'Living Walls and its Implementation in the Semi-Arid Region' by Rakiya Abubakar

Abstract

SPARC 2021 Poster No. 24As the effects of climate change spread across the globe, sustainable solutions from different walks of life continue to emerge. Sustainable practice of greening the built environment continues to receive great attention as part of the solution to mitigate the effect of climate change. Living wall system refers to planting on the vertical surfaces of buildings either upright or sloping surfaces. Living wall system as climate mitigation tool modifies negative environmental issues due to its numerous benefits. There is need for more empirical data on living wall system to enhance its application. While living wall systems are an integral part of strategies to mitigate against environmental impact of climate change in Europe, the technique has not been explored in sub-Saharan Africa especially Nigeria. This research aims to review the living wall systems and subsequently determine their potential application in parts of Nigeria and other semi-arid regions of the world. Plant species that thrive in the region will be reviewed from literature and their relationship with living wall design will be evaluated. Furthermore, the generated knowledge will be investigated under various scenarios using the envi-met simulation model. The outcome from this research would provide design guidelines for building professionals and government on implementation of the living wall system.