GREEN ROOFS

TECHNICIAN TRAINING
PROGRAM
www.green-roofs.eu
Implementation period: 36 months (01/09/2022-31/08/2025)
Project no. 2022-1-PL01-KA220-HED-000086828

Date:
Partner/Name

Project no. 2022-1-PL01-KA220-HED-000086828

 Course 2.1 – Green Roofs: begining
and perspectives

Unit 1 - Goals of Green Roofs Trainning Programm

Unit 2 - Aspects to consider in the design of green roofs

Unit 3 - Historical review of green roof systems

2
Unit 1

Goals of the Green Roofs Training Programme

3
 Introduction Green Efforts

The current is a training programme following a urban Green Rooftops will be designed, assessed, planted and
regeneration strategy. The training will prepare a new implemented by this professionals having some technical

Goals of interdisciplinary professional profile specialising in rooftop

farming and gardening, which we will refer to as aa
specific skills through an innovative approach.

Green Roof Technician.

Green
ROOFS
Purposes Innovation within the programme
Training
For the sake of this training programme, the purpose is to The training foreseen by Green Roof is highly innovative and

Programme offer young graduates in construction engineering,

landscape architecture, urban planning etc. the
aligned with the policies promoted at EU level on the topic
addressed. Multidisciplinary, expendability and target groups
opportunity to receive training in an innovative curriculum selection are at the core of such innovativeness.
of high ecological and social
value, to foster their employability and to tackle with
contemporary ecological issues, trying to transform these
current challenges in
new job opportunities.
4
INTRODUCTION

The project's goals and the programme ones are as follows:

- Exchange of information and best practises on urban regeneration via green
roofs
- Create an innovative green roof training course to acquire forward-thinking
talents in a crucial sector for smart economic and social growth.
- Provide chances for work-based learning for recent graduates in construction
engineering and related sectors.
- Encourage fresh graduates in construction engineering (and other related
professional profiles) to acquire new particular skills in order to identify
alternatives to a crowded market.

5
GREEN
INFRASTRUCTURE
Green roofs might be a solution that separates plants from the earth's surface
while still providing a substrate with all the elements required for cultivation:
insects, water, and soil. Rooftop farming has the potential to improve the
amount of food produced in metropolitan areas while also linking people with
the food production process. Furthermore, green roofs provide a perfect setting
for stimulating innovation in soilless farming systems such as hydroponics,
aquaponics and vertical farming. Furthermore, green roofs may be utilised to
increase building energy efficiency and waste reduction by, for example,
collecting building energy loss, recycling rainwater from the site, and using
renewable solar energy.

6
GREEN
INFRASTRUCTURE
Green roofs training programme is focused hence on the idea of creating a
urban regeneration strategy. The programme will be very beneficial in
supporting young graduates by preparing a new interdisciplinary professional
profile specialising in rooftop farming and gardening, which we will refer to as a
Green Roof Technician. This professional figure will work directly on Green
Roofs by planting, projecting, planning and implementing them through an
approach which encompasses several competences from different study fields
such as Engineering, Gardening, Agronomy, Marketing, etc.

7
PURPOSES

The main goal is the realisation of a training course as an Open Educational

Resource (OER) aimed at training a new, multidisciplinary professional profile
specialised in green roofs, that we call the Green Roof Technician. This
professional will be able to design, assess, plan and implement rooftop farming
solutions through a thorough approach encompassing architectural
competences, gardening/agronomy and social animation skills. The training
modules are designed, delivered and evaluated in partnership with actors and
stakeholders belonging to different socio-economic sectors and different
countries in Europe.

8
PURPOSES

The programme, as part of the overall project, has the following objectives:
-Exchange of knowledge and best practices on urban regeneration through
green roofs
-Develop an innovative training course on green roofs gathering forward-
looking skills in a strategic field for smart economic and social development;
-Provide work-based learning opportunities for young graduates in construction
engineering, and similar fields
-Foster employability, socio-educational and personal development for young
graduates in construction engineering (and other similar professional profiles)
through the acquisition of new specific skills in order to find work alternatives to
a saturated market.

