THE EFFECTS OF INTENSIVE AND EXTENSIVE GREEN ROOFS ON RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS IN ENERGY CONSUMPTION

Abstract

Over the last decade, global warming has become a serious threat and has become an alarming global concern. Experts and researchers are turning their attention to finding ways to mitigate this threat. Despite the increasing temperature, the rapid urban development continues to find its way to take up space previously owned by green spaces, causing a lack of green spaces worldwide. As this phenomenon happens, something needs to be done to replace the lack of green spaces. Several studies have been conducted to identify viable means to increase the green spaces in urban environments. One plausible method was to incorporate such spaces into the urban built environment. Since then, many countries have been trying to incorporate these means into their developments, such as vertical walls, green roofs, and other sustainable designs, to lower the Urban Heat Island (UHI) and tackle the global warming effect. Among the various countries, Singapore too started to include sustainable green designs into their buildings. However, due to Singapore's lack of space, the integration of green roofs into buildings has been their primary option. The green roofs' implementation brings about several benefits such as environmental, economic, social, and even psychological. Many studies have been done on the benefits, cost, and maintenance of green roofs in Singapore. There is still a lack of research on the various types of green roofs and the possible effect on the building's energy consumption. This dissertation aims to examine the impact of intensive and extensive green roofs on residential buildings and how it affects overall energy consumption.