Building Orientation in Green Facade Performance and Its Positive Effects on Urban Landscape Case Study: An Urban Block in Barcelona

Faezeh Bagheri Moghaddam, Josep Maria Fort Mir, Alia Besné Yanguas, Isidro Navarro Delgado and Ernest Redondo Dominguez
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Faezeh Bagheri Moghaddam: Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Josep Maria Fort Mir: Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Alia Besné Yanguas: Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura La Salle, Universitat Ramon Llull, 08022 Barcelona, Spain
Isidro Navarro Delgado: Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Ernest Redondo Dominguez: Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08028 Barcelona, Spain

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 21, 1-17

Abstract: This paper addresses the effect of building orientation efficiency of the green facade in energy consumption, for which the case study is an urban block in Passeig de Gracia, L’Eixample, Barcelona. Nowadays, many countries are faced with the trouble of the deficiency of energy resources and the incapability of saving them. Most of this energy is consumed in the cooling, heating, and artificial ventilation of buildings. For this reason, the development of an integrated strategy like a green facade is essential to transform buildings into structures that consume less energy and to improve the occupants’ comfort conditions. From the perspective of the urban landscape, the green facade can influence the quality of life in cities due to its positive effects such as the purification of air, the absorption of carbon dioxide, and the mitigation of dust, as well as the aesthetic and psychological aspects. Such criteria are based on the adoption of suitable orientation for the green facade, which is the second layer of the facade in an office building with a curtain wall as the main facade. Since the most important factor in the implementation of a green facade is the building’s orientation, the optimum orientation could be the key factor in regards to the reduction of energy consumption and cost and the improvement of overall energy efficiency. We used software that helped simulate the total energy consumption, the cost, and the energy use intensity annually and monthly. Consequently, after testing was carried out, it was proven that a green facade as a second layer with a southeast and/or a southwest orientation results in the maximum energy saving in a coastal city with a Mediterranean climate like Barcelona.

Keywords: vertical garden; green facade; building orientation; energy consumption; sustainability; urban landscape; simulation software (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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