Business Park Amsterdam Osdorp and
Climate Change Adaptation:
Identifying Barriers and Solutions for Sustainable Water Management
ABSTRACT - Climate change will likely affect future weather in the Netherlands, leading to more frequent heat waves and increased precipitation intensity. These effects can be
considered as a threat, especially in urban areas containing large impervious surfaces that can lead to sewer overload and consequently, increased risk of inner-city flooding. The
municipality of Amsterdam has set goals to address these potential effects by climate mitigation and adaptation measures. This paper discusses how corporations and the government could be involved in the development of the Lutkemeer lot of Business Park Amsterdam Osdorp in support of the climate change adaptation goals for water management of the city of Amsterdam. Literature research is used to create a better understanding of sustainable water management practices, whereas interviews and case-studies provided additional information needed to apply the theoretical knowledge to Business park Osdorp. This interdisciplinary research has provided new overarching insights into sustainable water management, elaborating on the associated participation of politics and businesses as well as proposing suitable technologies for the development of a climate adaptive business park.
Tutor: Ruben Weesie (MSc)
Supervisor: Caroline van der Kooi (PhD) Jorrit van Bennekom 11831448
Eva Dijkstra 11792361 Wouter Hillebrand 11307056 Bram Polfliet 11615044 Date: 20-12-19
Table of content
Introduction 2
Theoretical Framework 4
Green Roofs 4
Thermal Energy Storage 4
Feasibility of the Implementation 5
Problem Definition 8
Interdisciplinary Integration 9
Selected Methods and Data 12
Results 14
Case study Amsterdam vs Berlin 16
Casestudy Amsterdam vs Chicago 17
Interview R. Pomstra 18 Interview D. de Voogt 19 Conclusion 21 Discussion 22 Recommendations 23 References 24 Appendices 29 Appendix 1 29
Semi-structured Interview with Robert Pomstra Project Advisor at Dakdokters 29
Appendix 2 32
Semi-structured interview with D. de Voogt, expert at Rainproof Amsterdam 32
Appendix 3 33
Appendix 4 34
Introduction
Climate change will likely have a significant impact on cities (Gill et al., 2007). Extreme weather effects such as heat waves and increased precipitation intensity will be a substantial threat to urban areas. One of these threats is an increased flood risk (Carter, 2011). Cities serve as heat sinks during warm weather, because of the lower albedo of building materials and the absence of moisture retaining flora (Gill et al., 2007). This causes an increase in local temperatures, which in turn can affect living quality (Ibid.). These effects can prove to be dangerous to the economy, public health, infrastructure, and the overall quality of urban life (While & Whitehead, 2013).
The municipality of Amsterdam set goals on how the city should address climate change in its ‘Sustainability Agenda’, in which climate mitigation and climate adaptation measures are discussed (Municipality of Amsterdam, 2015). The climate adaptation measures provided in this agenda focus, among other things, on the integration of climate adaptive water
management systems in the city. One of the places in Amsterdam where these water adaptive measures could be implemented is Business Park Amsterdam Osdorp. This is a yet to be developed business park in Amsterdam-West, co-owned by the municipality and Schiphol Area Development Group (SADG) and is encouraged to incorporate sustainable elements (GroenLinks, 2019). This research proposes the implementation of water-associated climate adaptation measures in this business park, with the following research question:
How could thermal energy storage systems and green roofs be utilised from a technological, institutional and corporate perspective for Business Park Amsterdam Osdorp?
Multiple disciplinary perspectives are necessary to investigate this research question, because the technical innovations examined need societal support. The biological discipline is needed to determine the properties leading to the most optimal performance of green roofs, and the discipline of artificial intelligence is required for providing an in-depth analysis on the storage of heat in water. To consider the feasibility of implementation of the two measures in Business Park Osdorp, social science, in the form of business administration and political science, is crucial to present the incentives, barriers, and motivation of corporations and the municipality of Amsterdam. By combining the findings of both the technical and social studies, the role of the two measures with regards to climate change adaptivity will be analyzed. To be able to answer the research question the following sub-question are used: From the perspectives of business administration and politics this sub-question will be addressed: How can suitable corporations become interested in green roofs and water-based
thermal energy storage?
In addition, the two disciplines also look at the following research question: What policy
measures and corporate management strategies could be utilized in supporting the application of green roofs and water-based thermal energy storage?
Finally, from a technical perspective, including the disciplines of biology and artificial intelligence, the following question will be examined: How can green roofs and thermal
energy management contribute to realizing the municipal climate adaptation goals regarding the management of water?
The first sub-question discusses how thermal energy storage and green roofs can benefit companies. The second sub-question is important to motivate companies and the municipality to implement these measures, given how these measures could benefit the companies. Lastly, a technological analysis on green roofs and thermal energy storage is conducted to better understand the contribution of the measures to climate change adaptation. When combining the analyses to the individual sub-questions, overarching theories will be provided that help answer the research question.
This research employs an interdisciplinary approach because the problem and consequences of climate change are not limited to one sector specifically, and therefore require the insights of all the impaired sectors. The interdisciplinary method also allows us to come up with innovative solutions, through a theoretical framework based upon multiple perspectives, which can be added to the existing knowledge of climate change adaptation. This is crucial because studies on climate change adaptation from an interdisciplinary view are scarce. This method is also useful to show that climate change is not limited to the natural sciences, but rather has a broad support in society as a whole, which could prove essential in reducing the barriers that affect the current application of climate change adaptation measures.
The novelty of this research can thus be found in the interdisciplinary approach, a form of research that is especially necessary for creating a better understanding of complex problems. The research combines the factual knowledge of literature studies on the technical measures with insights gained from expert interviews and case-study comparisons. Finally, it utilizes the theories regarding Corporate Sustainable Responsibility (CSR) and Multi-level
Governance to determine which steps are appropriate to be taken by both the corporations and the municipality.
