More than half of the world's population works full time and spends about one-third of their weekdays at workplaces (International Labor Organization, 2022). Mental disorders are one of the health problems that have emerged among working populations (World Health Organization, 2022). Previous empirical research and theories demonstrated that nature exposure positively impacts human health and wellbeing (Kaplan and Kaplan 1989). Green roofs can be one of the most easily accessible nature places for office workers in city centers. This study examines the relationship between green roofs and work-related distress, mental fatigue, and restoration. An online survey of 179 employees was used to evaluate the relationship between exposure to six different green roofs and employee work-related distress, mental fatigue, and mental restoration. The results show that the average time spent on green roofs and the frequency of visits have statistically significant relationships with the mental restoration. / Doctor of Philosophy / More than half of the world's population works full time and spends about one-third of their weekdays at workplaces (International Labor Organization, 2022). Mental health issues are one of the health problems that have emerged among employees (World Health Organization, 2022). Previous research and theories demonstrated that nature contributes to human health and wellbeing in a very positive way (Kaplan and Kaplan 1989). This study investigates the relationship between green roofs and work-related stress and mental fatigue. This study evaluates employees' perceived stress and mental fatigue at work, their perception of onsite green roofs, and the restorative capacity of workplace green roofs using a 32-item online survey. 179 employees from four companies with at least one onsite green roof each answered the survey. The results showed that the average time spent on green roofs per visit, the frequency of visits, employees' attitudes and perceptions towards workplace green roofs, the organization's relevance with nature, the presence of diverse species on the green roof, and employees' knowledge about green roofs are related to the perceived restoration capacity of the green roof. The study contributes to understanding the relationship between the restorative capacity of green roofs and work-related psychosocial outcomes, employees' green roof use patterns, preferences, and green roof design attributes. Green roof designers, the green roof industry, and business owners can benefit from the study findings and implications to create more restorative green roofs, as well as happier and healthier workplaces.

Design frequently involves a series of trade-offs to obtain the "optimal" solution to a design problem. Green roofs have many different characteristics based on a variety of variables. Designers typically weigh the impacts of these characteristics in an implicit process based on intuition or past experience. But since vegetated roofing is a relatively complex and comparatively new technology to many practitioners, a rational, explicit method to help organize and rank the trade-offs made during the design process is useful. This research comprises the creation of a framework diagramming the decision process involved in the selection of vegetated roofing systems. Through a series of expert interviews and case studies, the available knowledge is captured and organized to determine the critical parameters affecting design decisions. A set of six case study projects in North America is analyzed and six critically important evaluative categories are identified: storm water management, energy consumption, acoustics, structure, compliance with regulatory guidelines and governmental incentives, and cost. These six factors are key decision-making parameters in the selection of vegetated roofing systems and they form the basis of this study. They are addressed in the context of a decision support system for green roof designers. A summation of the total importance of the advantages represented by each alternative is used to determine the most feasible green roof system for a particular project. The decision-making framework developed in this dissertation will ultimately be adaptable to digital processing and a computer-based design assistance tool. / Ph. D.

This presented dissertation is focused on the installation technology of green roofs and sustainable long-term stability considering the construction and runoff water management. The main topic of the study and research was the technical layer application, especially the newly developed retention board made of recycled polyester fiber and non woven textiles. Consistent monitoring was performed in the climatic conditions of the Czech Republic and selected installation technology.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / William P. Winslow III / The site for the Riverpond Visitor Center is located three miles northeast of Manhattan, Kansas, along K-13 on the eastern end of Riverpond Park. The design of the visitor center addresses four problems: 1) the fact that many families prefer to stay inside their homes rather than experience the outdoors, based on a study done by the Center on Education Policy in 2008, 2) people are uninformed about sustainable design practices and sustainable energies 3) people lack experience and knowledge of the natural environment creating a preference for the visual characteristics of non-native plant species, and 4) interpretive centers that attempt to reconnect people and the landscape use prescriptive interpretive methods that distract the visitor from the interpretive process. To better understand the relationship of people and the landscape, research was conducted to address the problems stated above. Two articles were reviewed that describe the importance of drawing attention to beauty in the landscape. Two precedent studies were conducted on built projects that use native plant species and vernacular architecture. The program for the visitor center was based on the project research and informed the site inventory and analysis. The site inventory and analysis of existing site conditions creates a strong foundation from which to design the visitor center. The project then went into schematic design and design development. The design of the Riverpond Visitor Center connects people to the landscape by directing them through the native tall grass prairie, informs visitors about stormwater management, wind and solar energy through demonstration, is designed using native prairie species and native limestone, and focuses visitors’ experience on the tall grass prairie by fading the line between architecture and landscape.

