Abstract
Vegetation is an excellent strategy to tackle global warming and climate change. In this context, the green wall is a kind of green infrastructure that is used as a bioclimatic strategy. Also, it can be used as an approach to insert green areas in an urban context, contributing to urban areas to become more sustainable. This chapter aims to evaluate the thermal performance of green walls using three different native climbing vegetation from the Cerrado biome. Thus, the authors used a computational tool named ENVI-met (v.3) as a method to analyze and evaluate which plants would bring the best performance in terms of improving thermal comfort. The database the authors obtained from the simulations will serve as a comparison of the thermal performance between walls without vegetation cover, as well as clarify the morphological and physiological characteristics that influence its thermal performance. The results demonstrate that Arrabidaea pulchra species enabled green walls with lower temperatures and higher air humidity rate in most situations.
TopNatural Vs. Built Landscape
The landscape represents a spatial part on earth’s surface, which is composed of complex systems and formed by rock dynamics, water, salt, vegetation, men, and other animals. It is a unity (Zonneveld, 1995), or as a heterogeneous portion of land. This distinct and measurable unity which is defined by a group and repeated ecosystems, such as geomorphological elements and disturbance (Forman & Godron, 1986).
Zonneveld’s (1995) definition is better suited to evaluate the natural landscape of urban surroundings, because, importantly, a portion of land contains the result of natural elements acting for billions of years. As a result, this landscape is considered the standard for life to proceed in this area. If the goal is to allow nature to thrive on the urban landscape, it is necessary to consider that natural record.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Environmental Strategy: Urban or architectural strategy that has the main goal to make a human intervention more friendly to the natural environment.
Green Walls: Exterior or interior wall that has vegetation adhered to its surface.
Urban Resilience: Urban resilience means the capacity of individuals, communities, and cities of support, grow, and adaptation in a sustainable development way.
Thermal Comfort: Thermal Comfort is a personal stage of mind that expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment and is assessed by subjective evaluation (ASHRAE Standart 55).
Double Skin Facade: Exterior wall composed of two constructive layers.
Biophilic Design: Biophilic design is a natural principle to design with nature. This sort of design incorporates natural elements like light, vegetation, water, and other natural aspects.
Nature Conservation: Science or principle that has the main goal to protect nature.