As part of the LifeMedGreenRoof Project, the Standardisation Directorate within the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA) has on Wednesday 11th January 2017, organised a workshop to launch the public consultation on the Draft National Standard for Green Roofs.
As part of the EU’s 2020 Strategy which aims at reducing the energy requirements by a minimum of 20% by 2020, the Commission’s Energy Efficiency Plan 2011, has identified that buildings have the greatest energy saving potential. The plan focuses on mechanisms to reduce the energy requirements of existing buildings in particular public buildings and the role of dissemination projects in introducing energy efficient measures.
Many countries encourage the dissemination of green roofs because they offer a number of benefits which increase the urban quality of life. Green roofs are considered an important addition in the effort to create sustainable cities. Unfortunately, in Malta green roofs have not as yet gained ground.
The LifeMedGreenRoof project aims at understanding better the performance of Green Roofs especially in the local context and to demonstrate the benefits of the technology for a wider dissemination of the technology.
As a project partner, the MCCAA’s role in this project is to draft the Green Roof standard for Malta based on the results obtained from the research being carried out at the University of Malta, the project’s lead partner. The project has to date identified base line information including a list of local flora that can be grown on a roof, confirmed that green roofs improve thermal insulation of buildings and reduce storm water run-off to mitigate flooding. They also provide important habitats and feeding ground to wildlife increasing ecosystem benefits and provide visual amenity.
Following a workshop that was held in May 2016 that launched the process of developing the national standard, a technical committee made up of various stakeholders was set up and a number of technical meetings (14) were held during the last 6 months to draft the standard.
The second workshop held on 11th January 2017 launched a public consultation on this draft. During the workshop, technical committee members explained the benefits of green roofs and the technical details of constructing and maintaining green roofs in Malta.
The draft standard can is freely available from MCCAA website and facebook page. MCCAA welcomes comments by 3rd March 2017 for the technical committee to consider before it is finalised. The final standard shall be launched at a public event in the coming months.
For further information about the LifeMedGreenRoof project, visit the website or find the facebook page Lifemedgreenroof project. The project is partially funded by the EU through Life+, the EU’s financial instrument supporting environmental projects. The partners in the project include two Maltese institutions (The University of Malta and MCCAA), and two Italian (Minoprio Analisi e Certificazioni and Fondazione Minoprio).
