Green technologies applied in vertical envelopes in arid climates. Energy and environmental assessment

Abstract

Green infrastructure is a strategy to mitigate urban temperatures and buildings due to the decrease in energy consumption in the built environment, with its consequent decrease in greenhouse emissions. This positive impact is accentuated under arid climate conditions. This report describes the stages of research related to the study of Vertical Greenery Systems (VGS). Two stages have now been developed: a first background analysis in order to know the state of the art regarding the impact of the use of technology on the decrease of outdoor and indoor surface temperatures and the energy savings they entail in relation to the type of technology implemented and the climate; and a second stage related to the development of field experiments in order to monitor the thermal behavior of
smaller homes with regard to a witness house of equal typology and materiality. To this end, two cases of study were monitored for two consecutive summers: a housing with FVT in east orientation and a witness dwelling. Outdoor and indoor ambient temperature data were recorded; surface exterior and interior and horizontal radiation. The results found show decreases of up to 3.1 °C in the indoor ambient temperature of FVT dwellings, up to 27.4 °C in exterior walls and 6.5 °C in interior walls. These results demonstrate the potential of the implementation of this strategy in an arid climate.