Theoretical Framework
The sustainability agenda provides goals to adapt the city to the local consequences of climate change, such as an increased chance of flooding and the Urban Heat Island-effect (UHI-effect), both pose a threat to public health and the infrastructure (Carter, 2011; Gill et al., 2007 ). The Urban Heat Island effect is the difference in temperature between rural and urban areas, due to urbanization and climate change (Luber & McGeehin, 2008). To tackle these challenges, technical solutions need to be implemented in urban business design. For the case study of business park Osdorp two intertwined methods, green roofs and thermal energy storage systems, are proposed to be implemented to increase adaptivity of the buildings. These methods were chosen for the potential to combine their hydrological and heat regulating properties. In addition, thermal heat storage is already employed in Business Park Osdorp phase 1, which could easily be extended toward business park phase 2 (SADC, 2019). These methods will be outlined in the following sections and their feasibility is examined. The connections between the concepts and theories are illustrated in figure 2.
Green Roofs
The role of vegetation in water management and heat regulation is considered as a possible sustainable solution to combat the increased flood risk and the Urban Heat Island effect (Gill et al., 2007). Especially green roofs have a huge potential in sustainably waterproofing buildings, for they have a positive effect on local biodiversity, they retain water runoff, and they can function as a heat buffer. In temperate maritime climates as occurring in the Netherlands, green roofs can decrease stormwater runoff by 61-75% in summer and by 6-18% in winter (VanWoert et al., 2005). In the future, it is predicted that the difference in runoff reduction between conventional roofs and green roofs will exceed 50% (Vanuytrecht, 2014). The hydrological and heat regulating performance is influenced by the roof angle, the medium depth, the vegetation composition and the wetness of the soil. Their effects will be analyzed in detail in the ‘results’.
Thermal Energy Storage
The runoff water that is still generated on green roofs could be used as an influx to store energy to promote a more circular system of water management. These water-based storage methods can store thermal energy to allow later use in time when heat is required. Therefore, it could, depending on the type of thermal energy storage, balance energy demand between night and daytime or between summer and winter. This form of sustainable heat storage is essential as can be deduced from figure 1.
Figure 1. Heating and cooling demand in The Netherlands by end use compared to total final energy demand (2015 values) (Paardekooper et al., 2018)
The energy demand for heating and cooling purposes is high compared to the total energy demand. By 2050, this demand is expected to have increased by 4% (Paardekooper et al., 2018). To tackle this increasing energy demand, this research outlines sustainable methods that can use excess water to fill a tank that can store heat. This concept is called seasonal thermal energy storage (STES) (Xu, Wang & Li, 2014). Excess heat can be stored in a great variety of materials, however, three types are considered to be most suitable and are therefore often used as storage media (Ibid.) These types of materials include water, rock-sort
materials, and ground/soil. These materials can store sufficient energy because the
temperature of the heat energy stored is between 40 and 80 degrees Celsius. Dahash et al. (2019) identified technical options for the usage of these three materials.
First of all, the Tank TES (Tsystem) uses water to store heat. Secondly, the Pit TES-system (PTES-TES-system, sometimes also called Artificial Aquifers) combines gravel and water for energy storage, while finally, the BTES-system only uses soil to transfer and store heat. These three materials were not only chosen for their heat retaining properties, but also to show that these methods for producing and storing heat are important within water management as well.
Feasibility of the Implementation
The implementation of green roofs and TES-systems, if implemented on significant parts of the city have the potential to effectively address the effects of climate change induced temperature and water management related problems in the city. The aforementioned technologies, especially green roofs, are subject to a network effect: an effect in which the value (the efficiency of solving the aforementioned problems) of a product increases the more it is implemented or utilised. For example, the average albedo of the city won’t change
significantly if only one roof is covered with vegetation (and thus the intensity of the
enhanced Urban Heat Island effect). To effectively reach the climate change adaptation goals of the city, the widespread implementation of the discussed measures is necessary. In reality however, the implementation rate of green roofs and TESS in the city of Amsterdam is very low: In the city only 0.76% (approx.) of roofs consist of green roofs and only 100 (approx.) buildings have integrated a variety of STES systems (Dutch: Warmte-Koude opslag)
(Gemeente Amsterdam, 2018; Gemeente Amsterdam, 2019). This very low implementation rate implies that there are barriers or an absence of incentives for the implementation of these measures.
A multilevel governance approach (Romero-Lankao, Frantzeskaki & Groffith, 2018) might help to uncover the reason for this low implementation rate. This approach first requires the identification of the main actors in the specific case. Next, the clarification of their
attract businesses with a sustainable agenda, goals on local governance level, to realize the common goal of sustainability.
Since the future tenants of Business Park Osdorp will likely be commercial organizations, it is important to understand their specific barriers and incentives for implementing the
technical measures. These actors will eventually need to be convinced to participate in the implementation of the previously mentioned technologies. Yet, for commercial organizations high costs are often barriers for the implementation of new measures. The municipality of Amsterdam wants to become an example city with regards to climate change adaptation, therefore it could loosen its restriction on grants for green roofs (Municipality of Amsterdam, 2018).
Business incentives for the implementation of green roofs and TES systems can be found in both intrinsic and extrinsic sources. Intrinsic motivation for the implementation of sustainable oriented measures like green roofs and TES systems is commonly centred around ethical and moral beliefs in the company culture. An example of these ethical and moral beliefs
integrated into the company culture would be the sustainability mission statement of Google (2019): ‘We’re raising the bar in making smart use of the Earth’s resources, expecting the highest ethical standards throughout our supply chain, and creating products with people and planet in mind’. The movement within the business world which is centred around acting according to these ethical and moral beliefs is called Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) (Sheehy, B, 2015).
