Antoine Gatt / George Cutajar

Green Roofs – Towards a sustainable urban environment …the Maltese case

The Maltese Scenario - Urbanisation In the last 5 decades Malta has sustained a drive towards urbanisation. This resulted in large tracts of fertile land being converted into houses and apartments.

The Maltese Scenario – Towards ‘High Rise’ In recent years, and to a certain extent, the horizontal spreading of built-up areas has been restricted. This has resulted in the replacement of two storey terraced housing with medium rise apartment blocks leading to high density urban areas.

The Maltese Scenario – Garden Grabbing High land prices and the urge to increase profits has resulted in garden grabbing. This led to a significant drop in urban green infrastructure and a reduction in ecosystem services.

The Green Infrastructure Green open spaces within the built environment are few and rare. This is attributed to limited land area and lack of awareness on the importance and function of green infrastructure.

Impacts – ‘quality of life’

Green Roofs – Role to play Green Roofs have a role to play in rendering buildings more energy efficient Mitigate the problems of modern urban areas. Green Roofs have since spread throughout Europe and other continents.

Green Roofs - Benefits For the Owner: Protects the roof slab Reduces air-conditioning costs Reduce winter heating costs Reduces storm water run-off Improve public relations - corporate Amenity space Reduces carbon footprint. For the Environment: Prevents sewer overflow Replenishes oxygen Provide habitat for wildlife For the Community: Reduces storm water runoff Reduces “heat island” effect Improves air quality Reduces/buffers noise Reduces energy demand Improves aesthetics Provides green enclave An educational tool

Green Roofs - Objectives Malta's construction methods are ideal in accommodating green roofs, and given that there is little information on local Green Roof performance, it would be most appropriate for the project to aim at creating baseline information on Green Roofs, paving the way for further studies but at the same time providing the opportunity and know how for the technology to be replicated by others. Thus the project will demonstrate to various sectors of society the benefits derived from green roofs. The project aims at: Sourcing locally available materials for use as a growing medium. Such materials could include industrial waste Studying the adequacy of native plants in a green roof environment Proposing policies so as to integrate green roofs into the construction industry

Green Roofs - Objectives Analysing data on the insulation properties of green roofs and calculating the reduction in energy consumption Analysing flood mitigation properties of green roofs. Disseminating the above findings to the public and policy makers through reports, publications, various media sources, seminars, and the internet Constructing a green roof for demonstration purposes and as an open air laboratory for further green roof studies. Developing guidelines for the construction of green roofs

Standards and Metrology Institute - Remit Participate in the development of European and International standards. Adopt European and International standards at National level. Provide a platform to the local industry to participate in the development of European and International standards. Provide a platform to the local industry to develop National standards which do not conflict with European and International standards. Support the quality infrastructure of Malta by providing ‘state-of-the art’ standards which can be used by the industry and the regulator.

Standardisation – The Green Roof Standard SM3700:2017 LifeMedProject/Industry approached MCCAA to develop the standard on Green Roofs Setup team of experts from the industry representing recognised entities (e.g. UOM, MCAST, Chamber of Engineers, OHSA, etc.) Series of meetings Public consultation Publication of the standard SM 3700:2017 - Green Roofs - Criteria for the planning, construction, control and maintenance of Green Roofs

Standardisation – Initiatives DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL STANDARDS (in-progress) DSM820 – Recycling oriented deconstruction - Demolition and excavation (Process based approach) DSM840 - Recycling oriented deconstruction – Guidelines for recycled material from excavation and demolition waste EU ECOLABEL Contributes to Circular Economy Use of EU Ecolabel Products (Green Public Procurement) EU Ecolabel – Tourist Accommodation ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Certification – ISO14001:2015 EMAS – Eco-Management and Audit Scheme ORGANIC FARMING CERTIFICATION

Antoine Gatt / George Cutajar antoine.gatt@um.edu.mt – george.a.cutajar@mccaa.org.mt