As part of the LifeMedGreenRoof Project, the Standardisation Directorate in the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA) has held a second workshop to launch the public consultation on the Draft National Standard for Green Roofs.
As part of the EU's 2020 Strategy, which aims to reduce energy requirements by a minimum of 20 per cent 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 - public buildings in particular - 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 that increase the quality of urban life. Green roofs are considered an important addition in the effort to create sustainable cities but, unfortunately, in Malta they have not as yet gained ground.
The LifeMedGreenRoof project aims at a better understanding of the performance of green roofs, especially in the local context, and to demonstrate the benefits of the technology to a wider audience.
As a project partner, the MCCAA's role is to draft the Green Roof standard for Malta based on the results obtained from research being carried out at the University of Malta, the project's lead partner. To date, the project has identified base line information, including a list of local flora that can be grown on a roof, confirmed that green roofs improve the thermal insulation of buildings and reduce storm water run-off to mitigate flooding. They also provide important habitats and feeding grounds for wildlife, increase ecosystem benefits and provide visual amenity.
Following the workshop that was held in May 2016 that launched the process of developing the national standard, a technical committee comprised of various stakeholders was established and a number of technical meetings (14) have been held in the last six months to draft the standard.
The second workshop, held on 11 January, launched a public consultation on this draft standard, during which technical committee members explained the benefits of green roofs and the technical details of constructing and maintaining them in Malta.
The draft standard is available at no charge from the MCCAA website (http://www.mccaa.org.mt/en/development-of-standards) and on the MCCAA Facebook page. The MCCAA welcomes comments by 3 March for the technical committee to consider before it is finalised. Comments can be sent to the Director Standardisation on email [email protected]
The final standard will be launched at a public event in the coming months.
Further information about the LifeMedGreenRoof project is available from the website www.lifemedgreenroof.org or the LifeMedGreenRoof project Facebook page. The project is partially funded by the EU through Life+, the EU's financial instrument supporting environmental projects and the partners in the project include two Maltese institutions (The University of Malta and the MCCAA), and two Italian (Minoprio Analisi e Certificazioni and Fondazione Minoprio).