As urban areas continue to grow, the challenge of rising temperatures and the urban heat island effect intensifies. A promising solution lies in the vertical greening of buildings through living walls, which not only enhance urban aesthetics but also contribute significantly to environmental sustainability.
A comprehensive study conducted by researchers from the Laboratory for Sustainable Technologies in Buildings (LOTZ), focuses on the intricate heat and mass transfer processes in living walls. Published in the prestigious Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (IF = 16.3), the research highlights the crucial role living walls play in cooling urban environments, reducing energy consumption, and improving overall living conditions in densely populated areas.
Living walls, unlike traditional building facades, interact dynamically with their surroundings. They help mitigate the urban heat island effect by cooling the air through the processes of evapotranspiration and shading. However, despite their growing popularity, the science behind the thermal performance of living walls remains underexplored, particularly in terms of accurate modeling.
The study presents the first exhaustive review of existing models, analyzing how they capture the complex interactions between heat and mass within living walls. While many models borrow from green roof technology, they often fall short in addressing the unique aspects of vertical green structures, especially in dense urban settings.
One significant finding of the research is the inadequacy of current models to fully account for the variation in properties like moisture content across the different modules of a living wall, which can drastically affect thermal performance. Furthermore, the study points out the underestimation of the cooling effects provided by the air gaps behind these green facades.
To address these gaps, the Ljubljana team emphasizes the need for further development of mathematical models that consider a broader range of environmental conditions and more complex boundary conditions. Such advancements could revolutionize the design and implementation of living walls, making them not only more efficient but also more predictable in terms of energy savings and climate control.
