Urban agriculture serves a growing and valuable market in today's food industry yet is challenged by the lack of available space in urban settings. Green roofs are proving not to only offer environmental benefits to buildings, but to also function as sites to grow produce. Adding fertilizer is important for plant health though fertilizer runoff and over application is a concern. Therefore, an evaluation of four Romaine lettuce cultivars (Lactuca sativa L.) comparing the use of three different fertilizers was conducted on the green roof of the Agriculture Building on the Southern Illinois University Carbondale campus in the fall of 2012 and 2013. The fertilizer treatments were OsmocoteTM (190,000 mg/kg N), Miracle GroTM (16,100 mg/kg N), and a control (no fertilizer). Supplemental water was applied though a drip tape irrigation system as needed. The lettuce cultivars evaluated were: ‘Parris Island Cos’, ‘Rouge d'Hiver’, ‘Rubens Baby’, and ‘Outredgeous’ Romaine lettuce. Results indicated that plant growth measurements of height and width, chlorophyll index, leaf mass and wet/dry weight were greater (P < 0.05) when OsmocoteTM and Miracle GroTM were used as a fertilizer source compared to the no fertilizer treatment. This study indicates that with supplemental nutrients, acceptable lettuce yields can be achieved in a three-inch extensive medium on a green roof. Results of this evaluation will contribute to the emerging interest in urban agriculture, specifically regarding lettuce production on extensive green roofs.

The germination rates of four plant species (Allium schoenoprasum L., Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Grandiflorus’ Vill., Sedum kamtschaticum Fisch. & C.A. Mey. Spp. ellacombianum (Praeger) R.T. Clausen, and Talinum calycinum Engelm.) were compared with six fertility treatments (control, fertilizer - once a week, double fertilizer - twice a week, mycorrhizae, vermicompost, and green roof mix) that also evaluated a peat based greenhouse medium verses a lightweight aggregate medium integrated. The greenhouse medium had higher germination rates than the lightweight aggregate medium. The control, fertilizer, and double fertilizer, which were not applied until a month into the study, provided similar germination results. The seedlings obtained from the germination study were grown into 3.81cm x 7.62cm plugs, with plant height, leaf count/width, and dry weight taken three months later. The greenhouse medium treatments control, fertilizer, and double fertilizer had the most leaves, and provided the tallest and widest leaves as well as the greatest biomass. The lightweight aggregate medium control displayed the lowest growth in this study. The fertility treatment that showed the most potential was the green roof mix. This mix significantly improved plant growth in the lightweight aggregate medium, which indicates the potential to improve greenhouse medium based plug establishment on extensive green roofs with aggregates.

Tanto no meio rural como urbano as novas tendências são de buscar uma melhoria de técnicas e de uso de materiais alternativos buscando-se uma maior sustentabilidade. A utilização de plantas nas paredes e telhados é um dos mais recentes campos da pesquisa ambiental e busca encontrar uma solução ecológica e sustentável para melhorar a qualidade de vida urbana e rural. Uma cobertura verde consiste de um substrato leve e de uma vegetação apropriada, plantada sobre uma base impermeável. Podem conter também camadas adicionais, tais como, um sistema de drenagem e irrigação e uma barreira anti-raízes. Os efeitos positivos da vegetação sobre o ambiente urbano já são bem conhecidos e neste caso da cobertura, diminuem as enxurradas, filtro biológico, redução da poluição do ar, amenizam o calor nas edificações durante o verão e o conservam durante o inverno. Há também benefícios para a fauna, com retorno de espécies que mantêm o equilíbrio biológico local. Essas coberturas podem ter muitas aplicações, como em indústrias, residências, escritórios e outras propriedades comerciais e rurais. Uma criteriosa seleção de plantas permite que a cobertura verde tenha sucesso em condições adversas. Por outro lado, são necessárias pesquisas no sentido de assegurar um meio de cultura que retenha água e ao mesmo tempo proporcione uma boa drenagem para que as raízes não apodreçam, permitindo uma maior gama de espécies de plantas na cobertura. Neste sentido, realizou-se um estudo dos substratos mais abundantes na região, buscando tecnologias apropriadas para a confecção dos telhados verdes e identificando as melhores técnicas de aplicação, de acordo com a necessidade de cada ambiente. Para a realização deste trabalho foram utilizados dez tipos de substratos que foram pré-selecionados de acordo com a disponibilidade no mercado, de mais fácil obtenção e de melhor custo beneficio ambiental. As análises estatísticas utilizam o delineamento experimental inteiramente ao acaso, em esquema fatorial com três repetições e utilizando o programa estatístico SAS para auxiliar na análise e confecção dos gráficos e discussões. Na avaliação do conjunto de características, a turfa marrom (TM) apresentou o menor valor de densidade seca, maior porosidade total, maiores valores de água facilmente disponível, água disponível e capacidade de retenção de água, e mesmo valor de espaço de aeração daquele sugerido como referência sendo um bom material para o uso em telhados verdes, formando compostos com outros materiais e buscando as melhores características e sustentabilidade do sistema. Dentre os substratos comerciais estudados, o substrato para espécies hortícolas (SH) apresentou os maiores valores de capacidade de retenção de água e água disponível para as plantas, possibilitando um maior intervalo entre irrigações ou chuvas, características importantes para o uso em telhados verdes. No entanto, tornam-se necessários mais estudos com a finalidade identificar mais materiais e substratos apropriados para o uso em telhados verdes, levando-se em conta as diferentes características de cada local, tipo de vegetação escolhida, capacidade de suporte da edificação, dentre outro fatores. / Rural and urban new trends seek an improvement in techniques and use of alternative materials for greater sustainability. The use of plants on walls and roofs is one of the newest fields of environmental research, looking for a green and sustainable solution to improve the quality of urban and rural life. A green cover consists of a substrate and appropriate vegetation planted on an impermeable base. It can also contain additional layers, such as a system of drainage and irrigation with an anti-root barrier. The positive effects of roof vegetation on urban environment are well known, as reducing the runoff,acting as a biological filter, reducing air pollution, minimizing heat inside the buildings during summer and maximizing during the winter. There are also benefits to fauna, with the return of various species, maintaining the local biological balance. The coverage can be adapted to industries, homes, offices and other commercial and rural properties. Careful selection of plants allows the green roof to succeed in adverse conditions. In addition, research is necessary to ensure a culture medium that retains water that the same time provides good drainage to prevent root rot, allowing a wider range of plant species in the cover. In this sense, a study was conducted involving the most abundant substrates of our region, seeking appropriate technologies for the manufacture of green roofs and identifying the best application techniques, according to the needs of each environment. For this work ten types of preselected substrates were used according to market availability, easier to obtain and with a better environmental cost/benefit ratio. Statistics of the experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial format with three replications and using the SAS statistical software to assist in the analysis and construction of graphs and discussions. In evaluating the feature of the cover set, brown peat (TM) presented the lowest value of dry density, higher porosity, higher values of easily available water, available water capacity and water retention, and even the amount of aeration space, suggested TM as being a good reference material for use in green roofs. Among the studied commercial substrates, the substrate for horticultural species (SH) showed the highest values of water holding capacity and water available to plants, allowing a longer interval between irrigations or rainfall, an important characteristic for its use on green roofs. However, more studies are needed in order to identify the most suitable materials and for use in green roof substrates, taking into account the different characteristics of each site, vegetation type, bearing capacity of the building, among other factors.