CSR is a business practice that entails that profit is not the singular measure for company success. CSR advocates that companies and investors have long only sought monetary profit to the detriment of society and the natural environment (Sheehy, B, 2015). CSR changes this by also urging managers to measure the non-financial value that companies provide.
Elkington (2013) proposes this in the Triple Bottom Line approach, which argues that managers consider profit but also the company’s impact on people and the earth. Caroll (2016) builds upon The Triple Bottom line with the CSR pyramid. This pyramid provides managers a certain model in which they can assess which outcomes their business should strive for. At its fundamental, economic success remains critical but it builds from that foundation to meet legal requirements (‘Forced’ ethical behaviour). This is topped with ethical behaviour (active ethical behaviour within the scope of the company). It is capped with philanthropic behaviour (Active ethical behaviour towards external parties).
Thus in line with CSR, the implementation of the mentioned technologies are beneficial to the company and can be externally motivated. Another direct benefit as a result of the implementation of these measures is that they significantly decrease utility cost associated with heating and cooling the building (RVO, 2017 & Kantor, D , 2015). Research by Story & Neves (2015) points out that companies that implement CSR-like measures (e.g. aiding the city’s climate adaptation goals) into their company have higher performance due to increased employee satisfaction and motivation which is caused by the employees experiencing higher job satisfaction. Especially the experiences that their company provides value to society increases this experience of job satisfaction (Valentine & Fleischman, 2008). The
implementation of climate adaptive measures like green roofs have the potential to increase employee performance due to the positive mental effects of employees being in a plant-rich/more natural environment (Haynes et al., 2009). Other relevant extrinsic motivations for participating in CSR can be found in its effect on marketing: clients prefer brands that are environmentally or socially conscious (Lai et al., 2010). Consequently, the participation in
CSR strengthens company reputation and brand power. Which, in turn, provides higher average returns (Lai et al., 2010).
To improve the understanding of how certain executed policies and other municipality-executed plans have an effect on the city this paper has chosen to create a distinction between executed policy plans in the cities of Chicago and Berlin, in comparison to Amsterdam. This research addresses the question of what kind of policies and legislation to enact. These cities were chosen because of their high adaptation to climate change by using the aforementioned technological measures. The scope of the study is local because of the direct influence the municipality has on the business.
Figure 2. Mind Map displaying the connections between the theories of the integrated theoretical framework
Climate
Urban Heat Island
Increased
Amsterdam
Sustainability agenda
Business park/lot Lutkemeer measuresGreen
TES
Barrie Incenti CS Extrinsi c Multilevel Governanc Costs Detrimental Global Process Intrins ic Employe Brand Utility Municipality of SAD Potential Incentive s and Barriers Actors &Problem Definition
Urban development has led to increased impervious surface areas, such as pavements and roofs of buildings. The generated runoff from these areas causes increased water flow and peak flow rates during precipitation events (Berghage et al., 2009). It is clear that with regards to climate change incorporating water adaptive measures in urban design, especially in newly built residences and business parks, is necessary. This is essential to decrease
vulnerability to flooding and to combat the Urban Heat Island effect (VanWoert et al., 2005). The proposed measures, green roofs and TESS, provide a possible solution for these
problems. Moreover, the problem investigated is highly complex and cannot be tackled by individual disciplines alone, but rather requires interdisciplinary research. This combined method of research provides answers to questions which stand between the different
disciplines, allowing us fully answers them, instead of only from the point of view from one specific discipline. Looking at our case study, our first thought was how businesses and the municipality can be involved in the development itself; leading us the first obstacle identified as: willingness of corporations to participate in this sustainable project. But before the
municipality and businesses can be involved, there should be an overview of possibilities for the development of sustainable buildings.
This research focuses on green roofs and thermal energy management for tackling the urgent climate change-related problems, since these were considered to be effective interconnected solutions to the complex problem of increasing water adaptivity in Business Park Osdorp. The municipality is an important actor in creating policies and incentivizing companies. which could result in the construction of buildings that incorporate these methods. In
addition, it is crucial to discuss the role of companies in the implementation of these methods, for the manner of implementation will decide the extent of the benefits. These aspects
considered, the following research question was formulated: How could thermal energy
storage systems and green roofs be utilised from a technological, institutional and corporate perspective for Business Park Amsterdam Osdorp?
Interdisciplinary Integration
This research focuses on a complex situation and strives to provide key overarching insights into creating climate change adaptive business parks. An interdisciplinary approach is utilized in this research to best reach these aforementioned goals. Interdisciplinary research, which combines and merges findings from the different scientific disciplines, provides integrative overarching insights and addresses the complexity of the problem, in contrary to other forms of research like mono- or multi-disciplinary research. The defining feature of
interdisciplinary research is thus the integration of theory, methods and results; consequently, the conduction of cohesive, holistic research. The integration process consists of three
processes (Menken & Keestra, 2016): Adding (Adding elements of one discipline to another discipline in the process extending the meaning of these elements beyond their
mono-disciplinary definition), Adjusting (renaming mono-disciplinary vocabulary to create
overarching/shared vocabulary) and Connecting (Connecting knowledge of a concept with knowledge of the same concepts from other disciplines, creating a holistic overarching concept). In this research, both the adding and connecting methods were used to integrate the research proposal’s theoretical framework and results. This research team chose to focus on the aforementioned integration techniques because it relies less on linguistic analysis as the adjusting method, which is a time intensive process for it does not lie in our expertise. Therefore, we decided to mainly focus on adding and connecting integration, since it is more likely that these techniques provide effective findings. We executed the connecting and adding techniques in two ways: by constructing a cross table and a mind map. A cross table (see table 1) is a tool to create a framework which helps connect and add two disciplines to each other, which ultimately allows for interdisciplinary integration of this research. The cross table method is utilized for the Theoretical Framework and the results section. The mindmap (see figure 2 in the Theoretical Framework) is a visualisation tool which aids in the connecting process and allows for better interpretation of the complexity of the research subject. A mind map is implemented in the Theoretical Framework to visualise the connections between theoretical concepts.
