As coberturas e fachadas mediterrânicas, vivas e produtivas promovem o bem estar e a qualidade de vida das populações e contribuem decisivamente para o aumento da resiliência das cidades. Por esta razão é essencial não apenas o conhecimento das soluções existentes que melhor se adaptam ao nosso clima, como ainda o desenvolvimento das competências técnicas essenciais para a boa implementação daquelas soluções. O enfoque deste Workshop está na demonstração da integração da dimensão verde nas cidades e das oportunidades de intervenção conducentes à melhoria do desempenho energético dos edifícios, à redução do “efeito ilha de calor”, à boa gestão das águas pluviais, à reciclagem de águas cinzentas, à melhoria da qualidade do ar, ao aumento da biodiversidade e à segurança alimentar das populações urbanas, sempre assentando nas melhores e mais adequadas tecnologias disponíveis. Green roofs and façades are becoming increasingly recognised for their contribution to urban wellbeing. This contribution is becoming increasingly measurable, and is providing considerable economical and environmental benefits to individuals, communities and the urban environment. Cities all over the world are increasing their quota of green spaces and surfaces, finding it improves many of the urban performance indicators they have failed on in the recent past: their air quality ratings and their storm water management improve, their heat island effect decreases, social integration improves and health is more effectively restored... The Workshop provides an opportunity to share good practices in the built environment and aims to provide sufficient evidence for decision makers to gain courage and go for solutions that integrate this green, living dimension. The Workshop’s target audience are all decision makers who influence the quality of the built environment. O Workshop é dirigido a todos os decisores que influenciam a qualidade de construção do meio edificado

1. Transforming the build environment
Fabio Invernizzi, Commercial Strategy Manager, Huntsman
October 2012

2. VYDRO® substrate, a unique material
A unique hydrophilic material that
is transforming the construction of
green roofs, vertical walls and soft
urban landscapes.
Due to the physical, internal
structure of VYDRO® substrate,
water molecules can easily enter
its cells but cannot easily exit it.
This means that water is stored in
the VYDRO® matrix, where it can
be readily accessed by plant roots.

3. Properties & Benefits
 Properties of VYDRO®
 Up to 70% lighter than existing green roof systems (30 kg/m³)
 Can take up to 30 times its weight in water (900 l/m³)
 Water buffering capacity of 40 – 60%
 Water draining: 65% still left after 24 hrs
 Benefits
 Easy to handle / install
 Very suitable for old buildings and/or industrial building with
structural weaker roofs (load < 100 kg/m2)
 Cost efficient to transport (on average 4 time more m2 vs. standard
substrates)
 Ability to rehydrate over multiple cycles – it does not dry out
 Improved building insulation, reducing cooling costs
 Reduced time and total installation costs
 Increased roof life

4. How does a typical green roof differ from
a VYDRO® substrate green roof ?
Extensive Green Roof VYDRO® Green Roof
Weight 80 – 110kg/m2 / slope of min. 3 degrees Weight 35 – 40kg/m2 / any roof shape
(Fully saturated) (Fully saturated)
vegetation
vegetation
6 cm thick
nutrient/water 3 cm VYDRO
management eggshell
layer substrate
filter membrane root barrier
drain sheet
root barrier

5. How does a typical green roof differ from
a VYDRO® substrate green roof ?
Extensive Green Roof VYDRO® Green Roof
Weight 80 – 110kg/m2 / slope of min. 3 degrees Weight 35 – 40kg/m2 / any roof shape
(Fully saturated) (Fully saturated)
vegetation vegetation
6 cm thick 3 cm VYDRO
nutrient/water eggshell
management substrate
layer
filter membrane root barrier
drain sheet
root barrier

6. How VYDRO® substrate has grown
VYDRO® Green Roof
Weight 35 – 40kg/m2 / any roof shape
(Fully saturated)
…

7. Determination of water retention
of VYDRO® substrate
100
Water retention after 1hr (l/m2)
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20 Linear (Wit hout load)
Linear (Wit h load 0.5kPa)
10
Thickness (m m )
0
10 30 40 60 80 100 120 140

8. PU-Europe study : LCA of green roofs
 Comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of a green roof system with
VYDRO® substrate versus two conventional green roof systems
 Third party : VITO – Flemish Institute for Technological Research
 Potential environmental impacts
 Transportation
 3 types of green roofs :
1. using a retention layer with VYDRO substrate
2. with lava substrate
3. with demolition material from construction
 Climate zones
 Temperature - water retention capacity of 30l/m3
 Mediterranean - water retention capacity of 60l/m3

9. LCA Outcome
7 Environmental impacts

10. LCA Outcome
Conclusion :
1. The VYDRO® green roof system scores better in most of all seven environmental
impact categories than the green roof with basalt layer and the green roof with
substrate from demolition material.
2. Transportation is equally important, less CO2 emissions and less fuel consumption
because of VYDRO® substrate being very lightweight.
Transportation to construction site :
 16700 kg/500m2 VYDRO® green roof
 170000 kg/500m2 demolition material green roof
 127960 kg/500m2 basalt green roof

