Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
Southampton Solent University FACULTY OF MARTEC
Architectural Technology Year 6 Faheem Sumra “Green Roofs have environmental and aesthetic benefits so why don’t we see more of them?”
Supervisor Date of presentation
Word Count
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Verity Bird May 2015
12,700 Words
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
Acknowledgements Firstly I would like to thank the most gracious most merciful creator and ruler of the world Allah.
I would like to give a great amount of thanks to Verity Bird who has provided me with excellent guidance, feedback and support throughout my process of this Dissertation.
I would also like to give thanks to all the other teachers at Southampton Solent University who have helped and supported me throughout my 3 years at this university.
Finally I would like to give praise to my Mum, Dad and the rest of my family who have supported me not only throughout my degree but also throughout my whole life, without them I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Thank You,
Faheem Sumra.
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
Abstract This dissertation addresses the issues of green roofs as a sustainable feature on buildings and if Green Roofs have environmental and aesthetic benefits why don’t we see more of them. A critical review of literature has been undertaken looking at the major aspects of Green Roofs. Looking at specifically (1) What are green roofs and a thorough explanation of them, (2) The types of Green Roofs in the construction industry, (3) Benefits of a Green Roof, (4) Disadvantages of a Green Roof, (5) Popularity of Green Roofs, (6) Public perceptions.
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
Table of Contents
Abstract ..........................................................................................I Acknowledgements ............................................................................ II Table of Contents ............................................................................. IV List of Figures ................................................................................ VII 1.0
Introduction ............................................................................. 1
1.1
Scope of Chapter ..................................................................... 1
1.2
Rationale of Dissertation ........................................................... 1
1.3
Definition of Green Roofs ........................................................... 2
1.4
Aims of Research/Research Goals ................................................. 2
1.5
Objectives............................................................................. 2
1.6
Outline Methodology ................................................................ 3
2.0
Literature Review ...................................................................... 4
2.1
Green Roofs explained .............................................................. 4
2.2
Extensive Green Roofs .............................................................. 6
2.3
Intensive Green Roofs ............................................................... 8
2.4
Types of Green Roofs .............................................................. 10
2.5
Green Roof layers and components ............................................. 12
2.6
Benefits of a Green Roof.......................................................... 13
2.7
Disadvantages of Green Roofs.................................................... 19
2.8
Popularity of Green Roofs ........................................................ 23
3.0
Research Methodology ............................................................... 24
3.1
Introduction and Scope of Chapter .............................................. 24
3.2
Research Techniques .............................................................. 24
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
3.3
Primary Research Strategy ....................................................... 25
3.4
Rationale behind the Pilot Study ................................................ 26
3.5
Changes made to the Pilot Study ................................................ 27
3.6
Rationale behind the Final Questionnaire ...................................... 30
3.6.1 Rationale of Questions ....................................................................................... 30 3.7
Selection of Respondents ......................................................... 43
3.8
Limitations of Questionnaire ..................................................... 44
4.0
Results/Critical Analysis ............................................................. 45
4.1
Scope of Chapter ................................................................... 45
4.2
Interview Question Results ....................................................... 46
5.0
Conclusions and Recommendations ................................................ 68
5.1
The dissertation aim............................................................... 68
5.2
Research objectives and findings ................................................ 68
5.2.1
Key Objective One .......................................................................................... 68
5.2.2
Key Objective Two .......................................................................................... 68
5.2.3
Key Objective Three ....................................................................................... 68
5.2.4
Key Objective Four ....................................................................................... 69
5.2.5
Key Objective Five ........................................................................................ 69
5.3
Summary conclusion ............................................................... 70
5.4
Limitation of the Research ....................................................... 70
Recommendations for Further Research ................................................. 71 6.0
References ............................................................................ 72
7.0
Bibliography ........................................................................... 76
8.0
Appendices ............................................................................ 78
Appendix A – Pilot Study ................................................................. 78 Appendix B – Final Questionnaire ....................................................... 83 Ref:Q10641688
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
Appendix C – Questionnaire Samples ................................................... 89 Sample 1 – This shows one of the final questionnaires which was completed by a Construction Manager. .................................................................................................. 90 Sample 2 – Tradesman .................................................................................................. 94 Sample 3 – Architectural Technologist....................................................................... 98 Sample 4 – Environmental Sustainable Design Consultant ................................... 102 Sample 5 – Chartered Surveyor ................................................................................. 106 Sample 6 – Interior Design Student ........................................................................... 110 Appendix D – Ethics Form ............................................................... 113
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
List of Figures Figure 1 - The future of GRs?
4
Figure 2 – The build-up of an Extensive GR
6
Figure 3 – IR build up
8
Figure 4 – types of GR build ups
10
Figure 5 – Green Roofs Grow in Popularity
23
Chart 1 – Ages of Respondents
46
Chart 2 – Job/Profession Titles
47
Chart 3 – Job Professions of people in Construction Industry
48
Chart 4 – Construction Industry time lengths
49
Chart 5 – Describe a Green Roof
50
Chart 6 – Functions of a Green Roof
51
Chart 7 – Benefits of a Green Roof
52
Chart 8 – Benefits of a Green Roof Table
54
Chart 9 – Benefits of a Green Roof II
55
Chart 10 – Benefits of a Green Roof II Table
57
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
Chart 11 – Do Green Roofs Have a Positive Impact on the Environment?
58
Chart 12 – Green Roofs Popularity
59
Table 1 – Question 10 “Other” Respondents
60
Chart 13 – Green Roof Disadvantages
61
Chart 14 – Green Roof Disadvantages II
63
Chart 15 – Green Roof Perceptions
65
Chart 16 – Green Roof Perceptions II
65
Chart 17 – Reason for popularity of Green Roofs
66
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
1.0 Introduction “Landscape planners will have the opportunity to make sculptured roofscapes, so that cities appear to be verdant hills and valleys. Streets will become shady routes carved through the undergrowth. Roofs will become mountain tops. People will become ants.” (Turner, 2015)
1.1 Scope of Chapter This chapter is all about introducing the research project. Throughout this chapter brief description of the main themes will be included. The introduction will include the rationale and scope of the research project, outlining key points of discussion and stating the aim and objectives of the research.
1.2 Rationale of Dissertation This study’s purpose is to determine the different types of green roofs as a method of sustainability and to figure out why we don’t see more of them in today’s construction industry. Buildings are of an everyday use to the human population all around the world this could be for their jobs, personal life such as living, shopping, visiting family and friends or just to visit local scenery and this is why it is important to be in the comfort of a sustainable building. “Will the roofs of new buildings be vegetated? If not, why not?” (Turner, 2015) This quote stated by Turner brings the rationale of this research in as it has stated in its own words will green roofs be used on future buildings and if not why? This links with one of the main objective which is to find out the benefits and disadvantages of GRs to then compare with each other.
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
1.3 Definition of Green Roofs “A green roof, also known as an eco roof, living roof, vegetated roof, oikosteges, or greenroof, is one that is either partially or completely covered in vegetation on top of the human-made roofing structure.” (Ecolife, 2015)
1.4 Aims of Research/Research Goals The aim of this research is to produce a report showing why there aren’t more green roofs in the UK Construction Industry and the public perceptions of green roofs.
1.5 Objectives 1. To identify the types of Green Roofs in the Construction Industry and their
different uses. 2. To identify and discuss the different Benefits of Green Roofs. 3. To identify the disadvantages of Green Roofs 4. To identify if Green Roofs are popular in the UK Construction Industry and how popular they are. 5. To identify Public perceptions on Green Roofs and what the general public think of them.
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1.6 Outline Methodology The methodology to this dissertation involved both primary and secondary data collection. These different methods were used to answer the questions “Green Roofs have environmental and aesthetic benefits so why don’t we see more of them?” throughout the use of quantitative data collection including a few other methods.
1.7 Primary and Secondary Data For the use of primary data collection the use of questionnaires was adopted, this was done with the general public and professionals in the UK Construction Industry. For the use of secondary data collection in this dissertation data was collected from resources such as any books related to GRs as well as online sources. All the data which was collected was then analytically reviewed throughout the rest of the Dissertation and the data was then able to answer all key objectives and aims which were set out for this project.
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2.0 Literature Review “Green roofs are simply roofs bearing vegetation that may take many different forms. Some are mats of uniform vegetation and thickness covering a large expanse of flat or sloping roof. Such Installations may be inaccessible to pedestrians, either due to design reasons or due to the accumulated weight.” (L.Cantor, 2008)
2.1 Green Roofs explained Green
Roofs
have
many
environmental and aesthetic benefits so why is it that we don’t see many of them around in some cities? Can the reason be that people don’t like the look of them or maybe many people don’t know about the benefits which green roofs can bring to a building, in regards to this the benefits, aesthetics, features and different types of green roofs will be discussed.
Figure 1 - The future of GRs? - (Anon, n.d.)