Disciplines Business Administration
‘Artificial Intelligence’
Political Science Biology
Business Administration
x Incentives of implementing smart thermal energy storage systems for companies is that they reduce their utility costs and that they increase their brand power
The important stakeholder municipality of Amsterdam forms guidelines and policy (Pol) to which lessers stakeholders like businesses will adhere and shape their
behavior/involveme nt (BA).
Stakeholders will have to go into discussion and find the most
advantageous solution for all involved parties
The participation of companies to CSR has a positive impact on brand power (BA). The implementation of ‘green roofs’ (Bio) on company offices is active participation to CSR for it reduces energy consumption, harbors biodiversity and manages city runoff, which is beneficial for nature and society.
‘Artificial Intelligence’ Advantageous outcomes of implementing smart thermal energy storage systems (AI) for companies is that they reduce their utility costs and that they increase their brand power due to participation to CSR (BA) ; CSR behavior is shown due to the fact that the company reduces their energy usage on internal climate control, which, ultimately, reduces emissions.
x The policies of the Municipality of Amsterdam (Pol) influence the adaptation scale and rate of thermal energy storage systems (AI) on the Lutkemeer lot. Moreover, the adaptation of the aforementioned technology and its performance efficiency (AI) influences citywide energy usage and thus the
sustainability agenda of the city (Pol).
The stormwater which is retained and managed with the green roofs (Bio)is critical in the thermal energy storage/generation system which cools or warms the building (AI). Furthermore both systems play a critical role in the climate control of the building.
Political Science The important stakeholder municipality of Amsterdam forms guidelines and policy (Pol) to which lessers stakeholders like
The policies of the Municipality of Amsterdam (Pol) influence the adaptation scale and rate of thermal energy storage systems (AI) on the
x The green roof technology stimulated through the policy of the city of Amsterdam (Pol). The implementation of green roofs on the
businesses will adhere and shape their
behavior/involveme nt (BA).
Stakeholders will have to go into discussion and find the most
advantageous solution for all involved parties.
Lutkemeer lot. Moreover, the adaptation of the aforementioned technology and its performance efficiency (AI) influences citywide energy usage and thus the
sustainability agenda of the city (Pol).
Lutkemeer lot and other parts of the city are key in solving the cities (Future) problems in solving city-wide runoff issues and helping to relieve the heat sink effect (Bio).
Furthermore, green roofs also help to improve and maintain citywide biodiversity.
Biology The participation of companies to CSR has a positive impact on brand power (BA). The implementation of ‘green roofs’ (Bio) on company offices is active participation to CSR for it reduces energy consumption, harbors biodiversity and manages city runoff, which is beneficial for nature and society.
The stormwater which is retained and managed with the green roofs (Bio)is critical in the thermal energy storage/generation system which cools or warms the building (AI). Furthermore both systems play a critical role in the climate control of the building.
The green roof technology stimulated through the policy of the city of Amsterdam (Pol). The implementation of green roofs on the Lutkemeer lot and other parts of the city are key in solving the cities (Future) problems in solving city-wide runoff issues and helping to relieve the heat sink effect (Bio).
Furthermore, green roofs also help to improve and maintain citywide biodiversity.
x
Selected Methods and Data
Since the problem investigated in this research does not regard a specific field of science but rather connects to several scientific fields, an interdisciplinary approach is used to outline possible methods that can help water adapt the business park. In order to gain a proper understanding of the extent of the problem and the solutions proposed, this research utilized multiple data sources and theories from different disciplines. The theoretical basis is mainly focused on secondary data via literature research, while additional primary data sources put the information found in a more specific context for the city of Amsterdam and, specifically, for Business Park Osdorp.
This primary data is collected in the form of semi-structured interviews with actors involved in both green roofs and TESS application. These interviews help to gain an in-depth
understanding of the actors and the public involved and the feasibility of implementation of the methods proposed within the context of the city’s current policy and agenda. We decided to utilize the semi-structured approach for two reasons. First, both companies have a different viewpoint from which they approach these measures, therefore, we did not want to limit their answers to a dogmatic set of questions, limiting their possible answers. Secondly, this method allowed us, during the interview, to come up with additional questions. This gave us the possibility to tailor the interview to the respective expert’s knowledge, providing us with the best possible answers.
The interviewed actors include Robert Pomstra, the Project Advisor of Dakdokters, an Amsterdam-based company specializing in green roof application, and D. de Voogt, representative of Rainproof, an NGO oriented on connecting actors involved with
Amsterdam’s rainwater management. These expert actors have been selected due to their practical knowledge regarding the function and application of the proposed technical
measures in Amsterdam. They provided useful insights regarding the barriers and incentives playing a role in the implementation of these measures. Considering the very limited amount of literature on these aspects concerning Amsterdam specifically, the expert interviews are very relevant for this research. Also, these interviews provide a more accurate description of the complexity of the research topic. Semi-structured interviews were used to obtain
practical, in-depth knowledge regarding the technical, business and NGO aspects in a time efficient manner. The various interviews were recorded and transcribed, allowing further analysis in the ‘results’ section.
