Potential of technology parks to implement Roof Mosaic in Brazil

S. Salvador, Douglas; Toboso-Chavero, Susana; Nadal, Ana; Gabarrell, Xavier; Rieradevall, Joan; S. da Silva, Ricardo

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.06.214

Technology parks promote science, technology and innovation through their components, such as high-tech companies, universities and incubators. They show a significant increase in the number of units, especially in emerging countries such as Brazil. Unlike the industrial and logistic parks that, due to functional requirements, have their pre-determined and standardized architectural and urban characteristics, technological parks have in the innovation, their main characteristic, the possibility of proposing more suitable spaces for urban innovation. The Roof Mosaic is an approach that seeks self-sufficiency in urban areas from the food-energy-water nexus, using rooftops to produce food, renewable energy and rainwater harvesting. The integration between technology parks and Roof Mosaic can be advantageous since their roofs have a lower slope and greater design flexibility than other parks and can, therefore, contribute to the sustainable development of cities. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the potential of technology parks when implementing the Roof Mosaic. A case study underway was used, which is the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) Technology Park (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). The results from the case study show the potential for: 100% food self-sufficiency using hydroponic production of lettuces and tomatoes, meeting the demands of approximately 3,300 people; 45.2% for energy generated from photovoltaic panels; and 43% for water reusing rainwater harvesting. The potential of avoided CO₂ emissions using rainwater for non-potable purposes, food production and renewable energy, presented of nearly 805 tons of avoided CO₂equivalents