“The term "green roof" has many pseudonyms - living roof, brown roof, biodiverse roof, Sedum roof, eco-roof, grass roof, turfed roof, vegetated roof etc. Green roofs, typically designed to allow vegetative growth, can include both hard and soft roof landscaping solutions.” (Greenroofs, 2015)
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A Green roof is vegetation which covers the roof of a building which is planted over a waterproofing membrane. Green roofs can include many different layers and they have many different purposes to them such as providing insulation and absorbing rainwater in crucial conditions. When looking into green roofs there are two main types which you can chose from and this is the intensive roof; which is the thicker type which requires a lot of maintenance and then the extensive roof; which is the shallow type roof and doesn’t require much maintenance at all.
Within the two main categories of a green roof there are a range of varieties which may be chosen from such as extensive, intensive and biodiverse and brown roofs.
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2.2 Extensive Green Roofs An Extensive roof is simply a lightweight roof as it has been said in (L.Cantor, 2008) that “Extensive green roofs are usually inaccessible installations in which the growing medium is a thin layer (about 1-6 in.; 2.5-15.2cm) of often inorganic material.” This book also states that “It is appropriate to refer to the principle component of the growing medium as a substrate, rather than soil or topsoil, because it often consists of primarily inorganic materials, drawn from nearby regions, which will not decompose over time and therefore will not require replenishment.” “The inorganic material of soil is composed of rock, slowly broken down into smaller particles that vary in size.” (Boundless, 2015) In addition to this substrate system Erisco Bauder states that “The opportunity to specify a substrate system allows for a greater depth of growing medium providing an extended choice of suitable plants for the client. It can also provide a cost effective solution for larger roofs.” (Bauder, n.d.)
Figure 2 – The build-up of an Extensive GR - (Europe, n.d.)
There are also other layers which may be added underneath the growing medium and this is done “to prevent fine particles from being washed out, and to absorb excess water and direct it either to the storm water system or to the storage system
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for reuse.” (L.Cantor, 2008) The final layer itself is the roof deck which in other European countries with established markets they use a simple so called one-layer green roof system. “With just a protection fabric between the substrate layer and the roof membrane, are often used. These systems have proven to be as efficient for vegetation growth and other ecological issues as multilayer systems if the total substrate thickness is adequate.” (L.Cantor, 2008)
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
2.3 Intensive Green Roofs Furthermore when looking at the other type of green roof there is the intensive roof which is more of a heavyweight loaded roof which needs a much more stronger and durable building to hold its weight. Erisco Bauder states that “Intensive green roofs are accessible gardens used for recreational and leisure purposes. The landscape variations are practically limitless for both design and use as it is feasible to create an environment at roof level similar to that of any designed garden or parkland.” (Bauder, n.d.)
“Intensive green roofs are those in which the growing medium is considerably deeper than that on an extensive roof, that is, more than 15 cm (150mm or deeper). This greater depth requires a stronger structure to support the additional weight of the substrate and growing medium and may accommodate people.” (L.Cantor, 2008) Unlike the extensive roof the intensive roof has a growing medium of a lightweight topsoil with a mixture of organic and inorganic materials. When looking at the plant materials they are much more diverse on an intensive roof as they can be deeply rooted and can be at a suitable height. For example If the building which the intensive roof is sat on has an adequate amount of support on it many major elements may be added to the roof such as trees, planters, sculptures, pergolas and water features. Roof gardens such as this will bring many benefits such as
shading,
insulation,
water
storage and aesthetics but will need a very high level of maintenance.
Figure 3 – IR build up - (Coombes, 2007)
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There are two types of distinguished intensive roof types, the one which is described above having such garden or park features is commonly known as an intensive green roof. “However a green roof that is more expansive than an extensive green roof but does not have the complexity of design or the design intent to provide amenities for people, may be referred to as a simple intensive green roof.� (L.Cantor, 2008) Moreover this simple intensive green roof design can have the same features of an extensive green roof as they have the same plant types (highly adapted plants).
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
2.4 Types of Green Roofs Green roofs are known as their names to be green however this may not be the case all the time as there are different types of plant materials as stated in (L.Cantor, 2008) it is said that “In some ways the term green roof is not accurate because the featured plant materials – whether in an intensive or extensive application, whether a mixture of sedums or a rich combination of perennials and diverse species – are not green all year round.”
Figure 4 – types of GR build ups - (Homes, 2015)
Hence this more accurate descriptions have been created such as the Ecoroof (or sometimes known as bioroof), the living roof and the brown roof. The Ecoroof is suggested to be a roof type that is acknowledged for its non-green conditions that may occur. As suggested in its name “eco” it brings many benefits to a roof this may be from expanding the life span of the roof, property values and energy savings. As stated in the book of (L.Cantor, 2008) “The term living roof was coined by Dusty Gedge.” This term “living roof” is recognised by its developed habitats on the roof which may attract different species of birds. The last term known as “brown roof”
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refers to a living roof which has the features of the hardscrabble of a brownfield environment. These kind of settings are being pressured into increasing development as habitats are being destroyed meaning that the endangered animal species and plants will be moved into these unique environments. No matter which term is used they all represent the same concept “of a dynamic, living environment of plant materials on top of the roof of a new or existing structure.� (L.Cantor, 2008)
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
2.5 Green Roof layers and components When looking to construct a green roof system there are different ways of approaching this, it may be done through complete component systems and modular or prefabricated units. Different companies offer different ways to construct this, some companies may offer the complete collection of all the layers elaborated in a green roof including fixing the waterproofing system to the roof deck. This type of company may also provide a warranty if they have constructed the whole system. Other companies may give you a choice so that you have a range of designs for the extensive green roof and another range of products for the intensive designs. However as quoted in the book of (L.Cantor, 2008) “Even so, no company as yet actually manufactures all the components and materials. Therefore, it is often desirable to “mix and match” various components from different manufactures to create the best product possible.” This meaning that it may be hard to secure guarantees and full warrantees, as any manufacturer that you may use could blame another manufacturer for the product that they have also constructed into the design. Another approach to construction green roof systems is to use prefabricated or modular units that combine two or more green roof components, this technique is not used much in Europe and is more popular in the United States and Canada.
When looking at the construction of a green roof it is very important to know the layers and components and how everything fits together. “A green roof system can be imagined as a thick sandwich of many layers, with top and bottom layers of vegetation and roof deck, respectively. From the top down, these layers include the vegetation, growing medium, filter fabric, drainage and water retention layers, root protection later, insulation, waterproofing and roof deck.” (L.Cantor, 2008)
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2.6 Benefits of a Green Roof Living roofs can provide fresh areas for the local ecology to thrive and, with continued urban expansion absorbing the habitats of our indigenous plants, insect and birds; landscaping flat roofs offers an effective and practical use of space, whilst helping to sustain and replace lost habitats in the process. (Bauder, n.d.)
Looking into the benefits of a green roof there are many manufacturers, green roof companies and research sites who have stated benefits regarding this aspect. All of these people have listed the different types of benefits in their own manner however there are three sections which they fall into and these are ecological, environmental and financial benefits.
Starting with the ecological side to the benefits (Bauder, n.d.) have stated that “a living roof can create a local ecology in which the vegetation will establish and provide a home for smaller elements of wildlife as well as insects and invertebrates.” In addition to this ecological benefit they claim that “the provision of a healthy habitat in a place that could otherwise be empty provides support for the natural colonisation of locally arising plants, birds and small animals, encouraging a wider spread of species in the area.”
Moving onto the environmental side, (Bauder, n.d.) have claimed five major benefits these are: “Storm water management – soft landscaping helps to reduce the risk of flood by retaining large proportions of annual rainfall and reducing rainwater run-off. This is particularly useful within Sustainable Urban Drainage (SUDs) schemes. The volume of water retained is dependent upon the depth of substrate utilised in the landscaping, the greater the depth, the more water is held back on the roof.
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Environmental masking – this assists in blending the building into its surroundings and in part replaces the permeable land surface otherwise lost to the construction. Improved air quality – the vegetation assists in reducing both gaseous pollutants and dust particles by removing a proportion of them from the immediate environment. Additionally, the natural evaporation of water from the plants and soil helps to cool and humidify the air, so lowering the ambient temperature and reducing the heat island effect. Photosynthesis - This is part of a plants’ living process whereby they actively convert carbon dioxide to oxygen. Independent research suggests that, under maximal conditions, each square metre of single leaf surface on an established extensive type planted roof, with a 12 hour day length is estimated to take up (0.3024 x 48) 14.51g of Carbon dioxide and release (0.3024 x 32) 9.68g of oxygen a day. Urban heat island effect is reduced - this is the difference in temperature between urban areas and the surrounding countryside. In large cities, this can be as much as 5°. This happens because large building surfaces will both reflect and radiate solar energy within a built up area, which does not dissipate fully overnight. The substrate of a green roof will absorb some of this heat and the natural evaporation of water from both the plants and the soil helps to cool and humidify the air, thus lowering the ambient temperature.” In addition to the environmental benefits there are the financial and technical benefits which state how green roofs are more environmentally friendly and sustainable but also a case of saving money. To show that this is true the benefits have been written below which have been stated by (Bauder, n.d.). Reduced carbon footprint through lowering building running costs – the thermal insulation on the building is improved providing a more balanced temperature
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within. This eases heating costs in the winter and air conditioning expenses during the summer. Reduced construction costs – depending on the landscaping selected, the following may be achieved; no requirement for screed on the deck so reducing the overall weight imposed, fewer rainwater outlets, decreased rainwater drainage system capacity and a reduced requirement for storm water attenuation within the SUDs scheme for the site. Increased life expectancy – research has shown that when protected by landscaping, the life expectancy of waterproofing membranes are substantially increased and can last the estimated design life of the building.