Em virtude da urbanização descontrolada e a falta de um planejamento técnico adequado, bem como, da alta densidade urbana, ocorreu uma ocupação em áreas naturais de extrema importância para a cidade de São Paulo. As construções e a pavimentação reduziram as áreas verdes, o que alterou a temperatura e a circulação dos ventos, provocando a formação da chamada ilha de calor. Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo principal o estudo do impacto no microclima dos telhados verdes ou green roofs - que são coberturas vegetadas, que podem ser extensivas (plantas de porte baixo ou rasteiras) ou intensivas (plantas de porte médio e arbóreo). A metodologia utilizada foi a analítico-comparativa, relacionando a temperatura e umidade relativa do ar, comparando dois tipos de cobertura, uma de telhado verde intensivo (estrutura jardim) localizada no Edifício Conde Matarazzo e, outra de um telhado de concreto localizado no Edifício Mercantil/Finasa, ambos na borda direita do Vale do Anhangabaú, no centro de São Paulo, e ainda com os dados do INMET (Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia), coletado em Santana. Os dados foram organizados em gráficos que retrataram um ano e onze dias de coleta, no período de 20 de março de 2012 a 31 de março de 2013. Ao comparar os dados coletados no telhado verde e de concreto com os dados do INMET, observou-se que durante os horários de maior radiação solar as temperaturas do telhado de concreto e do INMET apresentaram valores similares e elevados, enquanto o telhado verde teve temperatura menos elevada e maior umidade do ar, inclusive aquecendo posteriormente ao telhado de concreto e ao local onde são coletados os dados do INMET. As maiores amplitudes térmicas entre os telhados ocorreram no verão de 2012 e outono de 2013, registrando respectivamente, 6,7º C e 6,6º C e, as maiores amplitudes higrométricas ocorreram no outono e primavera, sendo de 7,1% e 5,2%. A maior variação da temperatura do ar entre os dois telhados foi de 5,3º C e, da umidade foi de 15,7%. Portanto, a pesquisa demonstrou que a utilização deste tipo de cobertura vegetal sobre os telhados, reduz as temperaturas e elevam a umidade do ar no microclima, enquanto que o telhado de concreto eleva a temperatura e reduz a umidade do ar significativamente. Esta cobertura emite calor para atmosfera, principalmente em áreas urbanas altamente adensadas, potencializando a ilha de calor. Assim, conclui-se que o telhado verde ocasiona impactos ambientais positivos no microclima, o que também pode melhorar a qualidade de vida no meio urbano. Mas ainda há um longo caminho a ser percorrido para a implantação deste tipo de cobertura, demandando principalmente do poder público, a promoção de incentivos ao uso deste tipo de telhado. / Due to uncontrolled urbanization and lack of adequate technical planning, as well as the high urban density, people occupied natural areas of vital importance to São Paulo. Buildings construction and road paving diminished green areas, altering wind circulations, creating the so called heat islands. This research had as central aim the study of microclimate impact of the green roofs vegetated coverage that can be extensive (with creeping or low stature plants) or intensive (high stature plants or trees). It was used the comparative-analytical method to compare the temperature and humidity of two different kind of coverage, one is an intensive green roof (garden structure) in the Conde Matarazzos building, and the other a concrete roof at Mercantil/Finasas building, both located at the right side of Anhangabaús valley, in São Paulos centre, and also comparing the INMET (National Meteorological Institute) data, which are collected in Santana. The data were organized in graphics that demonstrates a year and eleven days of data, within march 20th 2012 and march 31th 2013. Comparing the green roof, concrete roof and INMETs one, it was possible to observe that during times of high solar radiation, the concrete roofs and INMETs presented similar and high temperature values, meanwhile the green roofs ones were