Facilities

Green Roof Centre

The University of Sheffield is the leading research establishment in this field in the UK, with an unrivalled range of expertise in the green roof arena. It has developed an international reputation for excellence in green roof studies. The Green Roof Centre operates with partners nationally to demonstrate the potential of green roof uptake in the UK.

Test Beds with Meteorological Measurement Instruments

The green roof test beds were modified into larger experimental platforms designed to quantify the transfer of energy associated with water evaporation and transpiration from green surfaces—specifically, the latent heat exchange that occurs during the phase change from liquid to vapor—to inform estimates of evapotranspiration (ET) rates. The monitoring setup includes high-resolution temperature probes, as well as wind speed and humidity sensors positioned at multiple heights above each test bed. Together with radiometers and soil heat flux plates, this layered sensor configuration enables the quantification of all key components of energy exchange. Energy flux monitoring will be conducted across various vegetation types representing both naturally occurring urban landscapes and engineered Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS). ET will be estimated for each test bed using remote sensing and aerodynamic methods, with the water balance approach applied as a reference for validation.

City Scale SuDS (Sheffield Grey to Green Scheme)

Grey to Green is a key strategic initiative in the regeneration of Sheffield’s city centre, designed to transform the Riverside Business District into a more attractive, sustainable, and livable environment. The gardens, which function as Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) features, manage surface stormwater runoff, enhance biodiversity, provide social and recreational spaces, and create a shared environment for both people and wildlife. This city-scale SuDS retrofitting project offers a valuable opportunity to upscale and apply the methods and insights developed from the test bed experiments to real-world urban settings.

Mansfield SuDS

Since 2022, Severn Trent Water has been implementing over 340 Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) across Mansfield. These systems function by diverting surface water away from sewers, slowing its flow, and reducing pressure on the drainage network. In partnership with Severn Trent Water, this site offers valuable opportunities to further upscale and apply the methods developed at the test bed scale to real-world urban environments.

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