Analysis of environmental performance of indoor living walls using embodied energy and carbon

Abstract

Indoor living walls are becoming increasingly popular as they can provide good aesthetic effects and other environmental benefits. This research aims to analyse the environmental performance of indoor living walls by developing analytical models using embodied energy (EE) and carbon (EC). To assess the environmental impacts, a system of accounts is constructed based on an input–output model, and the total direct and indirect energy and carbon requirements for each output made by the system are estimated. It is found that indoor living walls could be more environmentally sound if recycled materials, renewable energy and sustainable design and maintenance practices are applied. For example, by adopting recycled materials (such as HDPE), the EE can be reduced by 4–49%; the EC can be reduced by 6–19%.