9
INNOVATION WITHIN
THE PROGRAMME
The training programme for this new career path of Green Roof Technician is
extremely innovative because of three main aspects:

-Multidisciplinary,
-Expendability,
-Target groups selection.

Moreover, this training opportunity is aligned to several EU priorities of the

Erasmus+ programme such as the fight against climate change and
environment preservation as well as stimulation of innovative learning and
teaching practices.

10
INNOVATION WITHIN
THE PROGRAMME
Multidisciplinary means that the Green Roofs Technician will be trained with
a multidisciplinary approach, therefore playing also the role of a facilitator to
bring together different professionals that are needed for a successful green
roof (farmers, educators, civil society stakeholders);
Expendability means that rooftops are space that gives room to further
farming practices that do not require the use of soil, such as aquaponics,
hydroponics, geoponics and vertical farming. Together with traditional farming
methods, these techniques contribute to increase the amount of food
produced in urban areas. Being green roofs also a social space, citizens can
visit and learn about this innovative cultivation.
Target Group selection means that the final users of this training are young
graduates from different fields of study – mainly landscape architecture and
engineering- whom will be specialising in the green infrastructure sector,
providing future-looking skills for a job market that is adapting to a low carbon
economy
11
Unit 2 - Aspects to consider in the design of green
roofs
In this unit will be taken into consideration aspects related to: European Union policies and rules about Green Roofs &
Green Roofs as biodiversity elements (Policies on Biodiversity).

12
 Introduction Green Infrastructure

Green infrastructure has been characterised as “A strategically planned network of

As in January 2022, the European Union (EU) does not
natural and semi-natural areas with other environmental features, designed and
have specific, uniform regulations or directives regarding managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services, while also enhancing
green roofs that apply to all member states. However, the biodiversity.” Water purification, improved air quality, leisure space, and assistance
with climate mitigation and adaptation are examples of such services. This network
EU does support initiatives related to sustainable urban
of green (land) and blue (water) spaces promotes environmental quality, the state
development and green infrastructure, and some member and connectedness of natural regions, and inhabitants' health and quality of life.
states have implemented their own policies and Creating green infrastructure may also help to promote a green economy and
create jobs.

EU Policies
regulations regarding green roofs.

and Rules Legislations Policies on biodiversity

The EU's 2030 biodiversity policy is a comprehensive,

about Green For the benefit of EU citizens and biodiversity, the EU supports
the use of green and blue infrastructure, as well as nature-based
ambitious, and long-term plan to safeguard nature and
reverse ecological deterioration. The strategy, which includes
solutions.
concrete initiatives and pledges, intends to put Europe's
ROOFS The EU Green Infrastructure Strategy seeks to maintain, repair,
biodiversity on a path to recovery by 2030.

and improve green infrastructure in order to help reduce

biodiversity loss and enable ecosystems to provide benefits to It is the EU's proposal for the impending international
humans. The EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 encourages discussions on the global post-2020 biodiversity framework. It
investments in green and blue infrastructure, as well as the
is a key component of the European Green Deal and will aid
systematic incorporation of healthy ecosystems, green
in the green rebound following the Covid-19 outbreak.
infrastructure, and nature-based solutions into urban design.
13
INTRODUCTION

As of January 2022, the European Union lacks a uniform set of rules for green roofs. However, the EU
actively promotes environmentally friendly practices, including green infrastructure, through varying
policies.

Local authorities play a significant role, and the EU encourages green roofs to address environmental and
climate concerns, offering benefits such as improved energy efficiency and biodiversity. Various EU
policies indirectly support green roofs and sustainable urban development.

14
INTRODUCTION
European Green Deal: This initiative aims to make the EU climate-neutral by 2050 and
includes a range of policies and measures to improve environmental sustainability. Green
infrastructure, including green roofs, is considered an essential part of these efforts.

EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030: This strategy seeks to protect and restore biodiversity,
including urban biodiversity, by promoting green spaces and green infrastructure, which may
include green roofs.

Urban Agenda for the EU: This initiative focuses on sustainable urban development and
recognizes the importance of green infrastructure in creating more liveable and
environmentally friendly cities.

European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF): Some EU funding programs under
the ESIF may support projects related to green infrastructure, which can include green roofs.

Local Regulations: Many EU member states and cities have developed their own
regulations and incentives for green roofs to address local environmental and urban
challenges.

15
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE

To understand what does it mean GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE we have to start from the concepts of
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

The advantages that flow from nature to people are referred to as ecosystem services.

They can be providing (e.g., food, clean air, water, and materials), regulating (e.g., water and climate
regulation, nutrient cycling, pollination, fertile soil formation), or cultural (e.g., recreation possibilities, natural
inspiration). Natural ecosystems can deliver a variety of different functions at the same time. One of the
primary benefits of green infrastructure is its multi-functionality. Our society and economy rely on healthy
ecosystems and the benefits they provide. A healthy ecosystem network offers alternatives to traditional
'grey' infrastructure, typically at a tenth of the cost.

16
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE

Here are several examples:

✔ Diverse mixed forests absorb a considerable amount of water and preserve the soil, avoiding and
mitigating floods and landslides. They also provide crucial habitat for wildlife, enjoyment, and help to
sequester carbon.
✔ Well-designed urban green spaces (parks, gardens, green roofs, allotments, etc.) may help to
maintain biodiversity while also addressing climate change, keeping cities cool, lowering flood hazards,
and improving the health and well-being of city dwellers.
✔ Restoring wetlands is an appropriate, and sometimes less expensive, alternative to building new water
treatment facilities, and it may also provide many other natural services, such as room for migrating
birds and pollinators to thrive.
✔ Restoring floodplains is also far less expensive and frequently far more successful than building new,
higher dykes.

17
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE

The importance of Green Infrastructure

Creating green infrastructure may also help to promote a green economy and create jobs.
The Natura 2000 network of protected areas is the EU's green infrastructure's backbone.

The term "green infrastructure" is described as "A strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural
areas with other environmental features, designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem
services, while also enhancing biodiversity."

Water purification, improved air quality, leisure space, and assistance with climate mitigation and
adaptation are examples of such services.

This network of green (land) and blue (water) spaces promotes environmental quality, the state and
connectedness of natural regions, and inhabitants' health and quality of life.

18
LEGISLATIONS

Benefitting the EU citizens supporting a green approach:

For the benefit of EU citizens and biodiversity, the EU supports the use of green and blue infrastructure, as
well as nature-based solutions.

The EU Green Infrastructure Strategy – as we described in depth in the previous slides- seeks to
maintain, repair, and improve green infrastructure in order to help reduce biodiversity loss and enable
ecosystems to provide benefits to humans.
Parallel to such strategy, the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 encourages investments in green and blue
infrastructure, as well as the systematic incorporation of healthy ecosystems, green infrastructure, and nature-
based solutions into urban design.
It logically follows that Green infrastructure and environmental regulations on land, water, and the marine
environment have clear synergies.

19
LEGISLATIONS

Green infrastructure and its various fields of application

Agriculture and forestry, climate change mitigation and adaptation, disaster prevention and risk reduction -for
example, through natural flood management and water retention measures-, energy, transport, health, and
research are all policies that support and harness the potential of nature-based solutions and green
infrastructure.

Green infrastructure development may be aided by its incorporation into spatial planning tools, Environmental
Impact Assessment, and Strategic Environment Assessment.