lower and had higher humidity. It also warms latter in regard to the concrete roof and the place where INMET data are collected. The bigger temperatures range among the roofs happened in the 2012 summer and 2013 fall, marking respectively, 6,7º C and 6,6º C. The bigger humidity ranges happened in the fall and spring: 7,1% and 5,2%. Comparing both the concrete and green roof, the biggest temperature difference was of 5,3 oC, and in humidity was of 15,7%. Therefore, the research proved that the use of this kind of plant coverage over the roofs reduces the temperatures and enhances humidity in the microclimate, while the concrete roof significantly increases the temperatures and decreases humidity, because this kind coverage transmits heat into the atmosphere, especially in high density urban areas, potentiating the heat island. In other words, the green roof causes positive environmental impacts in the microclimate, and can also enhance life quality in urban areas. But there still is a long path until to impart this kind of coverage, with actions to be taken by the government to promote, by incentives, the usage of this type of roof.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T15:14:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cassia.pdf: 2786981 bytes, checksum: 5b6d10db8b160b6e3fcd9969190b981f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-15 / Since the second half of the nineteenth century, energy plays a key role in the gear of modern industrial society, moving numerous systems and equipment, but its overuse has caused its scarcity. Assuming that renewable energy comes from renewable resources, naturally replenished, from the sun, wind, rain, tides and geothermal energy, some can be exploited intensively, and when combined with bioclimatic architecture and energy efficiency can have adequate thermal inertia a building with adequate insulation elements, maintaining thermal comfort inside the room during times of peak temperature and solar radiation outside and thus respectively controlling excess heat. To this end this work becomes significant because it was developed in order to provide two different conditions of buildings, in which the cover is differentiating factor for withdrawals and verification of energy efficiency. The research shows the variation of the internal temperature of the environment covered by the green roof and a conventional, and their loss to the environment over the hours of the day and night as well as the influence of the green roof substrate at room temperature inside, demonstrating the efficiency of the green roof. / Desde a segunda metade do século XIX, a energia desempenha papel fundamental na engrenagem da sociedade industrial moderna, movimentando inúmeros sistemas e equipamentos, porém seu uso demasiado vem causando a sua escassez. Partindo do pressuposto de que a energia renovável vem de recursos renováveis, naturalmente reabastecidos, proveniente do sol, vento, chuva, marés e energia geotérmica, algumas podem ser exploradas intensivamente, e quando aliadas a arquitetura bioclimática e eficiência energética pode-se ter ganhos consideráveis com a inércia térmica em uma edificação, com elementos de adequado isolamento, assegurando o conforto térmico no interior do ambiente durante horas de maior temperatura e radiação solar no exterior e assim respectivamente, controlar o excesso de calor. Com este objetivo o trabalho se torna expressivo, pois foi desenvolvido a fim de propiciar duas condições diferentes de construções, nas quais a cobertura é fator diferencial para os levantamentos e verificação da eficiência energética, obtendo resultados relevantes quando comparados os dois protótipos do experimento, um com telhado convencional e outro com telhado verde. A pesquisa apresentou a variação das temperaturas internas do ambiente coberto pelo telhado verde e de um convencional, e suas perdas para o meio ao longo das horas do dia e da noite, bem como a influência do substrato do telhado verde na temperatura interna do ambiente, demonstrando a eficiência do telhado verde.