Aid to planning consent – many Local Authorities favour planning proposals that incorporate green roofs within the application, particularly if it meets their policies towards providing a sustainable environment. Increased property value – the roof is an under-utilised development asset, which can be maximised for a number of purposes, including leisure, and offers a unique potential for replacing the land lost to the footprint of the building.
Noise reduction for the building – green roofs have excellent acoustic qualities for both external sound (up to 3dB) and internal noise up to 8dB). This can prove to be beneficial when used on structures close to airports or industrial developments.”
In relation to these benefits stated by Erisco Bauder I have looked at other manufactures and research companies to see if what they are saying is true. This is very important to do so when looking into green roofs and if you are willing to spend money on one as sometimes the claims that manufactures have stated may not always be true so looking at other manufacturers and comparing the benefits can be very beneficial to you. Moreover by looking into research companies who specialise
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in green roofs will bring more knowledge to you and will help you to understand if what the manufacturers claim to be true are actually true. Likewise on the Green Spec website (Coombes, 2007) has listed his own personal benefits to the GR system. In the list of these benefits it has been said that GRs bring high water retention meaning that a run-off attenuation reduces sewer overflows. GRs can improve the environment by creating a beneficial monoclimate by cooling and humidifying the surrounding air, absorbing greenhouse gases, absorbing air pollution and dust and reducing the heat island effect which is the main cause of ozone production.
Moreover Coombes has stated that GRs can be a habitat for animals and plants and that recycled materials can be used on GRs “Many of the materials used in green roof construction are manufactured from recycled building materials, plastics and rubber reducing landfill disposal.” Lastly Coombes has spoken about the benefits of GRs being used as a building fabric; this is done as it protects the roof from mechanical damage and ultra violet radiation giving the roof a longer life. The building fabric can provide extra insulation to the building and reduce noise levels making it a more environmentally friendly place to be. Adding to the benefits made by Erisco Bauder there is also another manufacturer “Sedum Green Roof” (Roofs, 2015) who specialise in sedum green roof types. They have made many claims to the benefits of this roof type such as:
Green Roofs can provide important microclimates for insects, bird life and other even rare species.
Green roofs can positively affect the heat produced by urban environments, (the Urban Heat Island).
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Green roofs significantly reduce the surface run off of rainfall. (A mechanism for Sustainable urban Drainage Systems).
Green roofs and walls can also improve the quality of water and it is possible to use this run off rain water for other uses, (internal water usage, for example flushing toilets).
They can also significantly reduce the need for air conditioning and can provide a degree of insulation in winter. This is also known as green roof insulation.
Green roofs can also help provide sound insulation using the combined effect of soil, plants and trapped layers of air. The base the plants grow on tend to block the lower sounds, while the plants growing above block the higher frequencies.
Green roof systems have been shown to substantially increase the life of waterproofing membranes lying at the base of the roof.
Green roofs can improve air quality due to the filtering mechanism of the plants and substrate.
Roof gardens can provide green space in urban areas for recreational purposes or for urban food growing
The research company “living roofs” (Anon., n.d.) have stated and identified the benefits of a green roof. The Benefits that they have claimed to made are such as Urban Heat Island Effect – Albedo Effect, Storm Water Run Off, the use of Recycled Materials, Noise and sound insulation being provided by the roof itself, Green Roofs & Solar Power meaning that the use of solar power can be installed on GRs and much more.
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Another Green roof research company “The Green Roof centre” (Centre, n.d.) have made statements about benefits of a green roof. Firstly they stated “Green roofs have numerous social, economic and environmental benefits and can contribute positively to issues surrounding climate change, flooding, biodiversity and declining green space in urban areas.”
In addition to this they stated the benefits which are similar to the ones listed above by other GR companies such as “reducing storm-water runoff”, “giving the roofs lifespan an increase”, improving air and water quality etc.
In conclusion to the benefits of GRs there are many manufacturers, companies and research sites that will list and compare the different types of benefits however it is beneficial to always look into these sites and research to see if what they are stating is true. In this case of the dissertation project primary research will take place to see what the public think of the benefits stated and if they believe them to be true or not.
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2.7 Disadvantages of Green Roofs “Rooftop green gardens are good for the environment but come with problems” (Hammond, 2015) Although there are great benefits to green roofs however everything you see may not be beneficial to you as there is another side to green roofs which is the disadvantages to them and these should be considered by managers or a perspective client. “A building with a "green roof" or rooftop garden is an effective tool for creating environmental change in urban environments, where the heat caused by dark rooftops creates extreme temperatures. Garden roofs are useful in mitigating flood damage in climates where flooding is problematic as they absorb excess water. Unfortunately, while a rooftop garden addresses some environmental issues, the difficulty of installing and caring for it can outweigh the potential benefits.” (Hammond, 2015)
The most common disadvantages to a green roof are installing and maintaining one, even if green roofs do bring many benefits to a building if the actual roof itself is not installed correctly or maintained well then this can be reducing the possible benefits from being achieved. In addition to this “Green roofs are more expensive to install than traditional roofs, require intensive maintenance, irrigation and drainage systems, are limited by climate conditions, and can be costly to repair, should the need arise.” (Hammond, 2015)
When looking into the disadvantages of an extensive green roof type many problems can arise. “The extensive roof garden has limited energy efficiency and the disadvantages of installing this type of garden include limitations on plant types, less rainwater retention and less energy efficiency than intensive-type green roofs. It also does not provide recreational gardening space due to limitations on plant types and reduces the home's exterior appearance during winter months. While this roof suffers many disadvantages, it is still the simplest and least costly green-roof option.” (Hammond, 2015)
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Likewise there are also problems which can arise with the intensive green roof system. Even though this type of green roof has a complex irrigation system it provides for greater diversity among plant types and is accessible for recreational gardening due to both grass and the wide variety of plant types available to this type of green roof. This makes the intensive green roof type seem like it has no disadvantages however the advantages listed can also be some of the biggest problems to planting this type of green roof. “The diversity of the plants used increases the cost and maintenance required, making it a more time-consuming garden. This kind of green roof also puts an immense amount of weight on the building's support structure and requires an intricate drainage system.” (Hammond, 2015)
Adding to the disadvantages is unwanted wildlife and insects. “The planting systems provide suitable habitat for birds, insects, and other wildlife, which managers might not want. Managers might have to specify additional protection to prevent unwanted wildlife and insects from inhabiting the system.” (Seaverson, 2009)
One of the biggest disadvantages and off putting thing to a possible client for green roofs can be the cost of them. “While standard roofs are expensive, the cost to install a green roof far exceeds the price of a standard roof. Cost can exceed 10 times that of more traditional roofs, and a green roof requires more insulation and waterproofing material than a traditional roof and more rigorous upkeep. Upkeep is important as waterproofing and irrigation must be rigorously maintained to prevent any moisture from a green roof from damaging the building's structure.” (Hammond, 2015) “They do cost more than traditional roof materials, however the money saved from their use can be greater than their cost and maintenance. The price per square metre is dependent on the green roof system (and supplier) and as with any plant buying it is dependent on the impact required upon installation - i.e. the cost of pregrown sedum mats is higher than sedum plugs which take time to grow and cover the roof. Plants can be grown from seeds, cuttings, plugs or mats, so the size of plant is dependent on the price.” (Williams, 2008) (Seaverson, 2009) Also lists about the increased costs on a green roof “Depending on the selected planting method — Ref:Q10641688
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modular vs. built-in-place — or overburden system, a vegetative roof can cost up to twice as much as a conventional system.”
Maintenance is a huge factor when looking into the costs of a green roof, if the roof is maintained and looked after in a specific way then the price payed for the roof will not seem expensive and many successful things can come out of it. However if the green roof is not maintained well then problems can occur very quickly and this will lead to the roof being unsuccessful to the buyer. When looking into maintenance it is important to list this in the specification of the work and know how the green roof will be maintained, who by and how often. “The specification should require a guarantee of plant materials, at least in terms of coverage. Within a certain period of time (say, one year) there will be a certain percentage of continuous plant material coverage, depending on the both the plant materials and planting methods. A certain percentage of the planting budget (for example, 5-10 percent) should be set aside for plant replacements and maintenance. Although the design team may be dissolved as construction is completed, the design process must include a maintenance plan and a budget for funding I for several years.” (L.Cantor, 2008) The best way to do this would be over a five-year maintenance plan as it will establish a long-term approach to maintain the roof and it becomes a standard process over many years.
