The aim of this study is to create a checklist of roof garden design criteria. This scope of work includes an encompassing review of international standards studies such as German Landscape Research, Development, and Construction Society; the American Society for Testing and Materials; the U.S. Green Building Counci; and Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, whereas the generated checklist was evaluated in the Marmara Forum Mall. As a result of the study, an answer was sought to the question, “What are the prerequisites for a roof garden serving the needs of users in today's conditions?” whereas on-site detection, observation, and photography were used as working methods. As a result, in considering the evaluation of the checklist on a scale of the Marmara Forum Mall, climatic data, activities with its hard structure, promenade areas, and designs of plantlife and water elements in soft structure are moderately sufficient, whereas it was determined there is no problem in the roof furniture design and maintenance.
TopIntroduction
The terms ‘green roof,’ ‘living roof,’ ‘eco-roof,’ ‘planted roof’ and ‘roof garden’ have been used to describe two types of green roofs, naturalistic, or a large, dense type of roof with self-settled vegetation. Green roofs are a layered combination of foliage and membrane on a building; It can help ensure water management and isolation. Since the roof structure and waterproofing are integrated to building subsequently, making sure that the roof is waterproof and protecting the waterproofing from mechanical damage are responsibilities of architect as well as insulating the roof for energy concerns. Until the middle of the 20th century, green roofs were seen mainly as a local building practice. In the 1960s, however, the growing concern about the deterioration of the urban environment and the rapid decline of green spaces in urban areas revived interest in green roofs as a “green solution” in Northern Europe (Velazquez, 2005). New technical research has been done from studies on root repellent agents, membranes, drainage, light growing environment to plant suitability (Peck and Kuhn, 2003). Today, roof gardens (green roofs) with similar details continue to be designed for high-profile international hotels, business centers and residences. These green roofs are known as dense green roofs due to the deep-growing environment and the variety of vegetation. While they look like traditional ground-level gardens, they can increase living and recreational spaces in densely populated urban areas (Oberndorfer et al., 2007).
More recently, many European municipalities have required the inclusion of green roof systems as standard building practice. Legal authority notwithstanding, landscape architects and architects have designed a large number of green roofs as comfortable, accessible, open spaces over building and rainwater management systems with the personal will and authority of their customers. It stemmed from the fact that most of these areas were imperceptibly integrated with the architecture and surrounding urban fabric, and perhaps most of the things that sustained functionality of the green roof were invisible to most users (Weiler and Scholz-Barth, 2009).
There are many international studies available that show that environmentally, economically and socially beneficial roof gardens can be created with the right decisions made during the design phase. As for a guide to roof garden design, guidelines and standards such as German, Landscape Research, Development and Construction Society (FLL) (Landschaftsentwicklung, 2008). [Landscape Development and Landscaping Research Society], American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM E 2400, 2006) as well as U.S. establishments and associations, like Green Building Council (Council, 1998), Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (2021) are the leading organizations. The principle these institutions derive from is to create a roof garden with a design suitable for both the region and the structure. For this reason, it is important to design roof gardens with the right design decisions at the design stage.
The scope of this study is aimed at determining the design criteria of roof gardens in respect of the more recent techniques for improving sustainability with the incorporation of gardens and green areas on the rooftops of buildings. Standard guidelines such as FLL, ASTM, USGBC, GRHC have been taken into consideration in determining design criteria. In spatial design practices; For roof garden design criteria with topics such as climatic criteria, flooring and structure bearing, roof slope, function and location selection, accessibility and security, roof equipment, hard floor material selection, irrigation, activities, walking areas, roof furniture, plant, water elements. An appropriate, comprehensive checklist has been established. It is aimed to evaluate the criteria of roof gardens and recommend improvement suggestions for inadequate points with this checklist, which has been evaluated in the example of the Marmara Forum Mall.