Additionally, this research will use the case-study method in which the corporate and political performance of two different cities on implementing green roofs will be compared with those of Amsterdam. The cities investigated, Berlin and Chicago, are renowned for their active role in climate change adaptation in urban design. By studying policy documents and other related sources of these cities and comparing them to the related documents of Amsterdam, it is expected that there are significant differences in the approach of these two cities to that of Amsterdam. The expected differences in policy, due to the fact that the comparison cities are more effective in implementing climate change adaptive measures like green roofs, could be utilized as recommendations for the city of Amsterdam. These recommended measures could potentially serve as incentives or barriers alleviating mechanisms to increase the
implementation of green roofs and TESS in the city and in Business Park Osdorp. The combination of a literature-based technical analysis with both qualitative research (the interviews) and case study comparisons (Amsterdam vs. Berlin & Amsterdam vs. Chicago),
should provide a strong, interdisciplinary basis for answering the research question and for the formation of recommendations regarding the sustainable development of Business Park Osdorp.
Results
First, the type of green roof and thermal energy storage system most suitable for the business park will be examined, followed by the barriers limiting the large-scale implementation of these methods and the possible incentives that could stimulate their use in Business Park Osdorp.
For green roofs, it is advised that a flatter roof and deeper media will be used, since this would lead to a total decrease in runoff water volume (VanWoert et al., 2005). In addition, the research indicated that a 2% slope combined with a 4 cm medium depth resulted in the greatest mean retention, however, Berghage et al. (2009) observed optimal water retention in a medium with a depth of 8 to 10 cm. Yet, the main theory is similar, since deeper media lead to increased retention ability. Lundholm et al. (2010) found that a mix of succulents, grasses, and forbs proved to perform better both hydrologically and ecologically. This mix was observed to lead to increased habitat provisioning, stormwater retention and surface cooling when compared to monoculture plantings. This is due to the high stormwater removing capacity of grasses combined with the drought tolerance of succulents (Ibid.). Under current climate predictions, it is expected that vegetation in the Netherlands will be under severe stress due to the frequent occurrence of droughts (Vanuytrecht, 2014). The combination of either drought tolerant and water retaining vegetation types as discussed before, or a mix of Mediterranean plant species will be more suitable to be used on the roofs of Business Park Osdorp since these vegetation types are better adjusted to the future climate of Amsterdam. Figure 3 shows the median summer and winter runoff of green roofs with grasses and herbs (GH), green roofs with sedum and mosses (SM), and conventional roofs (BIT), respectively, in a test plot located in Northern Belgium. The boxplots illustrate water runoff on the
different roofs as expected in 2050. It is clear that grasses and herbs can reduce summer runoff best, however, a trade-off between water retention and drought stress should be considered.
Figure 3. Current and future seasonal runoff on 3 different types of roofs in a temperate maritime climate (Vanuytrecht, 2014, p. 72)
Furthermore, green roofs are able to function as a heat buffer. The use of green roofs could help adapt the business park to the upcoming frequent heat waves that are predicted in the
Netherlands and the enhanced Urban Heat Island effect (Luber & McGeehin, 2008). Green roofs can ensure that less solar energy is absorbed, direct solar heat penetration is prevented, and shading and insulation is provided (Berardi, GhaffarianHoseini & GhaffarianHoseini, 2014). In addition, vegetated roofs lead to more evapotranspiration, further reducing the sensible heat flux and thus decreasing the heating and cooling demand of the building (Morakinyo et al., 2017). In the winter, less heat will escape the building, while in the summer a decline in the internal temperature of the building will be achieved when green roofs are used. Berardi, GhaffarianHoseini and GhaffarianHoseini (2014) proved that thermal performance is increased when deeper and wetter soils are used. Considering the financial aspect of green roofs, the costs of the ‘standard’ Sedum variety, according to Amsterdam based supplier Dakdokters (2019), ranges from 35 to 150 euros per square meter. In comparison, a standard roof costs around 35 to 70 euro per square meter (Banting et al., 2005). The management costs are similar, when no irrigation is used on the roof (Ibid.). Business Park Amsterdam Osdorp would benefit of these green roofs since its runoff water is better managed and it could be used to fill heat storage tanks. Dahash et al. (2019) conclude in their paper that using water for energy-storage seems to be more efficient and useful than storing energy in the soil due to the difference in their maximum heat capacities. Each material has a different potential to absorb and/or release heat. This depends on the thermal conductivity of solid materials. The amount of energy that can be stored in the different systems was calculated by Schmidt, Mangold & Müller-Steinhagen (2003) and can be found in figure 4.
Figure 4. Concepts for long term energy storage (Mangold & Schmidt, 2007)
In a review paper by Hesaraki, Holmberg and Haghighat (2015) it was concluded that each method in figure 4 has its limitations. For example, TTES-systems are considered to be
interesting to take into account for choosing the way in which the roof of a building is being used.
Taking these measures from technical theory to practise, case study and interview findings will follow, focusing more on the feasibility of the real-life implementation of these
measures. The findings from the case studies will be discussed first, followed by the results from the interviews.
Case study Amsterdam vs Berlin
In the case study comparison between Amsterdam and Berlin it was found that Berlin, the German capital city, currently has 3.9% of roofs covered with green roofs contrary to
Amsterdam’s 0.76% (Berlin, 2017; Amsterdam, 2019). Additionally, taking into account that Berlin takes up four times more land area than Amsterdam, it can be stated that the successful implementation of green roofs in Berlin is greater than in Amsterdam. This would mean that policy in Berlin differs from Amsterdam leading to differences in the effectiveness of implementation of green roofs. Before these differences are discussed, the similarities between the approach of Amsterdam and Berlin are examined which likely facilitates the understanding of the possible differences.
Like Amsterdam, Berlin uses the following measures to incentivise green roofs. Firstly, both cities implemented a subsidy system. In Amsterdam this subsidy is called ‘Subsidie Groene daken en gevels’ (Gemeente Amsterdam, 2019) and in Berlin this is the ‘1.000 Grüne Dächer Programm’ (Berlin, 2013). Both subsidise greenroofs, however, Amsterdam subsidises to a maximum of 50% of the costs with a maximum of 50000 euro, in contrary to Berlin that subsidises to a maximum of 75% of the costs with a total maximum of 60000 euro.
