Experimental setup
The experiments were done in Puigverd de Lleida, Spain. The
experimental set-up consists of three house-like cubicles (Fig. 1)
with identical internal volumes (2.4 2.4 2.4 m). Their foundations
are concrete reinforced slabs of 3 3 m. The compositions of
the walls show the following layers from inside to outside (Fig. 2):
gypsum, alveolar brick (30 19 29 cm), and cement mortar as
internal coating. Due to the insulation properties of the alveolar
brick, additional insulation layer is not required in this wall system
[41,42]. The roof is the only construction system that differs among
the studied cubicles.
The roofs evaluated in this study are shaped by the following
construction systems:
a) Reference. A traditional insulated flat roof, with precast concrete
beams and ceramic floor arch 25 cm with 3 cm of polyurethane
insulation layer above, concrete relieved pending formation of
2%, double asphalt membrane, and a single layer of gravel of
7 cm thickness (Fig. 2).
b) Pozzolana. A traditional non insulated flat roof, with precast
concrete beams and ceramic floor arch 25 cm, concrete relieved
pending formation of 2%, double asphalt membrane, 4 cm of
pozzolana as drainage layer, substrate layer of 5 cm thickness,
and the vegetation layer (Fig. 3).
c) Rubber crumbs. Identical composition and thickness layers than
Pozzolana roof but using 4 cm of rubber crumbs as drainage
layer material instead of pozzolana (Fig. 3).