Image Credit: Inhabitat.com
City Council’s good faith attempt to provide standards for green roofs falls short. On October 28, 2016, the City Council’s Committee on Environmental Protection held a hearing regarding Introduction 0835-2015, which would amend the building code to establish standards for the selection, installation and maintenance of plants for green roof systems. The proposed legislation would incorporate into the building code a manual by the American Society for Testing and Materials, ASTM E 2400, which offers fluid guidelines and non-distinct recommendations on green roof planting and maintenance.
New York City is a prime example of the urban heat island effect which is defined as a metropolitan area that is significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas due to human activities. The primary cause of this effect is the accumulation of infrastructure. Dark surfaces, like asphalt, absorb significantly more solar radiation, and concrete and other building materials used in the construction of buildings and roofs commonly have significantly higher thermal bulk capacity. The heat effect is only secondarily a result from heat generation by a City’s inhabitants. (read more…)