20
LEGISLATIONS

Useful papers and guidelines

The EU Commission produced two guideline documents to assist planners, politicians, and entrepreneurs in
addressing socioeconomic difficulties while simultaneously safeguarding and restoring Europe's natural
environment.
✔ at the EU level Guidance on supporting the deployment of strategic EU level green and blue
infrastructure mends a more planned and integrated approach to scaling up investments.
✔ EU guidance on integrating ecosystems and their services into decision-making (Summary, Part 1,
Part 2, Part 3) underlines the vast range of advantages that flow from nature to people, as well as potential
strategies to take these benefits into account in policy, planning, and corporate investment choices.

An overview and progress report on Natural Capital Accounting in the European Union (2019) supplement the
guidance paper.

21
LEGISLATIONS
Useful papers and guidelines: click the following links to access them

✔ Guidance on supporting the deployment of strategic EU level green and blue infrastructure
https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/3f466d71-92a7-49eb-9c63-6cb0fadf29dc/library/dc48dc2a-b87f-4e5
4-9852-a18c7239260e/details?download=true

✔ EU guidance on integrating ecosystems and their services into decision-making (

Summary:
https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/3f466d71-92a7-49eb-9c63-6cb0fadf29dc/library/69344fc4-de8e-4cfe-b418-4
af78e7db690/details?download=true
Part 1
https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/3f466d71-92a7-49eb-9c63-6cb0fadf29dc/library/bc851d1f-17ca-412c-ac91-6
a1054db4e20/details?download=true
Part 2:
https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/3f466d71-92a7-49eb-9c63-6cb0fadf29dc/library/274264a0-bcf0-4595-a7f8-e
7ec1ac232d0/details?download=true
Part 3:https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/3f466d71-92a7-49eb-9c63-6cb0fadf29dc/library/274264a0-bcf0-4595-
a7f8-e7ec1ac232d0/details?download=true

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POLICIES ON BIODIVERSITY

The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 is a comprehensive, ambitious, and long-term plan for protecting
biodiversity and reversing ecological deterioration.

The strategy intends to restore Europe's biodiversity by 2030 for the benefit of people, the climate, and the
planet.

23
POLICIES ON BIODIVERSITY

Important objectives of the strategy:

The strategy includes certain promises and initiatives that must be completed by 2030:
✔ Creating a more extensive EU-wide network of protected areas on land and at sea
✔ The launch of an EU strategy for ecological restoration
✔ Implementing efforts to facilitate the essential transformational change
✔ Implementing efforts to address the global biodiversity crisis

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POLICIES ON BIODIVERSITY

An ambitious set of goals for protecting EU Nature:

The European Union has unveiled its new Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, with a genuine focus on repairing our
broken connection with nature and embarking on a road of recovery for the benefit of people, the climate, and the
planet.
This new strategy will establish protected areas for at least 30% of Europe's land and 30% of Europe's sea, as well
as restoring degraded ecosystems on land and sea across the entire continent by increasing organic farming and
biodiversity-rich landscape features on agricultural land, halting and reversing pollinator declines, reducing pesticide
use and risk by 50% by 2030, restoring at least 25,000 km of EU rivers to a free-flowing state, and even planting 3
billions trees by the year 2030.

25
POLICIES ON BIODIVERSITY

The Biodiversity strategy at the core of GREEN DEAL

Climate change and environmental deterioration pose a mortal threat to Europe and the rest of the globe. To
address these issues, the European Green Deal would turn the EU into a modern, resource-efficient, and
competitive economy, guaranteeing that:
By 2050, there will be no net greenhouse gas emissions.
Economic development is no longer linked to resource use.no one or no place is left behind
The European Green Deal is also our only hope of surviving the COVID-19 epidemic.
The European Green Deal will be funded with one-third of the €1.8 trillion investment from the NextGenerationEU
Recovery Plan and the EU's seven-year budget.
The European Commission has proposed a package of measures aimed at transforming the EU's climate, energy,
transport, and taxation policies to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 coparing to the
levels of the 1990s.

