Heat flux transmission assessment of a vegetation wall influence on the building envelope thermal conductivity in Belgrade climate

Abstract

Vegetation integration in architectural buildings is one of the sustainable approaches for the building's facade development. The vegetation walls in architecture are innovative concepts of green building. This paper deals with the experimental and theoretical examination of vertically greened walls in the process of facade envelope optimization. The objective is to determine the contribution of the vegetation walls to the improvement of the energy properties of the envelope through experiments and models. The research analyzed the energy specificity of the vegetation walls and their contribution to the improvement of the thermal properties of the facade coating in Belgrade climatic conditions. For the research purposes, an experimental model was developed on which the relevant temperature values and thermal conductivity coefficients were measured. Measurements have shown that vegetation affects the reduction of the surface temperature of the envelope and affects the value of the thermal conductivity coefficient of the facade envelope. The research has shown that the facade wall containing plants has a significant influence on the temperature balance in the facade of the building. The methodology presented in this paper is based on the analysis of the climate characteristics in the measuring area, measurement of temperature values in the experimental model and comparative analysis. During the experiment, the vegetation elements were treated as elements that influence the façade envelope overheating reduction. It has been concluded, from previous researches, that by using the vegetation walls, the south-oriented wall has a lower thermal absorption and a lesser value of heat flux. Data analysis enabled the assessment of the thermal insulation efficiency of the wall using vegetation during the summer period. The proposed methodology enables a quantitative analysis of the effects of vertical greenery.