Elizabeth Joyce Grant ABSTRACT Design frequently involves a series of tradeoffs to obtain the "optimal" solution to a design problem. Green roofs have many different characteristics based on a variety of variables. Designers typically weigh the impacts of these characteristics in an implicit process based on intuition or past experience. But since vegetated roofing is a relatively complex and comparatively new technology to many practitioners, a rational, explicit method to help organize and rank the tradeoffs made during the design process would be useful. This research comprises the creation of a framework diagramming the decision process involved in the selection of vegetated roofing systems. Through a series of expert interviews and case studies, the available knowledge is being captured and organized to determine the critical parameters affecting design decisions. An initial set of six case study projects in North America has been analyzed and six critically important evaluation categories were identified: storm water management, energy consumption, acoustics, structure, compliance with regulatory guidelines and governmental incentives, and cost. These six factors are key decision-making parameters in the design of vegetated roofing and they form the basis of this study. They are addressed in the context of a decision support system for green roof designers. A summation of the total importance of the advantages represented by each alternative is used to determine the most feasible green roof system for a particular project. The framework developed in this dissertation will ultimately be adaptable to digital processing and a computer-based design assistance tool. |
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