26
POLICIES ON BIODIVERSITY
The European Union at the forefront of natural and environmental protection
Furthermore, the EU intends to make €20 billion available for biodiversity each year through a variety of sources,
including EU money as well as national and private support.

Considerations for natural capital and biodiversity will be included into commercial practises.
The policy will position the EU as a worldwide leader in tackling the global biodiversity catastrophe.

At the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2021, the Commission activated all
mechanisms of external action and international alliances in support of an ambitious new UN Global Biodiversity
Framework.

27
Unit 3 - Historical review of green roof systems
- First gardens built on a building date from the Ziggurats of ancient Mesopotamia, built from the
4th millennium to about 600 BC.
- Green roofs in Mediterranean areas were regularly used as outdoor recreational spaces. The
eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, which buried the city of Pompeii, almost perfectly preserved a
terraced building that resembles today's definition of rooftop gardens.
- In Renaissance Italy, under Pope Pius II, whose papacy lasted from 1458 to 1464, magnificent
buildings with green roofs were built.

28
Unit 3 - Historical review of green roof systems
- In Norway during the Middle Ages, to resist the harsh winters and the heat of the short summer,
green roofs were used in the construction of wooden houses and shelters.
- References to green roofs in Aztec houses can be found in Cortês' correspondence, in a letter to
King D. Carlos I of Spain, dated 1519.
- Karl Rabbitz built a roof garden in a typical middle-class residence in Berlin. This construction
technique was highly unusual for Northern Germany, as the climate was conducive to cold winters and
rain that abounds throughout the year.
- There is a big change from the 20s onwards, with Le Corbusier, strongly promoting the use of
roofs as living areas, including flat roofs as one of the elements of The Five Points of a New
Architecture , combining advances in material, technological and construction development with new
ideas for social architecture and its place in the city.

29
Unit 3 - Historical review of green roof systems

- Austrian architect and artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, designed, in 1984, Vienna's most
important green roof, the Hunderwassese Haus, which features over 900 tons of earth, and
250 trees and shrubs.
- In 1982, the first technical guide on green roofs was developed, containing “Principles of
Green Roofing” which has been used in several countries around the world as the basis of
numerous technical guides (as is also the case with this one).

30
Unit 3 - Historical review of green roof systems

- Germany is the center of green roof activities around the world. The rapid expansion of green
roofs in Germany was possible through the application of laws and incentives that promoted their
implementation.
- Green roofs in Portugal have been increasingly accepted in architecture. In 2012, two
projects with great importance and international projection were inaugurated, the roof at the
Alcântara WWTP, which to date is the largest green roof built in Portugal, and the Lisbon
square, in Porto, which has become an icon of the city.

31
References
1. https://www.engineering.com/story/what-is-a-living-roof
2. https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en
3. https://europeanclimate.org/the-european-green-deal/
4. https://www.bruegel.org/policy-brief/new-governance-framework-safeguard-european-green-deal
5. https://environment.ec.europa.eu/strategy/biodiversity-strategy-2030_en#:~:text=The%202030%20EU%20Bi
odiversity%20Strategy&text=The%20EU's%20biodiversity%20strategy%20for,contains%20specific%20action
s%20and%20commitments
.
6. https://www.ecsite.eu/activities-and-services/news-and-publications/eu-biodiversity-strategy-2030
7. https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/nature-and-biodiversity/green-infrastructure_en
8. https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/policy/themes/urban-development/agenda_en
9. Palha, P; Franca, José Vila (2020). Guia Técnico para Coberturas Verdes. ANCV / Palha, P; Franca, José
Vila (2020). Technical Guide for Green Roofs. ANCV.

32
THANK YOU!
GREEN ROOFS
TECHNICIAN TRAINING
PROGRAM
www.green-roofs.eu
Implementation period: 36 months (01/09/2022-31/08/2025)
Project no. 2022-1-PL01-KA220-HED-000086828

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the
author(s) only and do not necessarily reflectthose of the European Union or the
European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European
Union norEACEA can be held responsible for them.