The goal of my master‘s thesis is to project a municipality with an attached library in the town Leopoldov. The municipality building has two aboveground floors and the library is designed as a single-floor structure. Both are designed to be barrier-free. The construction system is made out of limestone-sand blocks. The ceilings are mostly made out of prestressed ceiling panels, except for the first floor of the municipality, where the prestressed panel ceiling is combined with monolithic ceiling plates made out of reinforced concrete. The roof of the library is projected as a green roof with a terrace and the municipality has a flat deck roof with river gravel.

This diploma thesis is focused on the analysis of the retention effect on the pitch green roof from the selection of different roof sets. Measurements of retention proparties were performed on four semi-scale testing elements. Monitored period was evaluated during initial growing cycle on extensive, biodiverse and icelandic green roof in comparison with roofing tile surface. The theoretical part describes effective water retention management, historical and present development in the Czech Republic and closed European countries of green roofs.

Ad Astra är en cirkushall, högt beläget på en skogsbeklädd kulle ca 10 minuter från Alby centrum. Här samlas hela Cirkus Cirkörs verksamhet under ett tak: elever, lärare, administration och besökare. Promenadvägen från Albys tunnelbana leder fram till ett torg med den nya byggnaden som fond. Ett strikt grid av 58 stålpelare definierar ett uterum på byggnadens tak som sluttar upp mot en kopparkub bland träden. Här skapas möjligheter till allt från utomhusföreställningar till picknick i ett landskap som subtilt smälter samman med den bakomliggande skogen. Gränsen mellan natur och struktur suddas ut samtidigt som taket ger en oöverträffad utsikt över Alby och Albysjön. Internt är byggnaden tvådelad med en publik, öppen del och en sluten,flexibel hallösning. Den publika delens rumsligheter definieras av takets variation och är samlad kring en central innegård. Mellan den publika delen och hallarna finns omklädningsrum, verkstad, gym och ett stort förråd. En bred trappa leder besökarna upp till en öppen foajé med café och vidare in till hallen, alternativt upp och ut på taket.

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As urbanization grows wildlife habitat is displaced and fragmented. Vegetative roofs offer an innovative alternative to provide animal food and habitat in urban environments. This research study investigates how wildlife needs in a green roof ecosystem are interpreted through children’s visual perception. A visual preference survey was administered to fourth-grade students in Starkville, Mississippi which offered paired photographs displaying basic vertebrate and invertebrate needs. The responses from 85 students (n=85) were compared to identify preferences for legible habitat components. The results of this survey showed that fourth-grade students could readily identify the basic habitat needs for birds but were less able to with insects. Students were intrigued with utilizing a green roof for learning and play. Green roofs have potential to be designed as innovative teaching tools to enhance science education in K-12 schools.

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