Techniques and crops for efficient rooftop gardens in Bologna, Italy

Urban rooftop farming favours local food production. Although rooftop farming is perceived as 33 a sustainable system, there is a lack of quantitative studies on rooftop farming. There we set up 34 experiments in the community rooftop garden of a public housing building in Bologna, Italy, 35 between 2012 and 2014. We grew lettuce, a leafy vegetable, using three techniques: nutrient 36 film, floating hydroponic and soil cultivation. We also grew tomato, chilli pepper, eggplant, 37 melon, watermelon on soils. Data was analysed by life cycle assessment for environmental and 38 economic performance. Results reveal that the best techniques of lettuce cultivation to address 39 global warming were floating in the summer, with 65-85% less environmental impact per kg 40 than nutrient film; and soil production in the winter, with 85-95% less environmental impact. 41 Furthermore, floating production was 25% cheaper in summer and soil was 65% cheaper in 42 winter, compared to the nutrient film technique. For soil production, eggplants and tomatoes 43 showed the best environmental performances of about 74 g CO2 per kg. Eggplant production in 44 soil gave in the cheapest crop of 0.13 € per kg

Aquaponics in the Built Environment

Aquaponics’ potential to transform urban food production has been documented in a rapid increase of academic research and public interest in the field. To translate this publicity into real-world impact, the creation of commercial farms and their relationship to the urban environment have to be further examined. This research has to bridge the gap between existing literature on growing system performance and urban metabolic flows by considering the built form of aquaponic farms. To assess the potential for urban integration of aquaponics, existing case studies are classified by the typology of their building enclosure, with the two main categories being greenhouses and indoor environments. This classification allows for some assumptions about the farms’ performance in their context, but a more in-depth life cycle assessment (LCA) is necessary to evaluate different configurations. The LCA approach is presented as a way to inventory design criteria and respective strategies which can influence the environmental impact of aquaponic systems in the context of urban built environments

The ICTA-ICP Rooftop Greenhouse Lab (RTG-Lab): closing metabolic flows (energy, water, CO2) through integrated Rooftop Greenhouses

The ICTA-ICP Rooftop Greenhouse Lab (RTG-Lab) is a research-oriented RTG situated in the UAB Campus (Bellaterra, Barcelona). In contrast to current RTGs, the RTG-Lab integrates energy, water and CO2 flows into the building’s metabolism. This integrated RTG (i-RTG) is an eco-innovative concept that will enhance the sustainability of both systems involved while producing high-value crops and maintaining indoor comfort in buildings with lower energy inputs. The RTG-Lab, within the Fertilecity project, aims to demonstrate the feasibility of producing vegetables in i-RTGs in the Mediterranean context and to quantify the environmental and economic performance of the metabolic integration between the greenhouse and the building. To do that, experimental crops (lettuce and tomato) in soil-less culture systems (perlite) will start on Fall 2014. Preliminary data of the metabolic integration is described in this contribution. First, the residual heat from the building will be introduced in the greenhouse to maintain crop temperatures. Moreover, the airflow from the building will help the ventilation of the greenhouse in hot episodes. Second, the rainwater collected in the rooftop of the building will be used for the irrigation of the crop, leading into a 100% water self-sufficient crop. Third, the airflow from the building has a higher CO2 concentration than the greenhouse air. This CO2 will be used by the crop when supplied to the greenhouse, as in current CO2-injection techniques in industrial horticulture.Postprint (published version

Enhancing ecosystem services in cities through multifuncional rooftop gardens - Insights from a co-designed project in Barcelona, Spain

Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Depth of penetration of temperature fluctuations during rapid pulsed heating of large slabs

22.00; Translated from Russian (Izv. Vyssh. Uchebn. Zaved., Chern. Metall. 1988 (1) p. 132-135)Available from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:9022.06(BISI-Trans--26752)T / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

The ICTA-ICP Rooftop Greenhouse Lab (RTG-Lab): closing metabolic flows (energy, water, CO2) through integrated Rooftop Greenhouses

The ICTA-ICP Rooftop Greenhouse Lab (RTG-Lab) is a research-oriented RTG situated in the UAB Campus (Bellaterra, Barcelona). In contrast to current RTGs, the RTG-Lab integrates energy, water and CO2 flows into the building’s metabolism. This integrated RTG (i-RTG) is an eco-innovative concept that will enhance the sustainability of both systems involved while producing high-value crops and maintaining indoor comfort in buildings with lower energy inputs. The RTG-Lab, within the Fertilecity project, aims to demonstrate the feasibility of producing vegetables in i-RTGs in the Mediterranean context and to quantify the environmental and economic performance of the metabolic integration between the greenhouse and the building. To do that, experimental crops (lettuce and tomato) in soil-less culture systems (perlite) will start on Fall 2014. Preliminary data of the metabolic integration is described in this contribution. First, the residual heat from the building will be introduced in the greenhouse to maintain crop temperatures. Moreover, the airflow from the building will help the ventilation of the greenhouse in hot episodes. Second, the rainwater collected in the rooftop of the building will be used for the irrigation of the crop, leading into a 100% water self-sufficient crop. Third, the airflow from the building has a higher CO2 concentration than the greenhouse air. This CO2 will be used by the crop when supplied to the greenhouse, as in current CO2-injection techniques in industrial horticulture