Comparative analysis of the thermal insulation performance of a façade enclosure integrated by vegetation under simultaneous windy and rainy climatic conditions

Abstract

The literature offers some studies on the capacity of the greenery apparatus to decrease wind speed and regulate temperatures with the combination of the moisture retained by the plants and the air passing through them, but there is little on the maintenance of performance under particular weather conditions. The aim of this contribution is to verify the effectiveness of a vegetal façade in particularly windy conditions combined with rainy and/or high-irradiation events. The subject of the study is the enclosure of the Technology Innovation Centre for Development (itdUPM), on the Polytechnic University of Madrid, where a green wall prototype has been installed. For the purposes of the analysis, the environmental variables are examined and the monitoring data received from sensors positioned at the walls and skin of the insulated envelope are compared with the green face and without, comparing the differences in surface temperatures. These analyses are further examined by considering the correlation with different weather conditions. Experimentation shows a maintenance of performance, retaining an insulating capacity in all seasons, in both wind and rain, with results more evident in daylight hours. This contribute want to analyse the subtle variance between the performance of south and west facades. The strongest effect came forward during the summer season because the wall is affected by continuous irradiation on the south that is, also increased by hot weather.