Forum da Maia is a 500 m2 green roof incorporated in a pr-existing building located in the city of Maia, Portugal. The project was requested by the Maia Municipality with the objective to provide a living laboratory for the city, to study and promote the benefits of green roofs.
The development of the project had an interdisciplinary approach with technicians from different areas such as landscape architecture, architecture, engineering, as well as different stakeholders, like university research, municipality and companies.
Due to the building characteristics and the educational purpose of the project, a simple and naturalistic design was chosen, maximizing the planting areas with a focus on promoting biodiversity. The concept for the green roof of Forum da Maia is mainly materialized in the terrain modelling and the composition of the vegetation, mostly native species that are especially effective in promoting biodiversity. Thermal and humidity sensors were installed along the different layers that comprise it, as well as a weather station that are interconnected and is monitored by ITeCons / Coimbra University technicians. Every year a group of researchers form ITecons provides reports with the measurement results. Visits are open to public as a strategy to promote environmental education and Nature-based solutions.
The green roof system proposed for this project (GUL – Green Urban Living) is a Portuguese multifunctional green roof system based on cork agglomerates waste. It is the first green roof system developed in Portugal and has a fully ecological design that incorporates renewable and recyclable materials. It is self – draining (without the use of synthetic elements), has the capacity to retain water and provides high thermal and acoustic performance. The development of this product was the result of three years of research between Neoturf, Amorim ANQIP and ITeCons, funded by the European community.
Landscape architecture office: Neoturf Espaços Verdes
Location: Eng. Duarte Pacheco Street, Maia, Portugal
Design year: 2019
Year Completed: 2021
