Smartroof 2.0, the innovative blue-green climate roof
On 9 January 2018, the municipality of Amsterdam invited Delta Programme Commissioner Wim Kuijken to pay a working visit to the Smartroof 2.0 project at the naval yard in Amsterdam. Here, the business community, government bodies, and stakeholders collectively converted the black bituminous roof on one of the buildings to a highly innovative green oasis. The project has been set up to gauge the roof’s exact evaporation and energy balance, in order to gain insight into the actual cooling capacity of such roofs in urban environments.
The lightweight, blue-green roof currently accommodates dozens of different plant species. Rainwater is collected and stored in the drainage bed, to be used for the natural irrigation of the plants. Delta Programme Commissioner Wim Kuijken was very impressed by the ingenious way in which this project applies the lessons Nature teaches us. By collecting and retaining water on the roof to be used for irrigation, we are killing several birds with one stone. Not only does it alleviate pressure on the sewer system during severe downpours, on hot days it also reduces heat on the roof by up to 40 degrees Celsius. On top of that, it looks attractive and saves energy. Such more efficient use of roofs converts rainwater into a raw material rather than a waste product, which benefits us all.
The Delta Plan on Spatial Adaptation is exploring how adaptation of the regulations could boost the wider implementation of such smart blue-green roofs.