In addition, both cities have implemented laws that allow rainwater management quota to be part of building codes (RIONED, 2019; Berlin, 2005). This quota for rainwater has been implemented for some building projects in both Amsterdam and Berlin, but this
implementation is not universally mandatory and thus varies per project (Ibid.). Furthermore, in both cities there is an NGO at work to connect stakeholders with each other to increase the adoption of climate change adaptive measures like green roofs: Rainproof (Amsterdam) & Regenwasser Agentur (Berlin). These NGOs are both co-founded by the local municipalities and water companies, promoting the importance of rainwater management and the
implementation of various associated measures, like green roofs (Amsterdam Rainproof, 2019; Berliner Regenwasseragentur, 2019).
Unlike Amsterdam, however, Berlin uses additional measures to stimulate the adoption of the climate change adaptive measures. Berlin has implemented the so-called
‘Niederschlagswassergebühr’ (German for stormwater fee/tax) which is based on the number of impervious surfaces, including roofs, present in a lot (Berliner Wasserbetriebe, 2019). This tax is currently set at 1.80 euro per square meter per year. This tax is discounted based on the presence of systems that relieve the strain on municipal sewage systems (i.e. green roofs). Green roofs are thus granted this discount and are therefore incentivised in this manner. Another measure specifically employed in Berlin is the possibility to receive a subsidy funds covering 100% of the costs of a green roof in special cases. This subsidy, which is additional to the regular green roof subsidy, is called the ‘green roof LAB funding’ and can only be received if the applicant’s project features an innovative concept which should adhere to criteria concerning societal benefits and experimental nature (Berlin, 2013). The applicant’s suitability for this subsidy is determined by a specialised committee. Moreover, the
Regenwasser Agentur, the NGO concerned with encouraging climate change adaptive stormwater management in Berlin, differs from its Amsterdam-based counterpart (i.e.
Rainproof) in the sense that it offers free expertise consultation for green roofs to every actor based in Berlin that wishes to utilize this service (Berliner Regenwasseragentur, 2019). Lastly, it should be noted that certain contextual factors might have contributed to the frontrunner position of Berlin. Provided that Berlin was under the control of a socialist totalitarian government (DDR) under 1990, policy was directed at the creation and
conservation of green spaces in the city (Mercado, 2015). For these green projects, like roof gardens, subsidies were offered. This early focus on green areas in the city led to increased implementation of green roofs, mainly for urban vegetation preservation but indirectly also to address rainwater management issues. This gave the city of Berlin a headstart in the adoption of green roofs in comparison with Amsterdam. Additionally, Berlin is significantly more urbanized, suffering more significantly from the Urban Heat Island effect than Amsterdam and has a semi-continental climate contrary to Amsterdam’s temperate, marine climate (ClimaTemps, 2009; Eurostat, 2019). These factors expose Berlin, on average, to higher temperatures during the summer compared to Amsterdam (ClimaTemps, 2009). As a result, the necessity for climate change adaptive measures like green roofs may be greater in Berlin due to these climatic factors.
Casestudy Amsterdam vs Chicago
The second case study comparison is between Amsterdam and Chicago. When looking at their respective green roof surfaces, it became clear that Chicago has significantly more green roof area: 5.2 * 105 square meters. This is relatively more green roof area because the city of
Chicago is only 2.75 times larger than Amsterdam (Chicago, 2019; Amsterdam, 2019). When looking at the similarities in regards to the implementation of climate adaptation measures, the most important thing is that both cities use a multiyear sustainability plan in order to address climate change. In these plans, the cities’ goals and the timeframe required are presented. These documents show that both cities propose strong goals, but neither proposes a concrete plan (Weigert, 2015 & Amsterdam 2015). As mentioned before, the municipality of Amsterdam has made grants available for the implementation of green roofs and Chicago has similar grants. However, a crucial difference between the two cities is that, in order to apply for a grant in Amsterdam, a building needs to be at least five years old. On the contrary, in Chicago it is possible to apply for these grants in the design phase of a building project. The prerequisites to apply for this grant are that either the green roof comprises 50% of the net surface of the roof or that the green roof area is at least 2000 square feet (185,81 m2) (Chicago, 2019). The legislation surrounding Chicago’s grants is part of a larger building
legislation. Chicago has a points-system in regards to the development of new buildings and the renovation of the existing ones. Every new building, in order to obtain a permit, needs to have at least 100 points in sustainable or climate adaptive measures. Small and moderate renovations require 25 and 50 points respectively to obtain a permit. A plan is awarded 0, 10,
(Chicago, 2017). Furthermore, the municipality also published a sustainability handbook, in order to help its citizens and entrepreneurs to gain an understanding of the city’s policy (Chicago, 2016). In addition, Chicago emphasises the reason for the implementation of these measures from the perspective of the implementer. Besides this emphasis on personal
benefits, Chicago also provides easily accessible information on climate change and the adaptation required on their governmental website. In short, Chicago takes a very strong legislative approach to the implementation of sustainability measures, but also provides tools for its citizens to help them understand why these measures are required and how they are implemented.
Looking at the differences and similarities between the cities’ approaches, a more in-depth review on how these measures are implemented in Amsterdam, was required. With this review, we looked into the implementation of the various policies and if they are successful. Therefore, we conducted multiple interviews with involved local actors, in order to gain the required insights.
