RoofScapes: MIT Students Introduce Green Roofs for Climate-Resilient Structures

MIT students have established a start-up called Roofscapes to convert the pitched roofs of Paris into green spaces using timber structures.

The structures would offer an opportunity to grow local food, boost biodiversity, reduce temperatures, improve air quality, and provide a haven to escape the urban surroundings.

BELGIUM-ROYALS-GREENHOUSE — A photograph taken on April 30, 2021 shows the glass roof from inside one of the building of the Royal greenhouses, in the park adjoining the royal castle of Laeken, in Brussels, during a press tour ahead of its opening to the public. - As every year the Royal greenhouses of Laeken will open to the public for three weeks from May 13 to June 6, 2021. But due to the Covid-19 pandemic the visitors have to book their ticket in advance, not all the greenhouses will be open JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images

All About Roofscapes

Roofscapes was founded by Eytan Levi, Olivier Faber, and Tim Cousin. They were inspired by the need to work with as little contradiction as possible to their environmental and social values.

The founders say that Roofscapes can help build climate resilience for the future while improving the quality of life in cities now.

After graduating and working at design firms, the students, who had met while studying architecture in Switzerland, started to look at ways to improve the built environment.

They applied to the DesignX accelerator when they got to MIT to find ways to make cities greener.

The company's first project will be on the roof of a former town hall building in the heart of Paris. The project was funded by a grant awarded by the City of Paris as part of a program to increase the city's climate resilience.

The company will assess the project's impact on temperature, humidity, and biodiversity.

Although the founders have over 60 buildings on their list for future projects, they intend to start with test projects in Paris before rapidly expanding with prefabricated buildings.

Addressing Environmental Issues

"In European city centers, two-thirds of the roofs are pitched, and there's no solution to make them accessible and put green surfaces on them," Cousin said in a statement.

"Meanwhile, we have all these issues with heat islands and excessive heat in urban centers, among other issues like biodiversity collapse, retention of rainwater, and lack of green spaces. Green roofs are one of the best ways to address these problems."

According to the co-founders, Roofscapes is a response to the issue of pitched roof adaptation, which has been ignored by traditional architecture. It addresses problems such as heat islands, excessive heat in urban centers, biodiversity collapse, and many more.

Roofscapes is based on a vision of urban green spaces typical of European cities hundreds of years ago.

However, in today's urban centers, these green spaces are rare, and the company believes that converting pitched roofs into green spaces will benefit buildings, the environment, and people's lives.