MRT, RH, Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Wind Speed. Evidence suggest gains in using green roofs to entice city authorities and relevant decision makers of the value added benefits of green roofs in sustainable urban development, to meet temperature reduction standards, mitigate heat islands and enhance the built environment.
Green roofs, high density development and built environment, sustainable development, thermal performance, urban planning
[1] National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology in the UAE. [Online] http://www.ncms.ae/ english/, 2010.
[2] Dubai Municipality, Green Roof Manual: Guidelines for Planning, Execution & Mainte-nance of Green Roof Various Applications. Dubai Municipality, Government of Dubai, UAE. [Online] pp. 1–46, www.dm.gov.ae, 2009.
[3] Dubai Municipality, Dubai Green Building Regulations. Dubai Municipality, Government of Dubai, UAE. [Online] pp. 1–46, www.dm.gov.ae, 2010.
[4] Sailor, D.J., A green roof model for building energy simulation programs. Energy and Buildings, 40(8), pp. 1466–1478, 2008.
[5] Shashua-Bar, L. & Hoffman, M., Quantitative evaluation of passive cooling of the UCL microclimate in hot regions in summer, case study: urban streets and courtyards with tress. Building and Environment, 39(9), pp. 1087–1099, 2004.
[6] Taha, H., Urban climates and heat islands: albedo, evapotranspiration, and anthropogenic heat. Energy and Buildings, Oxford, 25(2), pp. 99–103, 1997.
[7] Wong, N., Cheong, D., Yan, H., Soh, J., Ong, C., & Sia, A., The effects of rooftop garden on energy consumption of a commercial building in Singapore. Energy and Buildings, 35(4), pp. 353–364, 2003b.
[8] Kakon, A.N., & Nobuo, M., The sky view factor effect on the microclimate of a city environ-ment: a case study of Dhaka City. Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Urban Climate, June 29 – July 3, Yokohama, Japan, pp. 1–4, 2009.
[9] Wong, N., Chena, Y., Ong, C. & Siab, A., Investigation of thermal benefits of rooftop garden in the tropical environment. Buildings and Environment, 38(1), pp. 261–270, 2003a.
[10] Bruse, M., ENVI-met registered trademark (Nr. 304 73 896) [Online] http://www.envimet. com, 2003.
[11] Bruse, M., Modelling and Strategies for Improved Urban Climates. [Online] http://www. envi-met.com/documents/papers/strategies1999pdf, 1999.
[12] Okeil, A., A holistic approach to energy efficient building forms. Energy and Buildings, 42(9), pp. 1437–1444, 2010.
[13] UAEInteract, UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). [Online] www.uaeinteract. com/docs/UAE_population, 2010.
[14] NRI, Dubai Marina, Dubai, U.A.E. [Online] Net Resources International. http://www. designbuild-network.com/projects/dubai-marina/, 2011.
[15] American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy. (ASHRAE Standard 55-1992). Atlanta, GA, 1992.
[16] American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Thermal Comfort. ASHRAE Handbook: Fundamentals (pp. 8.1–8.29). Atlanta, GA, 2001.
[17] ISO Standard 7730, Moderate thermal environments determination of the PMV and PPD indices and specifications of the conditions for thermal comfort. International Standards Organizations, pp. 1–26, 1994.