Although the concentration of activity and people within cities is frequently perceived to be the main source of environmental problems, it can also have environmental advantages as well, for instance through the sharing of resources and reduced vehicle travel times. Dr. Steemers believes that more intense land use and sharing of infrastructure such as energy, water, drainage, roads, buildings and public transport can greatly reduce the energy per capita in urban areas. He also explains that urban environments can receive huge benefits from the use of combined heat and power (CHP). CHP has the potential to deliver 55% thermal energy and 30% electrical energy by themselves. The two energies combined can typically deliver 85% or more …show more content…
This can be seen in a higher vulnerability for sickness in elderly people.
Microclimate modification through landscaping is a proven method for reducing the heat island effect. Landscaping can be used to control several aspects of the microclimate such as solar radiation, air temperature, wind speed and direction, relative humidity and glare. Using trees and shrubs is the most significant way to provide shade and control of relative humidity and air movement. In addition plants provide ventilation and reduced heat through ventilation. When air crosses hard reflective or absorptive surfaces like parking lots and sidewalks it is warmed, but air passing through trees and plants is cooled (Ogunsote, 2003). Common ways in which to integrate landscaping elements into the urban environment include planting trees and shrubs, lawns and flowerbeds, pools and ponds.
Another common way to implement plants into urban areas is through green roofs. A green roof is basically a vegetative layer grown on a rooftop. Green roofs provide shade and remove heat from the air through evapotranspiration, reducing temperatures of the roof surface and the surrounding air. The EPA recommends green roofs for mitigating urban heat islands and outlines some of the benefits below:
• Reduced energy use: Green roofs absorb heat and act as insulators for buildings, reducing energy needed to provide cooling and heating.
• Reduced air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions:
Urban sustainability is the idea that an urban area can be organised without excessive reliance on the surrounding countryside and be able to power itself with renewable sources of energy. The aim of this is to create the smallest possible environmental footprint and to produce the lowest quantity of pollution possible, to efficiently use land, compost used materials, recycle it or convert waste-to-energy, and to make the urban area overall contribution to climate change minimal. Therefore allowing the next generations and future generations to have the required resources without compromising them. However sustainably needs to focus also on other issues such as crime and economic factors.
The study conducted by Coutts et al. in 2006 on the effects of urban density on local climate of Melbourne found that the move towards a more compact city (as directed in the Melbourne 2030 vision) with built-up activity will not only increase the urban surface and canopy temperatures in high density areas like CBD, but also extend the seasonal exposure to unfavorable climatic conditions (Coutts et al. 491). However, improvements in climate at activity centers are being made by employing various strategies. The available energy is being reduced through the use of lighter-colored building and roofing materials to increase albedo. Also, more and more activity centers are now being equipped with ecological rooftop gardens to increase the evaporative fraction and by establishing within-canopy vegetation, surfaces temperatures and Bowen ratios are being reduced (Coutts et al.
#19. The green roof provides shade, remove air particulates. Protects the roof from sun damage, and cool the air as water lost moist from plants leaves.
Every group had its own suggestions for green infrastructure. The most popular method among the projects was the implementation of green roofs. As every group stated, green roofs can help regulate temperatures inside buildings, saving costs on heating and cooling. They are handy in capturing storm water runoff, which can then be used for food production. Group A did a good job showing these benefits, but neglected to consider the possible detrimental
The city’s top three energy goals include increasing overall city energy efficiency by 5%, city building energy efficiency by 10%, and the renewable energy usage by 20 megawatts (City of Chicago, 2015a). Further, since 71% of carbon emissions come from the energy used by buildings in the city (City of Chicago, 2015a), it is unsurprising that government has taken notice. As stated by the City of Chicago (2015a), a goal has been set to increase renewable energy use 25% by the year 2026. Reductions in carbon emissions are not only beneficial in terms of energy efficiency, but they also reduce harm to the environment that can lead to climate change (City of Chicago, 2015a). It is also important to note that increasing energy efficiency can include building new, costly infrastructure that will pay off long-term, or can be as easy as replacing all street lights with energy efficient bulbs. In fact, updating street light energy efficiency is such a simple and cost-effective energy usage reduction tactic, it used in many of the cities we have studied this semester, such as Portland (Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, 2011). It is evident that the City of Chicago (2015a) believes that no sustainable effort is insignificant.