Interview R. Pomstra
The interview with Robert Pomstra, project advisor of green roof supplier Dakdokters,
resulted in the following findings. Mr Pomstra stated that besides the more abstract barriers to adopting green roofs, companies encounter physical barriers that ultimately lead back to an increase in the financial barrier. Green roofs need to be constructed on existing roofs and due to the construction and the mass of these green roofs, the roofs are under greater physical strain. For this reason, buildings require certain properties concerning age and weight bearing capacity: they are not allowed to be older than 15 years and these roofs need to withstand a certain additional bearing weight of a minimum of 100kg per square meter. In practice, many roofs are designed to save costs by meeting the minimal requirements for bearing strength. Making roofs available for vegetation establishment, therefore, requires a considerable additional investment. Additionally, the replacement of old roofs also brings in large
requirements for additional investment. Other physical barriers include the angle of the roof: for the green roof with a more complex water buffer effect (i.e. a Polderroof) the roof needs to be angled. For the standard Sedum roof, a level angle is not a necessity. It is these physical barriers that ultimately drive up the financial barrier. Pomstra stated that many companies ultimately decide by weighing the financial costs and benefits. This in combination with his claim that green roofs ultimately do not deliver a direct financial gain entails that companies often do not experience the necessity for adopting this measure. However there are also inherent nonfinancial benefits which could serve as possible incentives for adopting green roofs according to Pomstra. These benefits include the boost in employee wellbeing, the savings on climate control in the summer, reputational gains and an increase in roof durability. Employee wellbeing is attributed to the aesthetic effect of green roofs. Pomstra stated that the roof garden variety of green roof is especially effective to achieve this beneficial effect on employees for they can be in close contact with this garden. Climate control savings in the summer is due to the insulating effect of a green roof, reducing the amount of heat transferred through the roof. Company reputation is also beneficially affected by the adoption of green roofs because it shows that the company is aware and actively addressing climate change, which is appreciated by consumers. Finally, the durability of roofs is increased due to the protective effect of green roofs against the elements.
Pomstra does notice that the demand for green roofs is increasing which he accounts to the increase in social awareness regarding the changing climate, but also to municipal policy.
Companies, like the rest of society, are becoming aware of the need to address climate change induced issues. Furthermore, municipal subsidies for green roofs and building codes also served as incentives for adopting green roofs, which in turn, caused the observed increase in green roof demand. However, Pomstra does state that to further increase the demand for green roofs, the municipal building codes need to be introduced to every building project instead of the current sporadic implementation of building codes. Additionally, these codes need to become stricter.
Moreover, the interview with Rainproof provided several new findings. An important distinction between Rainproof and Dakdokters is that Rainproof is more focussed on
communal projects and individual citizens. The organisation’s experts are represented by the interviewer D. de Voogt.
Interview D. de Voogt
De Voogt states that an important motivation for implementing green roofs is flood risk minimization, which Rainproof uses to market itself. However, it is remarked upon that issues of climate adaptation in general, including heat and drought, are also mentioned and inquired after by their clients. Furthermore, clients inquired about the role of the municipality and the role of Rainproof in education, in order to create awareness, in regards to the offered measures. Elaborating on these questions, De Voogt explained that the municipality is already involved in the implementation of these measures, because it has sustainability grants, specifically for green roofs, is involved in the RESILIO-project and it is currently looking into the greenification of all real estate directly used by the municipality. The RESILIO-project is a renovation project in which five neighbourhoods of social housing are provided with green-blue roofs with a total surface of 10.000 m2.
While the financial barrier is being addressed by the municipality, another barrier is noted by de Voogt; this barrier is more based on legislation. If a tenant wants to have a green roof, permission from the proprietor is required. According to de Voogt, this problem is especially prevalent when roofs are shared and owner’s associations are involved, because all tenants have to agree with each other. On the other hand, he notes that housing associations are recently also becoming more involved, due to pressure from tentans but also from internal motivations.
The key results from the disciplines discussed are presented in table 2 as an integrated, simplified overview to facilitate drawing inferences in a later stadium.
Political Science An active approach by the municipality provides a positive influence to the implementation of sustainability measures.
While GR’s get a lot of attention and legislation, TES doesn’t. The combined implementation is therefore the best approach
X Because the
implementation of GR is different on each roof, legislation should be robust to provide for all the possible applicants.
Biology Green roofs enhance the temperature regulation of the building. This leads to decreased energy consumption, costs, and a more comfortable work environment. Also, the roof lifespan is longer, reducing costs.
The runoff water lost from green roofs can be used as influx into TES systems
Policy incentives could help make green roof implementation more attractive.
X
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is expected that the combination of green roofs and TES-systems can be fully implemented in business park Osdorp, in order to develop a sustainable water adaptive business park. Green roofs provide insulation and rainwater retention and, when combined with TES-systems, runoff water could be reused in this system, optimizing the water use of the building. Furthermore, TES-systems are used for indoor climate regulation of a building. Combined with green roofs, this could provide an interesting sustainable alternative to conventional heating systems. Such an integrated system will significantly decrease energy usage for indoor climate regulation, decrease flooding, as a result of rainwater retention, and provide a positive contribution to the municipality’s goals.
In order to fully implement these measures, a cooperation between the corporations and the municipality is crucial since the proposed measures are costly which creates a barrier for corporations. Companies with a positive attitude towards CSR should be attracted as these are most likely to be interested in the proposed measures. In order to attract these companies this research advises the municipality to extend its legislation, in both policy and grants, to provide extra incentives. While the municipality of Amsterdam provides several incentives, cities like Berlin and Chicago have shown a more effective implementation in water adaptive measures. Their respective municipalities take a more active approach when it comes to imparting knowledge and stimulating the implementation of water adaptive measures.
Another problem that can be countered by the municipality’s legislation, is that every site has different factors in play, such as roof surface and carrying capacity and therefore some of the required conditions, to gain subsidies, are not met. By using a robust rather than strict
legislation, it will be easier for companies to apply for it, which provides another positive incentive.
