Conclusion
Technological developments in needled or binderless mineral wool over the last decade have focused on increasing water retention and maintaining long-term performance. Needled mineral wool’s characteristics better support root growth and overall plant health in various climatic zones, from hot and arid to frigid and wet, whether used in indoor applications such as urban farming or outdoor applications such as landscaping or vegetated roofing. Having been used in Europe for the past decade—with the largest projects being in Scandinavia, the Baltic States, and Germany—needled mineral wool has recently become available in North America, providing Canadian designers and engineers a viable solution to landscaping in arid areas and increasing the stormwater management capacity on rooftops where this would otherwise be impossible.

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

To help design/construction professionals more effectively create vegetated roofs, various manufacturers are introducing new tools and software to the industry. In collaboration with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering’s Laboratory for Sustainable Technologies in Buildings at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, one company has developed a performance evaluation tool as a result of a two-year in-situ performance study of different types of vegetated roof systems. This tool helps assess the real performance of a defined roofing system in any city in the world or in different climate zones. The University of Ljubljana test and evaluation has been ongoing since 2014, and the initial two-year results have been used to create a software package intended to help current and potential users and owners of extensive vegetated roofs understand the real performance they can expect. As well as vegetated roofs’ stormwater performance, this software provides data on how such roofs can improve buildings’ energy performance and how they can reduce heat island effect.

Darja Majkovič is the head of products and applications in green solutions at Knauf Insulation. For nearly a decade, Majkovič was a researcher at the University of Maribor, focusing on agricultural economics and econometrics. Her work includes collaboration on numerous national and international research and development projects. Majkovič was a visiting researcher at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) and a university lecturer, and has written more than 160 articles. She can be reached via e-mail at darja.majkovic@knaufinsulation.com.

Jure Šumi is the business development director at Knauf Insulation, leading several teams. These include “Urban Green Infrastructure,” which focuses on developing lightweight green roof systems for stormwater management, “Landscaping and Gardening,” which focuses on developing substrates and systems for water conservation in arid climates, and “Horticulture,” which focuses on developing environmentally responsible hydroponic alternatives. Šumi has more than 20 years of experience in business and market development for multinational companies in a variety of sectors. He can be reached via e-mail at jure.sumi@knaufinsulation.com.

Cristina Senjug serves as the communications manager at Next Level Stormwater Management. In addition to researching and writing articles, she organizes green roof tours and technical and educational seminars for designers, engineers, and installers. Senjug can be reached via e-mail at cristina@nlsm.ca.