Another aspect which may have to be looked into is the structure of the building and whether the building can support the structure of the roof or not. This is a very important aspect as if the green roof carries too much load and the building is not supported in a proper manner it can lead to structural cracks, the building leaning on one side and eventually collapsing which can be very fatal. It is important to calculate all loads which may be imposed on the building from the green roof and other types such as wind loads or dead loads as stated in (Roofs, 2015) “The green roof build‐up must have sufficient weight to resist uplift due to wind. Erosion control measures may be required to protect the main roof area, however at the building’s perimeters where the highest loads occur, ballasting aggregates or paving slabs are installed.” Dead loads are just as important as this “The saturated weight of the Ref:Q10641688
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green roof, snow loads and service loads (e.g. pedestrian access loads) must be included in the structural design calculations.” All these load types should be calculated beforehand in the structural design process or this may lead to some serious problems in the building which can be dangerous for the people occupying the building and others around it. “Structural aspects of the roof may need to be looked at and in some cases strengthened to hold the weight of the green roof, the degree of structural integrity will be dependent on the type of green roof.” (Williams, 2008)
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2.8 Popularity of Green Roofs This chapter will identify the popularity of Green Roofs in the UK Construction Industry. “Green roofs are now becoming very popular in the UK.” (Olwyn Pritchard, 2008)
Figure 5 – Green Roofs Grow in Popularity - (Monty, 2014) Green roofs are said to be more popular in other parts of Europe rather than in the UK, this could be because of the fact that the construction industry in other locations of Europe are more advanced than the UK. As stated by (Wickstead, 2008) “the modern roof we know today was developed in Germany over 50 years ago. Since then, they have become increasingly popular, yet the industry still struggles against skeptics, who believe green roofs to be expensive and liable to leaking.” Olwyn Pritchard and Peter Acteson-Rook add to the popularity of GRs by saying “Green roofs are not a new idea, although they haven’t been popular (until recently) in Britain since the days of earth walls and sod roofs. They are far more common on the continent, but over the last few years there has been a renaissance in the UK. Partly responsible for the new trend in green roofs is steel manufacturer, Corus, who introduced a profiled steel tray system called Kalzip Nature Roof, suitable for creating simple but effective, thin soil sedum roofs.” (Olwyn Pritchard, 2008)
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Faheem Sumra
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3.0 Research Methodology 3.1 Introduction and Scope of Chapter This chapter explains the rationale behind the methodology study. This includes the scope of the research, which methods were used to establish the research aims and the strategies used during the research period.
The literature review that was undertaken throughout this research project was to examine green roofs and the benefits which come with them. This was done to establish the general background knowledge to then be provided to people with an interest in this subject.
3.2 Research Techniques During the dissertation there are many different types of research techniques which may be used in order to achieving a successful study. Throughout the literature review many research techniques were used. It is important to use research techniques throughout the whole dissertation as these simple but effective techniques can help progression day by day. Some of the research techniques which were used during this dissertation were techniques such as: note taking, photocopying materials, filing materials, libraries and archives, online sources, the internet and finally surveys and questionnaires. This approach to data is called “desk study”, “The data collected using the desk study approach are called ‘secondary’ data because the data are obtained from other sources.” (NAOUM, 2012)
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3.3 Primary Research Strategy During the course of the dissertation there can be various approaches in terms of how data will be collected and what type of methods can be used to collect data such as quantitative and qualitative. As stated by (Centre, n.d.) “Quantitative research is a more logical and data-led approach which provides a measure of what people think from a statistical and numerical point of view. For example, if you wanted to know how many of your customers support a proposed change in your products or service and how strongly (on a scale) they support it. Quantitative research can gather a large amount of data that can be easily organised and manipulated into reports for analysis.” This kind of data is normally collected either by doing questionnaires or surveys, this form of research is very flexible it is possible to get feedback by post, over the phone or online, this can be through email or social networks. However qualitative data is data which is “qualitative research is more focused on how people feel, what they think and why they make certain choices.” (Centre, n.d.) This form of research is normally collected by focus groups relevant to the target market or by interviews which can be done either face to face or over the phone.
Primary data collection in this dissertation was done by using quantitative research. Upon quantitative research the type of method which was chosen was questionnaires. This was chosen as it is quick and easy to set up, can collect large amounts of data that can be easily organised and handled when it comes to analysing the final research. The questions used for the questionnaires are put together by looking into the research in the literature review that had been analysed, this was done to give an intertwining relationship between the primary and secondary data.
The Questionnaires in this study were produced by the means of using an online website of “zoho surveys” which then was sent out via a link on social media such as Facebook and twitter and online sources such as emails. The questionnaire conducted was also sent out to GR construction companies so that feedback could
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be given by professional who work in this field on a daily basis. This was done with the help of local and worldwide sources such as Google and Books which provided the information of these companies.
3.4 Rationale behind the Pilot Study Before constructing the questionnaire for the final data a pilot study was looked into. As said by Naoum (NAOUM, 2012) “A pilot study provides a trial run for the questionnaire, which involves testing the wording of the question, identifying ambiguous questions, testing the technique that you use to collect the data, measuring the effectiveness of your standard invitation to respondents, and so on.” Furthermore a pilot study is done in order to bring the best out of your main study meaning there difficulties shouldn’t be experienced throughout the study.
The pilot study was sent out to a group of close friends. This was done so that then feedback could be given back to amend any questions and to see what they thought of the pilot study. There was a total number of 11 respondents for the pilot study. From these 11 respondents and the responses received both through face to face and online via looking at the results it was able to see what changes were to be made in order to make the final questionnaire successful.
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3.5 Changes made to the Pilot Study There were numerous changes made to the pilot study to ensure useful data would be obtained.
The changes that were made were changes such as taking out the question 1 of asking peoples gender. This was done because it isn’t really a relevant topic to what is trying to be found out so this was taken out to then be replaced by a question that should be more beneficial.
Question 2 remained the same as the different age range of people was needed in order to analyse and put things into different categories. However this then became the first question on the final questionnaire.
Question 3 was changed from “Are you in the construction industry?” to “Are you in the construction industry or a student? (If other please specify what you do)”. This was done in order to show a different relationship between what people in the construction industry think and what the students or “Others” think about GRs. This became the second question on the final questionnaire.
In addition with this question two follow on questions were put in for people in the construction industry. The first follow on question was “If you are in the construction industry please specify what type of job position you are currently doing.” And the second question was “How long have you been in the construction industry for?”
Question 4 of the PS was changed from “Do you know what a green roof is” to “Which of the following best describe a green roof?” The reason this was done was to try and make things a little bit simpler for people with little knowledge of this subject and that instead of just having a yes or no question there could be different comparisons.
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Question 5 of the PS “Do you understand the functions of a green roof?” was kept the same on the final questionnaire.
Question 6 of the PS was changed from the statement of “Green roofs bring many aesthetic and environment benefits to a building” to the question of “which of the following do you consider to be important in buildings?” At first this question was put in so that it could make people think about a green roof and if they think it brings advantages or not. Nevertheless the changes were made because the question used on the pilot study was thought to be too much of a simple and straight forward question which wouldn’t give enough evidence to then analyse about the benefits. This is why the change was made to the question in the change made to the question there is a table underneath which lists 15 benefits of GRs claimed by different companies. Out of these 15 benefits the respondent will have a choice of tix box answers which go from “Very Important” down to “Not important”. This should give enough feedback to then analyse.
With the change made to this question another follow on question was put in this was of a similar set up of the 15 benefits listed however the question was changed to “Which of the following attributes would you associate with a green i.e. planted roof?
Moving on from this Question 7 of the PS was more a statement saying “Green roofs bring disadvantages to a building” this has a choice of 4 options to then answer to which consisted from “Strongly Disagree” down to “Strongly Agree” This again is comparable to the change made in question 6. However the change made from this question wasn’t to list the disadvantages in a table but it was to list facts claimed by (Hammond, 2015) and then have a list of answers going from “Strongly dislike down to “Strongly like” with a “Neutral” option also included. The actual question was then changed to “Green Roof costs can exceed 10 times that of more traditional roofs, and a green roof requires more insulation and waterproofing material than a traditional roof and more rigorous upkeep. Taking this into consideration how do you feel about green roofs?” Ref:Q10641688
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Similarly to the questions stating the benefits another follow on question was included for the disadvantages of GRs so that more data could be analysed and it wouldn’t just be biased in terms of talking about benefits but no disadvantages. The follow on question was “Green roofs are more expensive to install than traditional roofs, require intensive maintenance, irrigation and drainage systems, are limited by climate conditions, and can be costly to repair, should the need arise. Taking this into consideration how do you feel about green roofs?” This statement was again taken from the literature review where discussed about the Disadvantages of GRs. (Hammond, 2015)
Question 8 of the PS was “Would you like to see more green roofs in an area around you?” this majority of this question was kept the same however there was an additional question on the end which is “Would you mind living around buildings which have green roofs on them?)
Question 9 “Do you believe that green roofs have an sustainable impact to the environment?” stayed the same however the wording was slightly changed to “Do you believe that green roofs have a positive impact on the environment” this was done with a “Yes”, “No” and “Other” option.
Finally the last question of the PS “What do you think about green roofs? And what would you think if you saw more of them?” was changed to “Overall after completing this questionnaire how do you feel about green roofs and do you believe that there should be more of them about? & what is your personal opinion on why we don’t see more of them?”
