Browsing by Author "Spalevic, V"

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Open Access
Feasibility study for estimating optimal substrate parameters for sustainable green roof in Sri Lanka
(Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2022-12-21) Kader, S. A; Spalevic, V; Dudic, B
In twenty-frst century buildings, green roof systems are envisioned as great solution for improving Environmental sustainability in urban ecosystems and it helps to mitigate various health hazards for humans due to climatic pollution. This study determines the feasibility of using fve domestic organic wastes, including sawdust, wood bark, biochar, coir, and compost, as sustainable substrates for green roofs as compared to classical Sri Lankan base medium (fertiliser+potting mix) in terms of physicochemical and biological parameters associated with growing mediums. Comprehensive methodologies were devised to determine the thermal conductivity and electric conductivity of growing mediums. According to preliminary experimental results, the most suitable composition for green roof substrates comprised 60% organic waste and 40% base medium. Sawdust growing medium exhibited the highest moisture content and minimum density magnitudes. Biochar substrate was the best performing medium with the highest drought resistance and vegetation growth. The wood bark substrate had the highest thermal resistance. Growing mediums based on compost, sawdust, and coir produced the best results in terms of nitrate, phosphate, pH, and electric conductivity (EC) existence. This study provided a standard set of comprehensive comparison methodologies utilising physicochemical and biological properties required for substrate characterization. The fndings of this research work have strong potential in the future to be used in selecting the most suitable lightweight growing medium for a green roof based on stakeholder requirements.
Open Access
Green roof substrates—A literature review
(frontiersin, 2022-10-03) Kader, S; Chadalavada, S; Jaufer, L; Spalevic, V; Dudic, B
Green roofs are becoming increasingly popular in urban construction due to their wide array of benefits for creating a sustainable ecosystem. Many stakeholders invest in green roofs in the 21st century to enhance the environmental quality and mitigate urban ecological pollution. The substrate layer is the most important and critical component of green roof systems. The objective of the review study is to present the important information regarding the required elements that need to be considered for substrate selection of green roofs by critically reviewing the scientifically published articles. Research findings from past studies relevant to green roofs, vegetation and selective substrate parameters were extensively discussed under different topics related to water retention, drought resistance and related physico-chemical parameters. The generalities in past research articles were presented and special focus was provided on specific research articles those presented novelty regarding green roof substrates. Furthermore, the hotspots in all the considered research articles were commentatively identified and the appropriate solutions were evaluated. The critical review of published research articles indicates that most of the research on green roof substrates was conducted in either controlled laboratories or greenhouses and did not provide much importance to actual field tests. Therefore, these research findings are not sufficient to obtain the realistic field outcomes of the research. Future studies on green roof substrates should need to incorporate field experiments along with classical controlled tests by adhering to standard guidelines for assimilating climatic influences in substrates. Few studies have focused on dry climates, and further research needs to be conducted on dry climates due to their high susceptibility to drought and evapotranspiration. This manuscript would be the first review article that mainly focuses on substrates for green roofs, which is a novel aspect.