Living roof for living river project

Living Danube - the €500million project to revolutionise Hungary's environmental management of the river - took a further step towards completion recently when a high-performance green roof was installed on a waste water treatment plant in the country.


The successful refurbishment and upgrading of the Csepel Island plant is key to the success of Living Danube, which aims to ensure 95 per cent of Budapest’s waste water is biologically treated prior to mixing with the river. At present, less than half of the 600,000m3 flushed daily into the river, has been treated.

The newly installed green roof is yet another example of the project’s ambitions, ensuring all buildings and facilities associated with Living Danube are as environmentally sustainable as possible.

Acting as a vegetation surface, the green roof absorbs carbon emissions and releases oxygen, as well as insulating the plant from temperature fluctuations. The surface also absorbs airborne impurities, reduces noise and retains up to 90 per cent of rain water – preventing drainage into the sewer.

Further efficiencies of the green roof will be made thanks to the properties of the DuPont Typar geosynthetics, which make up a part of the structure.

Two layers of DuPont Typar have been laid for filtration and separation functions. DuPont Typar acts as a water permeable filtration layer between the soil and water collection levels, preventing water from penetrating into lower layers.

DuPont Typar is a non-woven fabric made of continuous 100 per cent polypropylene filaments which the manufacturer’s claim does not soak up water, so cannot freeze during Hungary’s long cold winters.

Mr.Bellavics László, who designed the Csepel green roof, said: “We have been working with DuPont Typar for over ten years and our long-term experience shows that the main benefit is its unique, thermally bonded non-woven structure which brings an exceptional mechanical strength and durability to a green roof where DuPont Typar is installed.”

Sam Plester

Action inspires action. Stay ahead of the curve with sustainability and energy newsletters from edie

Subscribe