Discussion
It must be noted that there are certain limitations regarding the choice of the measures and the execution of the case studies. While both technical measures have potential in addressing the climate change adaptation goals of the city of Amsterdam, other measures could be just as effective. The choice to examine these two measures was influenced by the interdisciplinary nature of the project in combination with the thermal energy storage infrastructure already present in business park Osdorp phase 1. Furthermore, as mentioned in the results, using solar collectors improves the efficiency of tank thermal energy storage systems but a trade off had to be made about the roof cover. Since solar collectors do not affect the water management significantly compared to bare roofs, we chose to focus on green roofs and thermal energy storage instead of thermal energy storage and solar collectors. For further research it might be interesting to research an integration of TTES, green roofs and solar collectors.
Concerning the case studies, while we are confident in our findings, it must be noted that due to a lack of expert knowledge on climate change adaptive policy in Berlin and Chicago we might have missed some contextual variables that may have contributed to the leading role of these cities in climate change adaptation. Similar to Amsterdam, it is likely that the policy regarding climate change adaptation is a complex topic. When considering that these case studies were based on secondary information, it is possible that not all complex interactions were taken into account. This would increase the chance of discrepancies and gaps in the findings.
Future research should indicate whether green roofs and thermal energy storage systems can be completely integrated in practise to further increase the climate adaptive character of the business park. It could be interesting to look into additional techniques, apart from the two proposed in this research, to make the water use of the business park yet more circular. This will prove important when considering possible water scarcity issues in the future.
Recommendations
We recommend the SADG and the municipality of Amsterdam to focus on implementation of green roofs and TESS in the new Business Park in Amsterdam Osdorp, due to the fact that the measures can help achieve the goals set by the municipality of Amsterdam in its Sustainability Agenda. This can first be achieved by informing companies that are
considering to rent a lot in the park. Eventually, incentives are necessary since considerable financial barriers exist that have hampered large-scale implementation of these measures in the past. Therefore, we recommend the municipality to increase the artificial incentives for both measures discussed. This can be done by increasing subsidies, creating a building code for the park requiring the project to take specific sustainability measures in order to gain its permit, or decreasing sewage taxes for the amount of rainwater retained on the roofs. Lastly, we advise the municipality to examine the possibility of cooperating with Rainproof or companies alike to offer free consultation on rainwater management practices.
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Appendices
Appendix 1
Semi-structured Interview with Robert Pomstra
Project Advisor at Dakdokters
Translated from Dutch to English (thus not verbatim).
Which barriers do companies perceive when considering Green Roofs?
Barriers that are perceived by companies usually involve ‘benefits and necessity’: what do GR bring to the table when it comes to value? One can consider that barriers have two sides: a hard side and a soft side. The hard side would be the physical barriers to implementing GRs; not all buildings are structurally equipped to support a GRs. This has two reasons. First of all, it has to do with the type of roofing on the building. The roofing needs to be suitable for GRs. If it’s not, then one has the option to add an intermediate layer. But the roofing needs to be relatively new: if the roofing is more than 15 years old, it is advised to replace it, however most
companies plan that this roofing needs to be replaced every 25 years so that
decreases the sense of urgency felt which is why they delay their choice to become more sustainable. Moreover, the bearing strength of the roofs plays a large role. A standard GR (of the sedum type) needs a roof which is capable of supporting 100 KG per square meter. Company buildings are constructed to be as cheap as possible: they calculate the minimal bearing strength needed for the roof and they use as little building materials as possible to save costs. To support a GR, one thus needs to have a more solid roof construction. GR’s need a bearing weight of at least 100 kg/m2, however, roof gardens weigh even more than that. The building thus needs to be able to support green roofs. If it is not able to do this, than there are options to make it so but this increases the additional cost substantially.
implementation of GR mandatory. They do this for some lots however not everywhere.
Do costs play a role in the consideration of companies to take GRs?
Looking at soft barriers: it has to do with finances. Companies ask the question: Why would we want to green our roof? From a company perspective GR don’t necessarily have economic benefit. Companies do tend to think in that manner (economically). Green roofs have benefits in various areas: heat reduction in the summer,
supporting the wellbeing of employees, GR allow the underlying roofing to last longer. In those ways GR’s are attractive to companies. GRs also support city biodiversity and air quality.
Considering the absence of direct extrinsic rewards (benefits) is it true that companies implement green roofs out of a moral/ethical convictions? (Intrinsic motivation/ CSR)
Exactly that, additionally it has to do with reputation as well. Nowadays the
sustainability/climate change problem is widespread in public debate. Using green roofs can show that a company is involved with addressing this issue. In addition a green roof supports the wellbeing of employees; looking out on a green roof has a certain aesthetic value. This effect is especially present when there is a garden roof which can be used by employees.
What, for your company, would be incentives to increase the adoption of green roofs by clients in Amsterdam?
The clients that come to us have already made the decision that they want green roofs. It’s not like we actively market to potential clients. What we do see is that the demand for green roofs has been increasing recently. We think that is due to two reasons: the municipal building codes and the availability of subsidies for green roofs. Another reason is that society is more aware of the changing climate; we all have to do something with sustainability and climate adaptation. We think that a good incentive for taking green roofs is the consideration that green roofs have a beneficial effect on the living climate of people. Additionally, we see that the municipality is setting norms to the amount of water buffering that needs to be present in new buildings; buildings need to be able to slow the outflow of
precipitation water to the sewage system when there is a precipitation event. We currently work with Metropoldercompany to facilitate these norms.
Metropoldercompany delivers a smart roof-water management system which consists of ‘crates’ able to hold water integrated with smart water locks which are attached to weather forecast information. When the system receives a heavy rain forecast, the locks open to allow the water to slowly drain to the sewer. This opens up space for rainwater to collect in, which then can be drained at a later time,
