TOP FREE – Roofs and Hanging Gardens a “Short supply chain” for the Redevelopment of Existing Buildings: the solution identified by D&P srl and DINCI UNICAL
The project was born from the detection of a demand for hanging gardens, by private individuals and the Public Administration, in strong rise. However, the costs of implementing these technologies limit their diffusion. TOP FREE intends to develop and disseminate an innovative green roof system for the redevelopment of existing buildings throughout the territory, that is innovative, sustainable, economically advantageous, and that's it, therefore, with a short supply chain.
The TOP FREE technological solution, funded under the POR Calabria program 2014-2020 (Asse I: Promotion of Research and Innovation – Specific objective 1.1: Increase of business innovation activity – Action 1.1.5: Support for the technological advancement of companies through the financing of pilot lines and early product validation and large-scale demonstration actions), sees D as a partner&P srl and the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Calabria (DINCI) through the Laboratory of Hydraulics and Urban Hydrology (LI2U). In line with the requirements of the Call, TOP FREAnd it provides’Large-scale prototype implementation to be built on a building intended for public use, and will involve the D&P regarding the construction phase and the DINCI for the selection of the best performing stratigraphic alternatives and the design and implementation of the monitoring and data acquisition system. Specifically, the demonstration site will be divided into at least 3 sectors of approx 150 sqm each, 2 green roof sectors, one of which is used for native plant species and one for the planting of vegetables and a third sector left conventional (of which only the restoration of the waterproofing will be envisaged) to compare the results.
In a context in which the building practice is strongly focused on the recovery of existing structures and not on the construction from scratch, TOP FREE represents a sustainable turning point under different profiles:
- environmental: reduction of runoff and greening in urban areas,
- social: enhancement of local resources and reduction of impacts on the environment,
- cheap: benefits for local companies and creation of new markets.
The project, started on 29 September 2021, develops the prototype idea through continuous exchanges between project partners, for the purpose of contamination and integration of knowledge, aimed at identifying the optimal design solution.
The first results of TOP FREE were discussed during an internal seminar between the partnership held on 29 September 2022 at the University of Calabria e, the next day, part of the results were presented at the European Research and Researchers' Night “SuperScienceMe” in the space dedicated to Green Home scarl, that, as part of this project, guarantees essential support to the partnership for management activities and exploitation of results. Inside TOP FREE, Green Home's contribution also includes technical-specialist activities in relation to:
- LCA analysis (Life Cycle Assessment) of materials / stratigraphies;
- analysis of the loads and bearing capacity of the structure;
- implementation and management of the data acquisition system;
- thermal efficiency analysis.
