1. By: Carson Cross

2. Research Question  The city of Bridgeport, CT has set out to accomplish the goals listed under the BGreen 2020 plan.  This plan was established to create jobs, save money, reduce carbon emissions, and help free the United States from our addiction to foreign oil.

3. “Lets make Bridgeport the cleanest, greenest city with schools and neighborhoods that get better every year.” –Bill Finch, Mayor of Bridgeport, CT (BGreen2020)

4. Answers  The local community could benefit from the implementation of green roofs a top many of its downtown industry buildings.  Green rooftops are a green methods of reducing storm water run off.  They provide more efficient insulation, which reduces the amount of energy needed to heat and cool buildings.

5.  The Simple Method is to top one or two buildings in the Eco-Tech Park with an extensive green roof. This roof style is the lightest and thinnest, which males the roof easy to maintain and install.  The Complex Method would be the addition of an intensive living roof on top of the proposed low-income housing complex to be developed in the Eco-Tech Park. This style is thicker and this allows the roof to be used as a park as well as a potential community garden. This style would cost more to construct and maintain than the extensive method, but it offers more benefits to the local community. (Hale)

6.  The establishment of a green roof at the Eco-Tech Park would help Mayor Finch and the people of Bridgeport get closer to accomplishing the goals listed in BGreen 2020.  This technology would help to reduce carbon emissions that are typically used to heat and cool buildings.  It would help reduce storm water runoff in an area that is already highly prone to flooding.  The roof could be seen from Interstate-95, adding some increased aesthetic value to the industrial looking park.

7. Image 1: Intensive Green Roof at City Hall in Chicago, Illinois. On summer days the temperature atop City Hall’s green roof are 14-44 degrees Celsius cooler than the neighboring county office building (Dubbeling). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_roof#/media/File:20080708_Chicago_City_Hall_Green_Roof.JPG

8. Image 2: Extensive Green Roof. http://wishouse.me/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/minimalist-model-design-green-roof-extensive-roof-extensive-green-roof.jpg

9. Table 1: Advantages and Disadvantages of Extensive Versus Intensive Green Roofs. http://www.nps.gov/tps/images/extensive-vs-intensive-a.jpg

10. Introduction  Green roofs are relatively new forms of sustainable architecture that bring environmental and economic benefits to the land and the landowner.  Washington D.C.’s National Building Museum has an exhibit called “The Green House” that lists the five principles of sustainable architecture.  A green roof is an example of sustainable architecture that provides plenty of benefits.

11. Five Principles of Sustainable Architecture: 1. Optimization of the sun. 2. Improved air quality. 3. Responsible use of land. 4. Wise use of Earth’s natural resources. 5. Creation of high-performance, moisture resistant buildings. (Barron)

12. Benefits of a Green Roof:  Reduced rainwater runoff  Reduction of heating/cooling requirements  Improved air/water quality  Extended lifetime of roof  Improved aesthetic value (Dubbeling)

13. Reduced Rainwater Runoff  A study done in Manchester, UK shows that average rainfall runoff retention was 65.7% using an intensive green roof versus 33.6% when using a bare roof.  This study analyzed 69 rainfall events at the green roof site and the bare site, and the data shows that the city could see 2.3% increase in annual rainfall retention in there is a 10% increase in intensive green roof construction. (Speak)

14. Reduction of Heating/Cooling Requirements  On average temperatures are 5-15 degrees Celsius higher in urban areas.  One way to reduce this urban heat island effect is to implement green roofs. (Dubbeling)

15. Example 1: Toronto  In Toronto, if 6% of roof space was green roof, it could reduce the average summer temp of the city by 1-2%.  This leads to a 5% decrease in electricity needed to cool the metropolitan buildings.  Less electricity needed means lower costs and reduction of fossil fuels needed to produce electricity. (Hole)

16. Example 2: Tokyo  In Tokyo, the average daily temperature could be reduced by up to 0.84 degrees Celsius, if 50% of the city’s rooftops were topped with green roofs.  This would result in 1.3$ million USD worth of energy savings per day. (Skinner)

17. Improved Air/Water Quality  The air quality of the community could see an increase because the roof top plants produce oxygen gas and absorb emissions like carbon dioxide during the process of photosynthesis.  The water quality would also see an increase because the roof acts as a water retainer and filter before water is returned to the local water cycle via evaporation. (Hole)

18. Extended Lifetime of Roof  If designed and constructed properly, a green roof can double or triple the average lifespan of a bare roof.  It reduces maintenance costs and benefits the environment because it decreases the amount of waste material deposited to landfills. (Dubbeling)

19. Improved Aesthetic Value  The positive aesthetic value and the construction of a green roof have more of a benefit than simply visual pleasure.  A study done by the British Medical Association in 2011 found that exposure to daylight / green space in hospitals increases patient experience and recovery time.  This study was backed with the research of Robert Ulrich at Texas A&M, who discovered that patients with a view of green space had almost 9% shorter stays in comparison to those who only had the view of a brick wall.  Green roofs also offer a sense of escape and control from the normal hospital setting and this allows stress relief for patients.  This stress reduction allows immune systems to work at peak function and this helps stimulate positive natural healing qualities. (Durhman)

20. Incentives  The upfront cost of a green roof is usually the inhibitor, but over a period of time, the operational cost savings of a green roof will typically offset the cost of installation.  Additional incentive to build green roofs is the available deductions and grants offered by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This alone designated a 6$ billion fund for water and sewage projects around the US.  Green roofs contribute to LEED Certification under the categories of: roof heat island effect, storm water design, and connection to the natural world. (Durhman)

21. Example of Sustainable Low- Income Housing  The initial cost of green architecture can be the reason that sustainable methods are left aside when developing things like affordable housing, but a shift to more sustainable low-income housing developments could turn out to be more economical over time.  The Colorado Court is the first low-income housing complex to incorporate sustainable architecture. This complex is in Santa Monica, California and has integrated the use of clean solar energy into its housing development.  A sustainable low-income housing development could be constructed in Bridgeport’s Eco-Tech Park and this could be accomplished simply by designing the development with a green roof style.

22. Image 3: The Colorado Court Housing Project This is a sketch of the 1 st low-income sustainable housing development in the United States. It has been developed with integrated solar technology. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Colorado_Court_Affordable_Housing.jpg

23. Proposal for Eco-Tech Park  The planned low-income housing unit should be topped with a green roof.  This can be either intensive or extensive based on budget that is available.  Either style of green roof would bring environmental, aesthetic, and economic benefits to the community.  One green roof might pave the way for an up and coming green technology trend.

24. References  Barron, Mary. (2006). Green roofs. Journal of Housing and Community Development, 63.4:42.  Dubbeling, Marielle; Massonneau, Edouard. “Rooftop agriculture in the context of climate change.” Appropriate Technology, Sept 2014.  Durhman, Angie. (2011). Green roofs. Facility Care, 16.8:22-23.  Hole, Jim. “Rooftops go green: gardens in the sky are a European tradition and are now spreading to Canadian cities.” CanWest News Service, 22 Feb 2003.  Skinner, Carol. “Urban density, meteorology and rooftops.” Urban Policy and Research, 21 Nov 2006.  Speak, A. Rothwell, J.J. Lindley, J.J. Smith, C.L. (2013). Rainwater runoff retention on an aged intensive green roof. Science of the Total Environment, 461-461:28-38.  BGreen 2020 Sustainability Proposal PowerPoint.