Urban sustainability is the idea that an urban area can be organised without excessive reliance on the surrounding countryside and be able to power itself with renewable sources of energy. The aim of this is to create the smallest possible environmental footprint and to produce the lowest quantity of pollution possible, to efficiently use land, compost used materials, recycle it or convert waste-to-energy, and to make the urban area overall contribution to climate change minimal. Therefore allowing the next generations and future generations to have the required resources without compromising them.
Roof coating is applied much like paint, except that the material turns to a rubber after it dries. The roof coating has the ability to contract and expand with the weather, which makes it ideal for any climate. The protective coating will also add an additional layer to prevent leaks from occurring. If you do not have the money to replace an aging roof, adding a coating can buy you some time by giving the roof some added
Roofs are the most important part of the residencies, massive halls and multi-storied skyscrapers. It protects from the burning heats and the violent rays of sunlight, rain and snowfall. Roofs have various following functionality:-
This helps to ensure a long lasting roof, and protection for your building, and the business you conduct within.
Big cities face numerous problems which include pollution, smog, and bad air quality. In order for this to change, science needs to expand and become good enough to stop this problem. Most technology and science being developed is too expensive or fails to work, but there is one solution to helping the pollution levels fall. Creating vertical forest on many buildings throughout the world will greatly reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air and help big cities with smog problems. All of these plants in just one vertical forest will combine to absorb, “25 tons of
Trees: The most cost-effective way to reduce solar heat gain is to utilize trees to provide shade. This will effectively reduce the direct rays of the sun from hitting and warming a building’s structure. The shade created by trees will reduce air temperatures on the property. Deciduous trees, which shed their leaves in the fall, should have a canopy large enough to shade the roof of a building. This helps block heat in the summer but lets the warmth of the sun’s rays shine through during the winter. If continuous shade throughout the year is desired, plant
Since metal reflects the heat of the sun, aluminum roofing minimizes the building’s midday heat gain,
Green Buildings can help the earth in so many ways. Being certified means that you build more environmentally friendly, which means that building green friendly can reduce the negative effect buildings and operations have on the environment. Also green building greatly decreases the chances of fire, explosions, spills or splashes. Building green also reduces health problems such as allergies.
Homeowners across America are turning to metal as a green alternative to roofs. There are numerous benefits associated with this type of roof, including durability and longevity. Additionally, metal roofs come in a variety of patterns, styles and colors making it the perfect choice for discriminating homeowners.
Green buildings could become one of the main factors to preserve our rapidly decaying environment. There is no easy way to define a green building, but a green building is essentially a structure that amplifies the positives and mitigates the negatives throughout the entire life cycle of the building (Kriss, 2014). There are many definitions for a green building, but all of them include the planning, designing, constructing, and operating of the building while taking into huge considerations of the energy use, water use, indoor air environment, materials used and the effect it has on the site the green building is being built on. The first green buildings dates back to as far as the 1970’s, when solar panels went from experiments to reality. Green buildings were not as popular as they are today due to their extremely high pricing. With technology rapidly growing, solar panels are becoming cheaper and cheaper, making the transition to creating green buildings more affordable. This is the primary reason for the increased growth of green buildings today. A modern company that is paving the way to the growth of green buildings named LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, focuses primarily on new and effective ideas for environmentally friendly buildings projects. With more than 60,000 commercial projects worldwide and 1.7 million square feet being certified every day, LEED is one of the leading groups for promoting green buildings. LEED has popularized the entire