The Influence of “Green” Roofs on the Heat Island of Urban Agglomerations

The sun has both positive and negative effects on humans. Excessive amounts of ultraviolet rays lead to skin aging, skin cancer, burns, heat and sunstroke, and other diseases that can lead to death. On the other hand, it is the sun that is necessary for the synthesis of vitamin D. Therefore, it is necessary to properly dose the insolation, while using energy-efficient and environmentally friendly methods. The article provides an analysis of maps with isolines of the same temperatures inside Moscow. Based on these studies, a conclusion is made about the type of buildings that have the greatest impact on the city’s thermal island. There is evidence of a global increase in temperature on the Planet by (2–3) 0C, which, according to IPCC experts, can lead to collapse. In the last century, the percentage of the urban population, the built-up area of urban agglomerates, the height of buildings, and the density of buildings have increased dramatically. The percentage of rural settlements has become less than 34 % in Russia, which leads to an increase in the speed of construction. The use of building materials such as asphalt, concrete, glass, etc. has led to the formation of urban heat islands, especially in the construction sites of large community centres. Forecasters, urban planners, and civil engineers are thinking about possible solutions to this problem. The article describes the quantitative assessment of the thermal island effect using the index, possible environmentally friendly and energy-efficient methods of reducing the thermal island effect through the use of additional compensatory landscaping at various levels of the building. Each of the methods of reducing the temperature of the city is illustrated with examples of photos from Russia and around the world.