Please Refer to Appendix A – Pilot Study to see the full list of questions used in the pilot study.
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3.6 Rationale behind the Final Questionnaire The aim of the questionnaire was to produce quantitative data on this chosen subject which could then be used for analysing and being compared to the primary research. The data set up was done to see what type of knowledge the general public had about green roofs and to also find out about what knowledge people in the construction industry and then compare both sets of results.
See Appendix B – Final Questionnaire
3.6.1 Rationale of Questions Question 1) Age?
•
Under 20
•
20-39
•
40-59
•
60-80
•
80+
The rationale behind this question was to find out the different age ranges of people and to determine what information is known by different people for example people in their 40s and upwards in the construction industry will have more knowledge than someone who’s in the age category of 20-39. This is why this was done to compare results between age ranges.
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Question 2) Are you in the construction industry or student? (If other please specify what you do)
•
Construction Industry
•
Student
•
Other (Please Specify)
The rationale behind this question was to find out how many people answering the questionnaire are in the construction industry and how many are students. Initially this questionnaire was to be set up for two different categories one being the general public and one being the construction industry so that the two different types could be compared which each other. However as this went on it was decided to have the two categories as “Students” and “Construction Industry”, this was done as it was thought out that giving the questionnaire out to students in the university on so on. This was seen as an easier and quicker option than to go and hand out to the majority of the general public. On this question an “other” option is also added, this was done so that if needed so any other general public could access and answer this survey.
Question 3) If you are in the construction industry please specify what type of job position you are currently doing.
•
Architect
•
Architectural Technologist
•
Quantity Surveyor
•
Engineer
•
Project Manager
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•
Tradesman
•
Other (Please Specify)
The rationale behind this question was to be linked into question 2. It was thought out that the more information that was collected from people in the construction industry would benefit me in a way of achieving more throughout this research project as they are the ones who will know more about GRs rather than students or the general public. Question 4) How long have you been in the construction industry for?
•
0-2 years
•
2-5 years
•
5-10 years
•
10-20 years
•
20+
•
Other (Please Specify)
Again the rationale behind the question was linked in with questions 2 and 3. This question was set up so that the different strands of information could be seen between the people in the construction industry as experience is a big factor in the construction industry for example meaning that people who have been in the construction industry for “0-2 years” or “2-5 years” can be compared with “5-10 years” or “10-20 years”.
Question 5) Which of the following best describe a green roof?
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•
A roof that’s vegetated
•
A roof that’s been painted green
•
A roof which provides for wildlife
•
A roof which brings benefits to a building and the surroundings
The rationale behind this question was so that the general public who don’t have much knowledge on GRs can easily tick one or more boxes which appealed to them in terms of describing a green roof.
Question 6) Do you understand the functions of a green roof?
•
Yes
•
No
•
Other (Please Specify)
The rationale behind this question was to see if people understood the functions of GRs again linking in to the fact of how much general knowledge people have. Question 7) Which of the following do you consider to be important in buildings?
Very
Important
Important
Neutral
Not
Don’t
Important
know
Low construction costs
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Low
energy
design
Reduction
of
urban overheating (heat island effect)
Protection urban
of
wildlife
habitats
Generation
of
alternative energy
Improving
air
quality
Environmental masking (blending
the
building into the surroundings)
Photosynthesis (plants converting carbon dioxide to oxygen)
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Reduced
carbon
footprint
Aid to planning consent
(many
local authorities favour
planning
proposals
that
incorporate green roofs)
Increased property value
Noise
reduction
for the building
Good insulation in the building
Long lasting roof (waterproofing membrane
life
expectancy
are
much
more
longer on a green roof
than
a
normal roof)
Roof
gardens
which
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recreational purposes/growing urban food
The rationale behind this question was linked in to the Benefits which were talked about during the Literature Review study. The benefits were listed as the claims made by different GR companies throughout the Literature Review study so it was important to interpret these benefits into the questionnaire so that people answering could see the benefits listed. In this question the benefits are listed on the left hand column and the along the top rows there’s a range of different answers to choose for each benefit which ever they consider to be important in a building. It was important to have tick box answers to choose from such as “very important” to “not important” also a “neutral” and “don’t know” option was inserted for people who don’t have much knowledge about the certain topic or if confusion occurred.
Question 8) Which of the following attributes would you associate with a green i.e. planted roof?
Strongly
Associated
associated
Neutral
Not
Don’t
associated
know
Low construction costs
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Faheem Sumra
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Low
energy
design
Reduction
of
urban overheating (heat island effect)
Protection urban
of
wildlife
habitats
Generation
of
alternative energy
Improving
air
quality
Environmental masking (blending
the
building into the surroundings)
Photosynthesis (plants converting carbon dioxide to oxygen)
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
Reduced
carbon
footprint
Aid to planning consent
(many
local authorities favour
planning
proposals
that
incorporate green roofs)
Increased property value
Noise
reduction
for the building
Good insulation in the building
Long lasting roof (waterproofing membrane
life
expectancy
are
much
more
longer on a green roof
than
a
normal roof)
Roof
gardens
which
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
recreational purposes/growing urban food
The rationale behind this question was linked in with question 7 as it has the same set up however the question asked in this is different as question 7 asks “which of the following do you consider to be important in buildings” and this questions asks “which of the following attributes would you associate with a green i.e. planted roof?” the difference being that this question was more based on actual green roofs and which of the benefits people think are actually associated with GRs. Question 9) Do you believe that green roofs have a positive impact on the environment?
•
Yes
•
No
•
Other (Please Specify)
The rationale behind this question was to find out if people believe that GRs have a positive impact on the environment again testing out the basic knowledge of people answering this questionnaire. Question 10) Why do you think green roofs aren’t as popular as maybe they should be?
•
Too expensive
•
I don’t like the look of them
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
•
Complicated system
•
Insignificant demand
•
Don’t know what they are
•
Other (Please Specify)
The rationale behind this question was to find out why GRs aren’t as popular as maybe they should be and what people’s opinions are on them. As this is linked into one of the objectives in the Research Project it was important to include this.
Question 11) Green Roof costs can exceed 10 times that of more traditional roofs, and a green roof requires more insulation and waterproofing material than a traditional roof and more rigorous upkeep. Taking this into consideration how do you feel about green roofs?
•
Strongly dislike
•
Dislike
•
Neutral
•
Like
•
Strongly like
•
Other (Please Specify)
The rationale behind this was to have a simple statement which was made by (Hammond, 2015) stating one of the disadvantages of a GR. It was seemed important to include this to not just be one sided and list the benefits but also list a few disadvantages to show a balanced argument in the Research Project. At the end both sets of data from the benefits and disadvantages could be analysed.
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Question 12) Green roofs are more expensive to install than traditional roofs, require intensive maintenance, irrigation and drainage systems, are limited by climate conditions, and can be costly to repair, should the need arise. Taking this into consideration how do you feel about green roofs?
•
Strongly dislike
•
Dislike
•
Neutral
•
Like
•
Strongly like
•
Other (Please Specify)
The rationale behind this question was similar to Question 11, another disadvantage was included to see what people thought about it and to see how they felt about GRs after hearing about the statement made by (Hammond, 2015). Moreover these statements made in the questionnaire were based on parts of the literature review. Question 13) Would you like to see more green roofs in your area/would you mind living around building which have green roofs on them? (Please answer both questions and specify your answer)
The rationale behind this question was to find out the personal opinions of each individual answering the questionnaire. This information was needed which could then be analysed and spoke about in terms of which people mind/don’t mind living around them.
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Question 14) If you are in the construction industry why do you think the reason is for green roofs not being as popular as maybe they should be? Are they being ignored by the construction industry? Too expensive to build/maintain? Other reasons? Please specify your answer in full below.
The rationale behind this question was again to be linked into one of the main objectives being that why do you think the reason is for GRs not being as popular as maybe they should be? However this question was just made for the purpose of the view of professionals in the construction industry as they would have the most experience about this topic.
Question 15) Overall after completing this questionnaire how do you feel about green roofs and do you believe that there should be more of them about? & what is your personal opinion on why we don't see more of them?
The rationale behind this question was to get an overall conclusion of GRs and the questionnaire.
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3.7 Selection of Respondents During the questionnaire process the main target audience in terms of who was wanted for completing this was firstly people in the construction industry and then students or other members of the general public.
Some of the people in the construction industry were contacted via emails and over the phone. Students were the easiest to access as the university provides a database of a number of different students. In terms of sending the questionnaire out to the general public this was done by publishing the questionnaire on an online website called “reddit� and then published over social media which included twitter and Facebook.
Before giving the questionnaires out a rough estimate of respondents wanted was around a figure of 50 however out of 144 survey visits there was only 46 completed responses meaning there was a 32.00% response rate. The other candidates either did not respond or may have attempted to try and respond however not everyone understood the questionnaire as some personal feedback was given as being hard to understand due to having an insignificant knowledge on this topic.