A utilização de coberturas verdes nas edificações traz vantagens como a regulação das temperaturas no ambiente construído, a melhora na eficiência energética, a retenção das águas pluviais, a atenuação dos efeitos das ilhas de calor e o aumento da biodiversidade no ambiente urbano. O objetivo desta pesquisa é analisar experimentalmente o comportamento térmico de um sistema extensivo de cobertura verde em comparação com uma cobertura controle sem vegetação no período de transição entre as estações primavera-verão. O experimento foi composto por duas plataformas de teste construídas de forma a reproduzir um sistema de cobertura verde extensivo, sendo que uma plataforma recebeu o plantio de grama-amendoim e a outra foi mantida sem cobertura vegetal. Foram monitoradas as temperaturas dos níveis superior e inferior do substrato e também as temperaturas externas, abaixo da base das plataformas, por meio de termopares instalados em locais pré-determinados conectados a um sistema de aquisição de dados. Os dados de radiação solar global e das principais variáveis climáticas foram registrados pela estação meteorológica automática do Centro de Recursos Hídricos e Estudos Ambientais (CRHEA) da Universidade de São Paulo (USP) em Itirapina- SP, local onde foi conduzido o estudo. As análises do comportamento térmico foram realizadas a partir das abordagens espacial e temporal da Climatologia Dinâmica como forma de conhecer a influência das flutuações do tempo meteorológico possibilitando a identificação de episódios climáticos e suas repercussões sobre os valores das temperaturas obtidas das plataformas de teste através da elaboração e análise de gráficos, com o auxílio das cartas sinóticas e imagens de satélite, para identificação do episódio representativo e escolha dos dias típicos experimentais. Os resultados indicaram que a cobertura verde apresentou melhor desempenho térmico em relação à cobertura controle por ter apresentado maior atraso térmico entre as superfícies superior e inferior, menor amplitude térmica nas superfícies e temperaturas máximas menores do que a temperatura máxima do ar. Concluiu-se que, para um dia quente e seco, a cobertura do substrato com uma camada densa de vegetação influencia os processos de troca de calor no perfil do substrato pelo bloqueio de parte da radiação solar incidente, fator principal que determina esses processos, permitindo que a superfície superior não atinja temperaturas acima da temperatura máxima do ar diária e também que esta temperatura se manifeste com maior atraso na superfície inferior. / The use of green roofs in buildings brings advantages such as the regulation of temperatures in the built environment, the improvement in energy efficiency, storm water retention, mitigating the heat islands effect and increasing biodiversity in the urban environment. The aim of this study is to analyze experimentally the thermal behavior of an extensive green roof system compared to a control roof with just soil layer in spring-summer transition period. The experiment consisted of two test platforms built to reproduce an extensive green roof system, one of wich was planted with perennial peanut and the other one was kept without vegetation. The temperatures of the upper and lower levels of the substrate and also external temperatures below the base of the platforms were monitored by means of thermocouples installed in predetermined locations connected to a data acquisition system. Global solar radiation data and the main climatic variables were recorded by the automatic weather station at the Centre for Water Resources and Environmental Studies (CRHEA), University of São Paulo (USP) in Itirapina-SP, where the study was conducted. The analysis of the thermal behavior was based on the spatial and temporal approaches of dynamic climatology to know the influence of weather fluctuations enabling the identification of climatic episodes and their impact on the temperature values obtained from the test platforms by means of charts and verified by synoptic maps and satellite imagery for the identification of the representative episode and choice of the typical experimental days. The results indicated that green roof showed better thermal performance compared to control coverage by having larger thermal lag between the upper and lower surfaces, the lower temperature range on surfaces and lower maximum temperatures than the maximum air temperature. It was concluded that for a hot, dry day, a layer of a dense vegetation cover influences the heat exchange process in the substrate layer by blocking a part of the solar radiation, the main factor that determines these processes, allowing the upper surface does not reach temperatures above the maximum daily air temperature and also that this temperature be registred with higher delay at the bottom surface.

