Thermal Performance Evaluation of Green Roof Systems for Passive Cooling in Urban Indian Buildings
Keywords:
Green roof systems, Thermal performance, Passive cooling, Heat flux, Urban heat island (UHI), Evapotranspiration, RCC roofs, Indian climateAbstract
Rapid urbanization in India has intensified heat stress and increased cooling energy demand due to heat-absorbing construction materials. This study experimentally evaluates green roof systems as a passive cooling strategy under peak summer conditions. A comparative analysis was conducted between conventional reinforced cement concrete (RCC) roofs and vegetated roof configurations under identical environmental exposure. Results show that green roofs reduce peak surface temperatures by 8–18°C, lower indoor air temperature by 2–6°C and decrease heat flux by 40–65 W/m², indicating enhanced thermal resistance and delayed heat transfer. These improvements are driven by vegetation shading, evapotranspiration, and substrate insulation. Unlike prior studies focused on surface temperature alone, this work integrates heat flux and indoor response, providing a comprehensive assessment under Indian climatic conditions. The findings support green roofs as an effective, low-energy solution for improving thermal comfort and reducing building heat gain.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Anuj Borse, Yash Landge, Dr. Avinash Somatkar (Author)
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