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3.8 Limitations of Questionnaire Throughout the questionnaire many problems and limitations occurred which were seen as obstacles that had to be climbed and thought about.
The survey was sent out to a numerous amount of people either by emails and social media however not all respondents completed the questionnaire.
Some of the limitations which occurred during this process were such as not being able to include both text and tick box answers as the survey didn’t allow to do this. Other limitations from constructing a questionnaire can be the fact that some people may not be able to express their feelings through this way and some people may read the questions differently as said by Surrey Library (Library, 2015) “People may read differently into each question and therefore reply based on their own interpretation of the question - i.e. what is 'good' to someone may be 'poor' to someone else, therefore there is a level of subjectivity that is not acknowledged.”
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4.0 Results/Critical Analysis 4.1 Scope of Chapter The scope of this chapter is to obtain, gather and interpret the information from the primary data interviews. All the results obtained from the primary data shall be arranged and processed into visual format evidence. From the evidence concluded it will then give the basis to analyse the different types of information and correlation which has been found throughout the Questionnaire stage.
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4.2 Interview Question Results/Analysis Question 1 Age?
Chart 1 – Ages of Respondents
The pie chart above shows the different response rates of the different age groups and how many people completed the questionnaire from each age group. A number of 14 responses were made by the age category of “Under 20” giving it a response rate of 30.43%. A total of 26 responses were made by the age category of “20-39” making this the highest tally out of all categories giving it a response rate of 56.52%. Moving on from this an amount of 6 responses were made by the age group of “4059” giving it a response rate of 13.04%. Finally looking at the last two age groups of “60-80” and “80+” no responses were made giving it a response percentage of 0.
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Question 2 Are you in the construction industry or a student? (If other please specify what you do)
Chart 2 – Job/Profession Titles
The pie chart above shows the difference between the two main strands of the type of people who accessed this questionnaire. As you can see from the results above “Students” have dominated this section as there was a total of 27 respondents giving it a response rate of 58.7%. Although it was expected that maybe the “Construction Industry” may give a better feedback than this is still fairly good as 12 respondents completed the questionnaire giving a response rate 26.09%. The two sets of data will be able to give a mixed response in terms of what the construction industry think about green roofs and their perceptions and how the students/general public think about the same things. As you can see from the chart above there was an “Other (Please Specify)” option available to other members of the general public who would like to list their job role/profession. A number of 7 respondents where in this section giving a response rate of 15.22%. The 7 people that are included in the “Other” section have listed themselves as; currently Unemployed, Retail, Work in Retail, Customer Service, Chartered Surveyor, Guesthouse proprietor and Retail.
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Faheem Sumra
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Question 3 If you are in the construction industry please specify what type of job position you are currently doing.
Chart 3 – Job Professions of people in Construction Industry
The pie chart above shows the number of people in the construction industry who have responded to this questionnaire and also their different job professions. There was a majority of ATs who had completed this section with a total of 9 respondents giving it a 36.00% response rate. Among the rest of the people in the construction industry who had decided to respond there was 3 Architects, 1 Quantity Surveyor, 1 Tradesman and the section of “Other” which includes 11 respondents. The “Other” section includes job roles such as “Graphic Design”, “Chartered Surveying”, Interior Design Student”, “Construction manager” and a “Environmental Sustainable Design Consultant”. The results to this question in some ways gave great insight into what type of profession are more concerned about GRs. It was key to include this question as the correlation shown between the different Professions can be used against one another and then see how they’ve said different answers etc.
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Question 4 How long have you been in the construction industry for?
Chart 4 – Construction Industry time lengths
The aim of this question was to find out how long people have been in the construction industry for. The pie chart above shows the different years of experience of the different people in the construction industry. This question was introduced to the final questionnaire so that individual responses can be looked into for example someone who has been in the construction industry between 10-20 years will have more experience than someone who has only started meaning there responses given can be looked into.
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Question 5 Which of the following best describe a green roof?
Chart 5 – Describe a Green Roof
The aim of this question was to see how much general knowledge was known about green roofs as this is one of the simplest questions. The pie chart above shows that most 89% of the people that answered this question have some understanding of GRs however the other 11% who responded ticked the option of “A roof that’s been painted green”. This question links into the literature review and one of the main objectives of the research project being about public perceptions of GRs.
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Question 6 Do you understand the functions of a green roof?
Chart 6 – Functions of a Green Roof
This question was similar to question 5 in a way that it was to find out the general knowledge of the public. The pie chart shows that 53% understand the functions of a GR as they have answered “Yes”, 44% have answered “No” meaning that they don’t understand the functions and there was only 1 other respondent who answered “Other” stating “I think I do”. This data shows a fairly balanced relationship between the two sets of answers half of the people understanding the functions and the other half don’t.
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Question 7 Which of the following do you consider to be important in buildings?
Chart 7 – Benefits of a Green Roof
This Chart above shows the correlation between each different benefit listed and which ones are seen as “Very important”, “Important”, “Neutral”, “Not important” or “Don’t know”. The reason for wanting to find this information out was because as it was included in the Literature Review it was seen as being just as important to including these benefits in the questionnaire so that it could be reviewed thoroughly and if the benefits which have been claimed by the different companies make sense to the general public and professionals in the construction industry.
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Low Construction costs were seen as being very important to 15 respondents, Important to 9 respondents, neutral to 8 respondents, Not important to 2 respondents and the other 4 respondents who answered selected the don’t know option.
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Chart 8 – Benefits of a Green Roof Table
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Question 8 Which of the following attributes would you associate with a green i.e. planted roof?
Chart 9 – Benefits of a Green Roof II
Likewise to the Q7 this question was constructed in the same manor. However the one main difference between these two questions is the question asked. The main aim that wanted to be figured out about this particular question was how the benefits listed would affect a GR in terms of it being associated on a building.
The benefit which was seen as the most strongly associated with a green roof was “Protection of urban wildlife habitats” with a response rate of 57.5%, 23 people agreed on this. Ref:Q10641688
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The benefit which was seen as the most little associated (Not Associated) with green roofs was “Low construction costs� at a response rate 24.32% (9 people). This data proves that in the minds of the general public they believe that the cost to construct a GR is fairly high.
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Chart 10 – Benefits of a Green Roof II Table
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Question 9 Do you believe that green roofs have a positive impact on the environment?
Chart 11 – Do Green Roofs Have a Positive Impact on the Environment?
The aim of this question was to find out if people believe green roofs have a positive impact on the environment or not. Out of all the respondents who answered this question a total amount of 89% (40 people) answered “Yes”, zero percent of the respondents answered “No” and 11% of the respondents (5 people) answered “Other”.
All 5 of the respondents who answered “Other” wrote with the answer that they “Don’t know”.
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Question 10 Why do you think green roofs aren’t as popular as maybe they should be?
Chart 12 – Green Roofs Popularity
The aim of this question was to identify why green roofs aren’t as popular as maybe they should be. This question was to be linked into the Literature review where stated about the “Popularity of GRs”. There is a lot of mixed responses with this question. The data above shows that the vast majority of respondents at a 64% rate believe that they aren’t popular because of the fact that they are “too expensive”. 36% of respondents believe that there is an “insignificant demand” for GRs in the construction industry, 20% of respondents stated that they “don’t know what they are” 18% of respondents believe that GRs have a “complicated system”, 9% stated they “don’t like the look of them” and the other 13% who responded to this question stated “other”.
The table below shows the 13% that answered other and the reasons for this. Out of the 6 respondents that answered “Other” the first person specified their reason as choosing this answer was “the question below answers this one.” This stating that they have looked at the next question about one of the disadvantages of GRs and
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from this knowledge they have suspected that the reason for GRs not being as popular could be because of the disadvantages.
In addition to this Person 3 reason for answering other to this question was because they thought that “Continued maintenance and costs associated, who is liable in the commercial sense when leasing is concerned.” This data shows that this person has thought about the costs issues of GRs and how this could stop people from wanting to buy a GR. Also where they have talked about “who is liable in the commercial sense when leasing is concerned” proves to show that this person had taken in mind the maintenance issues and how the GR will be looked after in years to come.
“Other” Responses
Reasons for their responses
Person 1
“The question below answers this one.”
Person 2
“Expecting weight to require extensive / complex / Strong (thus expensive) structure underneath
Person 3
“Continued maintenance and costs associated, who is liable in the commercial sense when leasing is concerned”
Person 4
“Public perception, unknown quantity, builders adverse to change”
Person 5
“Probability that people will worry about leaks”
Person 6
“People not aware of them”
Table 1 – Question 10 “Other” Respondents
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Question 11 Green Roof costs can exceed 10 times that of more traditional roofs, and a green roof requires more insulation and waterproofing material than a traditional roof and more rigorous upkeep. Taking this into consideration how do you feel about green roofs?
Chart 13 – Green Roof Disadvantages
The aim of this question was to list a disadvantage which was stated by a GR website called “ehow” which was wrote by the author (Hammond, 2015) and to then see the responses given in terms of what people thought of the disadvantage.