Bakalauro darbe atlikti projektai: „Žaliosios klasės interjero projektas“, ir „Mažosios architektūros projektas“. Bendras projekto plotas 990,4 m ² iš jų : - 40 m ² sudaro „Žalioji klasė“, 950,4 m ² „Žaliojo“ stogo zonos. Atliekat projektą išsikelti tikslai: 1. Patalpos zonavimas; 2. Stilistiką ir estetika; 3. Medžiagiškumas; 4. Funkcionalumas; 5. Apšvietimas. Manau, kad man pavyko įgyvendinti išsikeltus tikslus, nes darbe: 1. Išspręsti baldinės įrangos, lubų, grindų bei apšvietimo sprendimai; 2. Padaryti baldinės įrangos brėžiniai, konstrukciniai pjūviai; 3. Parodytos sienų išklotinės; 4. Patalpų zonavimas; 5. Projektų stilistika ir estetika; 6. Medžiagiškumas; 7. Funkcionalumas; 8. Pateiktos aiškos projekto vizualizacijos; 9. Pateikti penki plančetai su papildoma lydimąją grafika; 10. Bei sukurtas vizualizacinis filmukas. Kadangi Lietuvoje tokio tipo mokyklos interjero ir mažosios architektūros elementų dar nėra, todėl manau, kad šie projektai turi pranašumų prieš įprastus mokyklų interjero, bei mažosios architektūros sprendimus. / The interior project for the “Green class” and the minuscule architecture project. Total are: 990,4 m²: 40 m² per the Green class; 950,4 m² per the “Green roof” zone. The objectives of the project 1. Area / room zoning. 2. Stylistics and esthetics. 3. Texture. 4. Functionality 5. Light I believe I have coped with the aforesaid objectives as there are discussed in the paper: 1. Variants for furniture and recolve, ceilings, floros and lighting solutions. 2. The schemes for furniture equipment and construction cuts. 3. Wall development. 4. Area/ room zoning. 5. The stylistics and the esthetics of the project. 6. Texture. 7. Functionality. 8. Clear visualizations of the project are provident. 9. Also provident are five. 10. A visualizations material was created. As in the Lithuanian there are no samples of such of school interior as well minuscule architecture, I believe they have superiority against the common ordinary school interior and minuscule architecture solutions.

Research was conducted to determine individual suitability of native and Canadian-bred selected plants in terms of growth and survivability for local extensive green roofs. The experiment was single-factor (species) with 12 levels (two Sedum spp. [controls]; 10 Canadian-bred or native plant species) in a randomized complete block design with three blocks. Variables measured were percent survival and cover, height, fresh and dry weights, stomatal conductance, transpiration, photosynthetic rate, soil temperature, soil moisture, and reflectance. Artemisia stelleriana contributed more to cooling through transpiration than Sedum floriferum, and maintained similar soil moisture to Sedum acre. Lotus corniculatus was similar to the controls in photosynthetic rate and had higher reflectance than Sedum acre in July. With high biomass and photosynthetic rates, Aster novi-belgii may contribute more to carbon sequestration and insulation than the controls. Artemisia stelleriana , Lotus corniculatus, and Aster novi-belgii are suitable species for extensive green roofs in northern Nova Scotia.

Green roof design has proceeded without integration of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). A literature survey was therefore conducted in order to determine which aspects of green roof functioning might be enhanced by AMF, and subsequently levels of AMF and endophyte colonization were determined for seven plant species used in green roofs. Plants were sampled from an experimental green roof and from the field. A commercial growing medium was also tested for AMF inoculum potential. Colonization was poor in both field and rooftop samples of the commercially popular succulent, Sedum acre, but significantly higher in Solidago bicolor, a proposed green roof species. The commercial growing medium was found to contain extremely low levels of viable AMF propagules. Although the apparent lack of mycorrhizal dependency of S. acre helps to explain its popularity as a green roof plant, its overuse precludes the important ecosystem services potentially provided by AMF symbioses.