Experimental Assessment of the Thermal Influence of a Continuous Living Wall in a Subtropical Climate in Brazil

Murilo Cruciol-Barbosa, Maria Solange Gurgel de Castro Fontes () and Maximiliano dos Anjos Azambuja ()
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Murilo Cruciol-Barbosa: School of Architecture, Arts, Communication and Design of Bauru, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Av. Engenheiro Luiz Edmundo Carrijo Coube 14-01, Bauru 17033-360, SP, Brazil
Maria Solange Gurgel de Castro Fontes: School of Architecture, Arts, Communication and Design of Bauru, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Av. Engenheiro Luiz Edmundo Carrijo Coube 14-01, Bauru 17033-360, SP, Brazil
Maximiliano dos Anjos Azambuja: Departamento of Civil and Environmental Engineering, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Av. Engenheiro Luiz Edmundo Carrijo Coube 14-01, Bauru 17033-360, SP, Brazil

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-19

Abstract: A continuous living wall is a vertical garden that allows the cultivation of a wide variety of species on vertical surfaces, consisting of a sequence of layers that shade and add thermal resistance to the external façades of buildings. Thus, the living wall can be an alternative to increase the thermal efficiency of the building and reduce the use of air conditioning for cooling the indoor environment. This work experimentally investigated the thermal influence of a continuous living wall on the surface temperatures of an east façade in a subtropical climate with hot summers (Cfa), during the summer period. The experiment included the implementation of a real living wall in a seasonally used building and the delimitation of two sample plots (i.e., protected and bare wall). Campaigns were carried out to measure the external and internal surface temperatures of the protected plot, the living wall, and the bare wall, as well as the cavity air temperature, from 08:00 to 17:45, at 15-min intervals. The results show the efficiency of the living wall in reducing the external (up to 10.6 °C) and internal (up to 2.9 °C) surface temperatures of the protected plot compared to the bare wall, along with a reduction in thermal variation (average reduction of 6.5 °C externally and 3.6 °C internally) and an increase in thermal delay (up to 6 h for external and 1 h for internal), in addition to a reduction in temperature and greater thermal stability of the cavity between the garden and the protected land in comparison to the external space.

Keywords: vertical garden; green wall; thermal behavior; shading; thermal performance; green infrastructure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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