Nature As a Template for a New Concept of Extensive Green Roofs Carmen Van Mechelen
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Nature as a template for a new concept of extensive green roofs Carmen van Mechelen To cite this version: Carmen van Mechelen. Nature as a template for a new concept of extensive green roofs. Agricultural sciences. Université d’Avignon, 2015. English. NNT : 2015AVIG0334. tel-01252839 HAL Id: tel-01252839 https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01252839 Submitted on 8 Jan 2016 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. JOINT DOCTORAL THESIS: NATURE AS A TEMPLATE FOR A NEW CONCEPT OF EXTENSIVE GREEN ROOFS Carmen VAN MECHELEN Preliminary version January 2015 Members of the Examination Committee: André MAES Professor – University of Leuven Chairman Nathalie MACHON Professor – MNHN, Paris Rapporter Nigel DUNNETT Professor – University of Sheffield Rapporter Bart MUYS Professor – University of Leuven Examinator Dirk RAES Professor – University of Leuven Examinator Martin HERMY Professor – University of Leuven Supervisor Thierry DUTOIT Professor – Uiesit dAigo Supervisor Dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of : Doctor in Bioscience Engineering (University of Leuven) ad Doteu e Gie Biologiue Uiesit dAigo Doctoraatsproefschrift nr. XXX aan de faculteit Bio-ingenieurswetenschappen van de KU Leuven © 2015 KU Leuven, Science, Engineering & Technology Uitgegeven in eigen beheer, VAN MECHELEN Carmen, LEUVEN Alle rechten voorbehouden. Niets uit deze uitgave mag worden vermenigvuldigd en/of openbaar gemaakt worden door middel van druk, fotokopie, microfilm, elektronisch of op welke andere wijze ook zonder voorafgaandelijke schriftelijke toestemming van de uitgever. All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced in any form by print, photoprint, microfilm, electronic or any other means without written permission from the publisher. ISBN [complete ISBN-NUMBER here] D/ [complete legal deposit number here Acknowledgements Acknowledgements Ou world is green. Greener is the earth when more trees are planted. Greener is the garden when nurtured by loving hands. Greener is a tree with leaves on its branches. Greener is the ground when seeds for grasses are sown. Geee is hua life he thees piece of land to toil. Greener is life of man and women when trees, grasses and garden thrive best to see akid. Green, Greener by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen (2013) Four years of work, but also four years of collaboration, friendship and collegiality, that is how I can briefly summarize the period in which I wrote this thesis. How did I get involved in this? Well, after I obtained my Master in Biology at the University of Leuven, I had a pronounced desire to apply for a PhD scholarship. Partly because I wanted to do research in the first place, but also because I was looking for a challenge. After considering some opportunities at the Biology department, I decided to move from the fundamental research topics towards more applied research. I was very excited about the topics suggested by Prof. Hermy during our first encounter at the Division of Forest, Nature and Landscape (University of Leuven). One subject immediately caught my attention and afterwards became the base of this work. Green roofs where at that moment very unfamiliar to me, but as I started to explore the current knowledge on green roof technology, I found it very interesting. Six months later, I was unfortunately not able to persuade the jury of the Agency for Innovation through Science and Technology (IWT) to offer me a scholarship. Lucky for me, the University of Leuven offered me a scholarship so I could start my research in March 2011. I am therefore very grateful to the University of Leuven and to the Division of Forest, Nature and Landscape that they gave me the opportunity to start my research. Acknowledgements It is impossible to start a research without the expertise and consult of a supportive promotor. Thank you Martin, for suggesting the green roof topic to me in the first place. Because you are so committed to urban ecology, green roofs and green walls yourself, you were always able to point at interesting research options and eager to ask for my latest research results. We had very productive discussions after which I was always encouraged to continue. I was also surrounded and supported by a co-promotor of the Mediterranean Istitute of Biodiesit ad Maie Eolog IMBE at the Istitut Uiesitaie de Tehologie dAigo Fae. Thierry, je vous remercie pour votre aide pour le succès de cette thèse. Vous êtes