The Impact of Green Roofs and Internal Patios on Energy Consumption in a School Building

A computer simulation model

Abstract

Sustainability has attracted expert's attention in recent years, which is generally categorized into social, economic, and environmental approaches. The verification of green roofs’ positive environmental impact has been investigated in several studies. However, little researchers have tested the combined effect of green roofs and internal patios on energy consumption. The purpose of this research studies the energy performance of a scholastic building equipped with a green roof and internal patios since the vast area of schools' roofs has great potential for green roof installation. Moreover, schools can play an underlying role in promoting sustainability as the first culture-creating social environment. For this aim, computer simulations of a school building on the presence and absence of a green roof plus two internal patios were conducted by Design Builder software. As a result, the analysis showed that these living elements as green architectural parameters in designing a green school make a significant reduction rate of energy consumption. The results of these simulations showed a 34.23% decrease in the rate of heat generation, 17.48% in electrical energy for cooling, 15.30% in sensible cooling, 17.46% in total cooling, 34.22% in zone heating, and 21.04% in the scale of the total electrical energy for one year.