Implementation of green roof technology in residential buildings and neighborhoods of Cyprus

Abstract

Green roofs are considered as an appropriate nature-based measure to increase the environmental resilience of cities. This paper examines this technological solution applied to typical urban residential buildings in the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, with respect to energy, environmental, and economic aspects. The analysis shows a clearly positive energy and environmental contribution of green roofs. Although such an investment does not seem to be cost-effective in residential buildings, sensitivity analysis demonstrates that green roofs become financially favorable compared to flat roof constructions with only modest reductions in their current installation cost. Moreover, green roofs offer environmental benefits that are currently difficult to monetize, which can clearly improve urban resilience to climate change. In order to quantify the impact of green roof installations on the surrounding environment, the analysis was expanded from the individual building perspective to neighborhood scale implementation, using appropriate simulation software to evaluate the contribution of green roofs to urban heat island mitigation. Focusing on the ambient air temperature at the pedestrian level, a noticeable decrease was estimated.