une personne passionnée par la science et plus spécifiquement, tous les aspects concernant la restauration écologique. Comme pour moi, le concept des toitures végétalisées était relativement nouveau pour vous, mais vous avez été immédiatement convaincu des nombreux avantages de cette technique. La décision pour réaliser une convention de cotutelle internationale de thèse avec mon Université en Belgique a donc été prise rapidement. La première ae, jai passe uelues mois dans votre unité de recherche et ous aez ie aidé durant cette période (visites de terrain, détermination des espèces, recherche de la littatue gise, etc.). Sans votre aide, la toiture végétalisée su le toit de lIUT auait pas pu tre réalisée. Pedat les outes isites à lIUT, ous aez également toujours pris du temps pour discuter de mon sujet, et ous aez haue fois proposé de me trouver un hébergement ou de venir me chercher à la gare. I thank both my assessors, Bart Muys and Dirk Raes, and the other members of the jury, Nathalie Machon and Nigel Dunnett, who took the time to evaluate my work, gave suggestions, advice and comments which allowed me to further improve this thesis. Special thanks go to Daniel Pavon, Renaud Jaunatre (UMR CNRS-IRD IMBE, Marseille, France) and Eric Van Beek (Division of Forest, Nature and Landscape, KU Leuven) for assistance in the field and help during plant identification. I am also grateful for the green roof materials, necessary for the experimental setup, offered by the following companies: SOPREMA nv; IBIC bvba; Peltracom nv; Rectivel bv. Id also like to thak Easus, ahelo ad aste studets. Claa, Laua, Karolien and Frederik, thank you all for helping me out and for staying motivated ee he the plats didt go as epeted ad he it as feezig outside o the roof. It was nice to share my knowledge and enthusiasm about green roofs with you. Je ties aussi à eeie les dotoats à lIUT. Adelie et “ole, ous étiez toujours psetes uad jtais là pou uelues seaies. Jai pu loge hez ous, age hez ous, ooitue ae ous… Ce fut un plaisir de vous aider, dans la Crau en cherchant le Saga pedo à cinq heures du matin, ou en préparant les terrines pour tester la banque de graines. De retour, et ceci vaut également pour Jean-Façois, jai énormément apprécié votre aide pou linstallation de mon toit végétalisé. Je auais ainsi pas pu réaliser ce travail toute seule. Acknowledgements Many thanks to all my dear colleagues at BNL, for reminding me every single day that a PhD is not only about hard work. I really enjoyed our coffee breaks, the numerous treats, the sport activities during lunch break, the dinner evenings, the yearly lab day, barbecue and Christmas part, the “iteklaas pepaatios,… It alost sees impossible to have finished this thesis when listing all those activities! But just as Joaa said oes: Thee is poof that people eoe oe podutie he the ae soiall atie o soethig like that). I think that applies to my work too. Special thanks to Koenraad, who was more than just an office mate to me. We started together, worked together, and now we finish (almost) together. I could eall ask ou athig, fo statistial stuff oue really the best!) to personal stuff. I know I can be a disturbing chatting waterfall sometimes, but you never complained. To my other office mates with whom I spend a lot of my working hours: Hans, Wim (who actually stayed more in our office than in his own), and in the end Astrid and Ellen, thank you for the nice chats we had, the discussions, the jokes, the teasig,… I ill ee foget the ie okig atosphee I had thaks to ou all. I also like to thank my family and friends, for your interest in my work and your never ending support. I hope that after those four years, I convinced some of you about the importance of greening roofs. Finally, thank you Jeroen, for sharing my enthusiasm, cheering me up when I was down, keeping my feet on the ground, being patient when I was annoying or stressed, practicing Flenglish (which was maybe not such a good idea), and so many other things. I really cannot wish for a better boyfriend! I hope you all get inspired and enjoy reading this thesis! Carmen Table of contents Table of contents Table of contents ........................................................................................................... i Summary 1. Summary...................................................................................................... v 2. Résumé ........................................................................................................ vii 3. Samenvatting ..............................................................................................