11. Overview of transportation of
components of the green roof systems
With basalt substrate – 127960 kg/500m2
With demolition material – 170100 kg/500m2
With VYDRO® substrate – 16000 kg/500m2

12. Green roofs

13. Green roof of public housing project
Project: Ex-military hospital – Green Quarter
Location (City, Country): Antwerp, Belgium
Construction year: November 2011
Roof size: 1200 square meters (sqm)
Building type: Private property
Vegetation: sedum mats
Green roof installer: IBIC, Belgium
VYDRO® substrate has been used to create a sedum green
roof of 1200sqm on top of an ex-military hospital in Antwerp,
Belgium. The roof structure needed a lightweight solution
and VYDRO® substrate had all the right credentials to meet
requirements.
This innovative smart water management system enables
the creation of green roofs in locations where weight and
structural strength are a critical factor. VYDRO® substrate
weighs up to 70% less than other green roofing substrate
systems (1m3 = 30kg only).
Copyright Groen Kwartier

14. Why VYDRO® substrate ?
 Enables the creation of green roofs in locations where weight and structural strength are a
critical factor.
 VYDRO® substrate weighs up to 70% less than other green roofing substrate systems
(1m3 = 30kg only).
 Particularly well suited to retrofit green roofs, thus overcoming a key problem in many
historic urban areas.
Transforming ordinary roofs into green roofs with VYDRO® substrate offers multiple benefits:
• Improved insulation and reduce energy consumption
• Improved air quality with additional
plants that filter out pollutants
• Foliage helps dampen sound, reducing
noise pollution
• Reduced rain water run-off so lowering
the risk of localized flooding
• The heat-absorption effect associated
with exposed hard surfaces is mitigated
• Biodiversity is encouraged.

15. Green roof of Florence hospital
Project: Florence Hospital
Location (City, Country): Florence, Italy
Construction year: September 2011
Roof size: 1500 square meters (sqm)
Building type: Private property
Vegetation: Grass and various plants
Green roof installer: Poliflor, Italy
VYDRO® substrate has been used to create a sloped
green roof of 1500sqm on top of a hospital in Florence,
Italy. The roof has a south facing aspect and therefore
needed a solution with high water retention capabilities.
Using VYDRO® substrate means the grass needs to be
watered less – resulting in 60% less irrigation costs.

16. Recent VYDRO® green roofs

17. Vertical Walls

18. Vertical wall of Salcheto winery cellar
Project: Salcheto winery
Location (City, Country): Montepulciano-Tuscany, Italy
Construction year: January 2012
Vertical wall size: 100 square meters (sqm)
Building type: Private property
Vegetation: FLEXIVERDE® system
Vertical wall installer: Poliflor, Italy
VYDRO® substrate has been used to create a vertical wall
on the exterior of a wine cellar at the Salcheto vineyard near
Montepulciano (Siena) Tuscany.
The main objectives of the project were to mitigate the
impact of the concrete structure in the beautiful Tuscan
landscape and to insulate the cellar to reduce energy
consumption.
The installation uses FLEXIVERDE® - a system from Poliflor
- which contains VYDRO® substrate. Easy to install the
solution was pre-cut prior to application to achieve a specific
visual planting pattern.
Copyright Salcheto

19. Why VYDRO® substrate ?
 Ideally suited to the creation of vertical gardens and living walls.
 Lightweight, the substrate weighs up to 70% less than other plant substrate systems
(1m3 = 30kg).
 Offers a water retention capacity of 30 liters/sq with a total weight lower than 45kg/sqm
when fully saturated.
 Roots can easily penetrate the inert, PH-neutral open structured substrate enabling rapid
growth of plants.
Transforming ordinary walls into living walls with VYDRO® substrate offers multiple benefits:
• Improved insulation and reduce energy consumption
• Improved air quality with additional
plants that filter out pollutants
• Foliage helps dampen sound, reducing
noise pollution
• Reduced rain water run-off so lowering
the risk of localized flooding
• The heat-absorption effect associated
with exposed hard surfaces is mitigated
• Biodiversity is encouraged.

20. Details of the metal structure
to improve better performance against wind stress

21. Coconut mats in rolls which are far more
easier to install

22. Close-up of finished plantation
The system allows to plant like in a patchwork,
following a botanic project

23. VYDRO® vertical walls
Vertical gardens on external fences
providing aesthetic benefits.

24. Disclaimer
 The slides following hereafter contain information that is confidential and proprietary to
Huntsman Corporation. Recipients of this presentation and the information contained herein
shall not copy or replicate them by any means whatsoever and shall not share or show them
to third parties.
 While the information contained herein is to the best of our knowledge, information and belief
accurate at the date of publication, it is the responsibility of recipients to determine the
applicability or the suitability of such information for their own particular purpose. Huntsman
Corporation accepts no responsibility for any damages of any nature resulting from the use of,
reliance upon, or the misuse of such information for any purpose.
VYDRO is a registered trademark of Huntsman Corporation or an affiliate thereof in one or more, but not all, countries