Transport Minister Joe Mizzi recently visited the Life Med Green Roof project at the University of Malta’s Faculty for the Built Environment. The project is aimed at studying and promoting the implementation of green roof technology in Malta by creating awareness of its benefits.

Green roofs are  roofs of buildings or other simi­lar structures with a layer of damp-proofing and a growing substrate spread over part or all of the surface. Several intermediate layers are used to eliminate the possibility of damage to the damp-proofing and to the underlying building.

The Faculty has built a demonstration green roof to show that such roofs can successfully be built with minimal risks of water seepage into the underlying rooms and to illustrate their benefits and potential. The green roof is open to the public during office hours.

Green roofs are very popular in various countries. Not only do they provide benefits to the roof owner in terms of thermal insulation, creation of amenity  space and increased property value but also provide benefits to society, such as increasing ecosystem services, which are benefits people derive from nature, such as the mitigation of flooding, providing habitats for pollinators and creating more pleasant views.

As part of the project, the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA) recently launched the first draft of a standard for green roofs for Malta as part of a public consultation process.

The drawing up of the standard is aimed at ensuring the successful construction of green roofs and limiting possible failures.

The project, which has been running since 2013, is led by the Faculty in collaboration with the MCCAA, Fondazione Minoprio and Minoprio Analizi e Certificazioni, and is partially funded by the EU under the Lifeplus scheme.

www.lifemedgreenroof.org

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