University of Oregon-Portland
White Stag Building
70 NW Couch, Room 142/144
This Month’s Meeting: “Measurement of Green Roof Performance”
Green roofs are basically low maintenance gardens grown on the flat roofs of commercial and institutional buildings, whereby the building’s conventional roof is covered with a waterproof layer, a drainage layer, soil and plantings of grasses, shrubs or flowers. Many advantages are offered by eco-roofs, including storm water control and reduction of roof top heat flux. Field monitoring studies on three green roofs located in Portland, OR have shown savings in both areas. To better identify ways to optimize green roof design, laboratory tests have been preformed. Lab results show that plants using more water in summer can reduce building energy requirements.
Graig Spolek is a Professor of the Mechanical and Materials Engineering Department at Portland State University. His educational background includes BS and MS degrees from the University of Washington and a PhD from Washington State University, all in mechanical engineering. At PSU, Spolek teaches courses in thermodynamics, heat transfer, instrumentation, thermal systems design and design of experiments. His research areas include fundamental heat and mass transfer, industrial energy utilization and measurement green roof performance.