The data in the pie charts shows that nearly half of the respondents making it a total of 22 respondents saw this as being a “Neutral” response after taking in the consideration of this disadvantage and how it could affect GRs. This shows that quite a lot of the people that have answered this question didn’t really mind the fact that this certain roof may cost up to 10 times of a traditional roof. A total of 8 respondents “Disliked” this and 3 respondents “Strongly disliked” this giving it a total of 25% negative response rate. Moving on from this 7 respondents “Liked” this
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fact and 3 respondents “Strongly liked” this fact giving it a total of 23% positive response rate.
The remaining 2 respondents chose to answer “Other”. Within these two respondents the first respondent wrote “Green roofs may come with disadvantages such as this one however if looked after, installed and maintained in a proper way then this will not be a disadvantage to you”. The second respondent added “Rigorous upkeep is not necessarily required – extensive and brown roofs are designed to be low maintenance protects the waterproof membrane, generally resulting in less frequent replacement.”
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Question 12 Green roofs are more expensive to install than traditional roofs, require intensive maintenance, irrigation and drainage systems, are limited by climate conditions, and can be costly to repair, should the need arise. Taking this into consideration how do you feel about green roofs?
Chart 14 – Green Roof Disadvantages II
The aim of this question was like the one above to set out a disadvantage claimed by (Hammond, 2015) and then to see what kind of feedback was given back regarding how the participants feel. This had a similar correlation to the question above as the chart shows the majority of people, a total of 22 respondents who had answered this question as “Neutral”. This once more displays correlation with the question before that many people don’t mind the disadvantage. A total of 12 respondents were in the “Dislike” and “Strongly dislike” categories and a total of 9 respondents were in the “Like” and “Strongly Like” categories.
The 3 remaining respondents chose to answer “Other”. Within these three respondents the first respondent said “Even though green roofs may be expensive to
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install if maintenance is done properly this can make your money’s worth in the long run.” The other two respondents added “Don’t know”.
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Question 13 Would you like to see more green roofs in your area/would you mind living around buildings which have green roofs on them? (Please answer both questions and specify your answer)
After looking at the responses of this question the data has shown that out of the 38 people
W O U L D Y O U L I K E TO S E E MORE GREEN ROOFS IN YOUR AREA?
that answered this, 23 chose “Yes” for the first part of this 8
question, 7 responded with “No” and the other 8 responded
7
23
Yes
No
Other
with “Other”.
Chart 15 – Green Roof Perceptions
After analysing the second part WOULD YOU MIND LIVING AROUND BUILDINGS WHICH H AV E G R E E N R O O F S O N T H E M ? Yes
No
of this question and adding up each individual’s response it was shown that there was the
Other?
exact same answers meaning that the correlation between
8 7
these two questions is the
23
same. Overall implicating that 23 respondents like the idea of
having green roofs in their area and wouldn’t mind living around them. This is a good factor in terms of public perception as it means that the local general public would like to see more of these being constructed. When looking into the responses of people who chose to answer with “Other” answers it showed that a few of these respondents listed that “would like to learn more about GRs before answering this question.” Chart 16 – Green roof perceptions II Ref:Q10641688
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Question 14 If you are in the construction industry why do you think the reason is for green roofs not being as popular as maybe they should be? Are they being ignored by the construction industry? Too expensive to build/maintain? Other reasons? Please specify your answer in full below.
The aim of this question was to find out strictly what the Construction Industry’s thoughts are on GRs not being popular. When looking at the data given for this question there was many mixed responses. There was a total amount of 28 responses for this question with four main answers that people gave which were “too expensive”(10 respondents), “people may not know what they are”(8 respondents), “Ignorance”(5 respondents) and “Other”(5 respondents).
I F Y O U A R E I N T H E C O N S T R U C T I O N I N D U S T RY WHY DO YOU THINK THE REASON IS FOR GREEN R O O F S N O T B E I N G A S P O P U L A R A S M AY B E T H E Y SHOULD BE? 12 10
10 8
No. of Respondents
8
5
6
5
4 2 0 Too expensive
People may not know what they are
Ignorance
Other
Reasons for not being popular Series 1
Column2
Column1
Chart 17 – Reason for popularity of Green Roofs
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Question 15 Overall after completing this questionnaire how do you feel about green roofs and do you believe that there should be more of them about? & what is your personal opinion on why we don't see more of them?
The final questionnaire was answered by 36 respondents and was skipped by the other 10 individuals. Out of the 36 respondents who attempted this there was a very mixed approach to this question.
These mixed responses included statements such as “would like to know more about green roofs”, “Green roofs are good but cost efficiency is the reason we do not see more”, “believe that green roofs are very sustainable and that there should be more of these around as they bring many benefits to a building and even though they have disadvantages if looked after in a mannered way the disadvantages won’t be bad.” “Good for the world and environment. I believe they are the future but the prices of them should be cut down” “before and after this survey I have always liked the idea of green roofs, I would not mind seeing more however I doubt this will happen due to their impractical nature” “There should definitely be more of them. These are sustainable roofs and sustainability is a huge factor when thinking about the construction industry.”
The statements listed above are only some of the feedback which was given on this question but when looking into this question it shows that more than 80% of the respondents believe that GRs have a positive impact to our environment and to buildings again meaning the public perceptions of these systems are beginning to grow on people.
Please Refer to Appendix C – this shows other samples of the questionnaires which have been filled out by five people in the Construction Industry.
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5.0 Conclusions and Recommendations 5.1 The dissertation aim The purpose of this study was to establish a key understanding of the different types of the GRs available in the UK Construction Industry and how GRs have many benefits so why we don’t see more of them about in our everyday surroundings.
5.2 Research objectives and findings Throughout the Literature Review (Secondary data) there research objectives were discussed and analysed.
5.2.1 Key Objective One From the research of this study it has identified the different types of GRs available in today’s Construction Industry and their different uses. The two main types of GRs which were found were Intensive and Extensive, although these two types of GRs differentiate between themselves they are both able to bring many advantages to any building and the surrounding that it is in.
5.2.2 Key Objective Two This research of study has identified and discussed the different benefits of GRs and how each advantage can benefit a building this can be in terms of an environmental, health, ecological, aesthetic and also the financial and technical viewpoint. This research concludes that many of the benefits which are listed by different GR companies either through books, journals or online via websites all have the same kind of relationship and that from the analysis it is able to see that majority of the people agree with the benefits that are listed.
5.2.3 Key Objective Three This study has identified the disadvantages of GRs. As a whole topic there are obvious disadvantages that have been discussed throughout the literature review, the main ones being such as cost and maintenance issues. It was found out that they do cost more than traditional roof materials, however the money saved from their
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use can be greater than their cost and maintenance. It has shown throughout both primary and secondary data collection that even though there are some huge problems that can occur to GRs if these are looked into before works commence the sting of the disadvantages can be taken out easily meaning that GRs can still be cost effective for the Construction Industry.
5.2.4 Key Objective Four Research throughout the secondary data in this dissertation showed that GRs are slowly getting popular as more and more construction companies are liking the appearance and benefits of these. Research shows that the popularity over GRs started in other countries in Europe one for example being Germany however over the last 50 years GRs have increased in popularity due to new trends in the Construction Industry done by steel manufacturer Corus. Slowly not just people in the construction industry but also the general public will realise the importance of sustainability and how beneficial it can be to have a GR system on buildings. Throughout primary research data was found on people’s opinions why they think GRs aren’t as popular as maybe they should be. When reviewing this question the data was found that a large majority, 30 respondents thought that the reason behind this was because of the prices of GRs. Backing this information up 17 respondents (38%) stated that there is an insignificant demand on these products. Overall this information shows that in the UK Construction Industry there are signs of more GRs being introduced however people’s opinions on the popularity of these shows that the basic knowledge is not shown yet by the general public.
5.2.5 Key Objective Five From the research and the analysis it has shown how public perception is important not just in this field but in all aspects of Sustainability as this is the future of our Construction Industry.
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5.3 Summary conclusion In an overall summary this study has shown the differences between GR companies and the specialist to the people in the Construction Industry to the general public. It’s shown that not all benefits that are listed by the Companies are proven to be right and it also shows that many members of the public agree with some benefits but then also disagree with other benefits, this is shown in the analysis.
5.4 Limitation of the Research One of the biggest limitations throughout this research project was the use and collection of the primary data. The questionnaires that were sent out during this research project were only sent locally via Southampton and not to the whole of the UK. To gain greater understanding and different perceptions of this subject data could’ve been sent out to the all the different main cities of the UK which then could’ve been analysed by city types. Another limitation of the research was not using Interviews throughout the primary research. Even though substantial data was received from the use of questionnaires, Interviews are also seemed to be another effective way of collecting data as it is more of a one to one basis and this means that the facial expressions and body language will be able to be seen giving a more reliable and better understand of the respondents.
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Recommendations for Further Research Further data analyse should be done in order to look into more depth of this subject. It is important to investigate into case studies regarding GRs. A number of different case studies should be looked into in order to gain more information on GRs. Case Studies are a substantial way of finding out information as these GRs in case studies have already been erected on site and it will show all the information needed such as how it was done, why it was done, cost issues etc. Also it should show if the GR that was build was successful in terms of sustainability. Another recommendation is to go and visit GRs that are in and around an area which is local and this way information about the GR can be given directly in the presence of the person going to collect it rather than receiving data online via email etc. which may not always be the truth.
