Assessing the efficiency of green roof technology: A case study of Masjid Kota Iskandar, Nusajaya, Johor

Abstract

Green roof is a system that had been identified as a medium that is able to reduce the thermal temperature of a building. It is an efficient way of reducing heat especially for hot climate countries like Malaysia. This study was conducted to assess the ability and the effectiveness of green roof in controlling the temperature of a building and also to make a comparison of its performance with the conventional roof. The study was conducted at the Masjid Kota Iskandar, Nusajaya, Johor. For this case study, Infrared Thermometer and 4 in 1 Meter Kit were used to record the temperature (maximum and minimum) during the day on the surface of the green roof and conventional roof as well as its relative humidity. The experiments were conducted during sunny days from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm at an interval of two hours on two different dates which were 18th March 2017 and 4th April 2017. Few locations for the data to be collected were plotted on the surface of both roofs and the readings of maximum and minimum surface roof temperatures were recorded for comparison. Based on the research that had been carried out, it can be concluded that the usage of green roof was able to reduce the average surface temperature in the range of 3.6°C –11.1°C as compared to the conventional roof. This result had proven that there was a decrease in temperature for the green roof as compared to the conventional roof. It had shown that the usage of the green roof in a building was an efficient way of reducing building temperature and also an effective way to achieve sustainability in architecture and engineering design.