Luis Pérez Urrestarazu

Assessment of the Cooling Potential of an Indoor Living Wall using Different Substrates in a Warm Climate

The use of vertical greenery systems in buildings is becoming very popular as they provide several benefits. In this work, the influence of an indoor living wall on the temperature and humidity in a hall inside the School of Agricultural Engineering (University of Seville) was studied. Four different substrates, Geotextile, Epiweb, Xaxim and coconut fibre, were used to grow the plants in order to assess their performance. Several parameters such as temperature, humidity, plant growth or water consumption were monitored and analyzed during a 4-month period. The cooling effect of the living wall was proven, with an average reduction of 4°C over the room temperature though maximum decrements of 6°C have been observed in warmer conditions. Higher air humidity levels were experienced near the living wall, increasing the overall humidity in the room. All the substrates tested were suitable for plant growing and their behaviour was similar. Geotextile showed the best cooling capacity but higher water consumption, coconut fibre presented degradation problems and Epiweb performance was the poorest. Therefore, these systems have been proven to be very useful and interesting for warm indoor environments due to the cooling effect observed in addition to their bio-filtration capacity and the aesthetic component.

Vertical Greening Systems

Abstract Different types of vertical greening systems (VGS) can be identified; these have different aesthetic and functional performances. Green facades, i.e., the extensive VGS, are based on climbing plants growing in the ground or in planter boxes. We can distinguish two large groups of living wall systems, i.e., the intensive VGS: cloth (or felt) and panels, made of galvanized steel, polyethylene, and recycled plastic. These systems are based on hydroponic culture or have substrates which allow planting shrubs, herbaceous, climbing plants, etc. This chapter also considers the correct selection of plant species, which, especially in the case of living walls, is very important for the design of successful installations.