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6.0 References
.Iain Borden, K. R.-R., 2014. The Dissertation An Architecture Student's Handbook. 2 ed. Amsterdam: Architectural Press. Anon., n.d. Living Roofs - Environmental Benefits. [Online] Available at: http://livingroofs.org/2013-12-16-13-22-06 Anon, n.d. [Online] Available at: https://y2dc.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/wkt01-jpeg492x0_q85_crop-smart2.jpg [Accessed 26 February 2015]. Bauder, E., n.d. Extensive Substrate Systems. [Online] Available at: http://www.bauder.co.uk/green-roofs/extensive-substrate-systems Bauder, E., n.d. Intensive Roof Gardens. [Online] Available at: http://www.bauder.co.uk/green-roofs/intensive-roof-gardens Bauder, n.d. Benefits of Green Roofs. [Online] Available at: http://www.bauder.co.uk/green-roofs/benefits-of-green-roofs Boundless, 2015. Soil Composition. [Online] Available at: https://www.boundless.com/biology/textbooks/boundless-biologytextbook/soil-and-plant-nutrition-31/the-soil-187/soil-composition-712-11936/ [Accessed 2015]. Centre, B. &. I., n.d. Qualitative and Quantitative Research. [Online] Available at: http://www.bl.uk/bipc/resmark/qualquantresearch/qualquantresearch.html [Accessed 10 March 2015].
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Centre, T. G. R., n.d. Benefits of Green Roofs. [Online] Available at: http://www.thegreenroofcentre.co.uk/green_roofs/benifits_of_green_roofs [Accessed 31 March 2015]. Coombes, H. a., 2007. Green roofs: types & construction. [Online] Available at: http://www.greenspec.co.uk/building-design/green-roofs-1/ [Accessed February 2015]. Coombes, H. a., 2007. Green roofs: types & construction. [Online] Available at: http://www.greenspec.co.uk/building-design/green-roofs-1/ [Accessed February 2015]. Ecolife, 2015. Definition of Green Roof. [Online] Available at: http://www.ecolife.com/define/green-roof.html [Accessed 2015]. Europe, S. G., n.d. Safe Guard Europe. [Online] Available at: http://www.safeguardeurope.com/diagrams/flat-green-roof-buildup.jpg [Accessed 22 February 2015]. Greenroofs, B., 2015. Green Roofs. [Online] Available at: http://www.blackdown.co.uk/green-roofs/ [Accessed 02 January 2015]. Hammond, K., 2015. Disadvantages of Green Roofs. [Online] Available at: http://www.ehow.co.uk/list_6747375_disadvantages-greenroofs.html [Accessed 02 February 2015]. Homes, S., 2015. Types of Green Roofs. [Online] Available at: http://www.superhomes.org.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2012/08/living_roof_layers.jpg [Accessed February 2015].
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L.Cantor, S., 2008. Green Roofs In Sustainable Landscape Design. New York City: W. W. Norton & Company . Library, S., 2015. The advantages and disadvantages of questionnaires. [Online] Available at: http://libweb.surrey.ac.uk/library/skills/Introduction%20to%20Research%20and%2 0Managing%20Information%20Leicester/page_51.htm [Accessed March 2015]. LTD, H. A., 2015. Peppa Pig World. [Online] Available at: http://www.hpw.co.uk/portfolio/leisure/peppa-pig-world# [Accessed 07 February 2015]. Monty, L., 2014. Green roofs grow in popularity. [Online] Available at: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/life/greenmountain/2014/09/25/green-roofs-popularity/16207407/ [Accessed 2015]. NAOUM, D. S. G., 2012. Dissertation research and writing for construction students. 3 ed. New York: Taylor & Francis. Olwyn Pritchard, P. A.-R., 2008. The Green Building Bible Volume 1. 1 ed. Llandysul: Green Building Press. Roofs, B. G., 2015. Design Support. [Online] Available at: http://www.blackdown.co.uk/design-support/ [Accessed 06 February 2015]. Roofs, S. G., 2015. Sedum Green Roofs. [Online] Available at: http://www.sedumgreenroof.co.uk/benefits-of-green-roofs.php [Accessed 31 March 2015]. Seaverson, E. J., 2009. Vegetative Roofs: A Look at the Disadvantages. [Online] Available at: http://www.facilitiesnet.com/roofing/article/Vegetative-Roofs-ALook-at-the-Disadvantages-Facility-Management-Roofing-Feature--11426 [Accessed 06 February 2015].
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Turner, T., 2015. Tom Turner Quotes. [Online] Available at: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/939212-landscape-planners-willhave-the-opportunity-to-make-sculptured-roofscapes [Accessed 2015]. Wickstead, M., 2008. LONDON, England (CNN). [Online] Available at: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/06/26/green.roofs/ [Accessed 2015]. Williams, L., 2008. Green Roofs by Lewis Williams. [Online] Available at: http://www.kirmandesign.com/greenroofs.asp [Accessed 05 February 2015].
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7.0 Bibliography Borden, I. and Ruedi-Ray, K. (2006) The dissertation: an architecture student’s handbook. 2nd edn. Amsterdam: Architectural Press Broome, J. (2007) The green self-build book: how to enjoy designing and building your own eco-home. United Kingdom: Green Books Cantor, S. L. and Peck, S. (2008) Green Roofs: In Sustainable Landscape Design. New York: Norton, W. W. & Company Cooper, R., Evans, G. and Boyko, C. (2009) Designing Sustainable Cities: Decisionmaking Tools and Resources for Design. 1st edn. Ames: Wiley-Blackwell (an imprint of John Wiley & Sons Ltd) Dunnett, N., Gedge, D. and Little, J. (2011) Small green roofs: low-tech options for greener living. Portland, Or: Timber Press Glatthorn, A. A. and Joyner, R. L. (2005) Writing the Winning Thesis or Dissertation: a step-by-step guide. Edited by Allan A. Glatthorn and Randy L. Joyner. 2nd edn. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, a SAGE Publications company Keeler, M. and Burke, B. (2009) Fundamentals of Integrated Design for Sustainable Building: Principles and Practice. United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons Kibert, C. J. (2007) Sustainable Construction: Green Building Design and Delivery. 2nd edn. United Kingdom: Wiley, John & Sons Melaver, M. and Mueller, P. (2009) The Green Building Bottom Line: The Real Cost of Sustainable Building: (GreenSource Books; Green Source). New York: McGraw-Hill Professional Naoum, S. G. (2012) Dissertation research and writing for construction students. 3rd edn. New York: Taylor & Francis Ryan, C. (2011) Traditional construction for a sustainable future. London: Taylor & Francis Ref:Q10641688
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Spiegel, R. and Meadows, D. (2012) Green building materials: a guide to product selection and specification. 3rd edn. United Kingdom: Wiley, John & Sons Spiegel, R. and Meadows, D. (2004) Green building materials: a guide to product selection and specification. 2nd edn. United States: Wiley, John & Sons editor and Hall, K. (2008) Green Building Bible: Essential Information to Help You Make Your Home and Buildings Less Harmful to the Environment, the Community and Your Family: v. 1. Edited by Keith Hall. United Kingdom: Green Building Press
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8.0 Appendices Appendix A – Pilot Study This shows the questions which were used in the pilot study.
Question 1)
Gender?
•
Male
•
Female
Question 2)
Age?
•
Under 20
•
20-39
•
40-59
•
60-80
•
80+
Question 3)
Are you in the construction industry?
•
Yes
•
No
•
If yes please specify
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Question 4)
Do you know what a green roof is?
•
Yes
•
No
Question 5)
Do you understand the functions of a green roof?
•
Yes
•
No
Question 6)
Green roofs bring many aesthetic and environmental benefits to a building
•
Strongly Disagree
•
Disagree
•
Agree
•
Strongly Agree
Question 7)
Green roofs bring disadvantages to a building
•
Strongly Disagree
•
Disagree
•
Agree
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•
Strongly Agree
Question 8)
Would you like to see more green roofs in an area around you? Please specify the reasons for your answer.
[Provide empty text box for answer]
Question 9)
Do you believe that green roofs have an sustainable impact to the environment?
•
Strongly Disagree
•
Disagree
•
Agree
•
Strongly Agree
Question 10)
What do you think about green roofs? And what would you think if you saw more of them?
[Provide empty text box for answer]
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Appendix B – Final Questionnaire
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Appendix C – Questionnaire Samples The questionnaires below show a handful of questionnaires which have been answered by people in the UK Construction Industry.
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Sample 1 – This shows one of the final questionnaires which was completed by a Construction Manager.
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Sample 2 – Tradesman
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Sample 3 – Architectural Technologist
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Sample 4 – Environmental Sustainable Design Consultant
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Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
Sample 5 – Chartered Surveyor
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Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
Sample 6 – Interior Design Student
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
Appendix D – Ethics Form
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
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Faheem Sumra
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace SO14 0JN
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Faheem Sumra