Productive Façade Placement Determines Building Thermal Comfort and Food Security

Abstract

Background: The high density of buildings in urban areas faces higher temperature pressures with the reduced greenspace area that can absorb greenhouse gases and be a shade. Efforts to minimize temperature pressure are approached using productive green facades using food plants. This study aims to gain thermal comfort by placing productive facades and as an occupants' food security effort. Methods: Several artificial buildings equipped with productive facades were provided in field trials. Productive facades are pumpkin (Cucubita pepo) and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L). The research method analyzes the diurnal behavior of temperature and humidity on both productive facade surfaces. Thermal comfort performance was assessed for east and west-facing sunlight. Results: The microclimatic conditions in the field experiment fluctuated; however, the variation supported the growth of the two crops. The pumpkin facade facing east and west produces a cooling effect of as much as 2.30oC, while the sweet potato facade can cause warming and cooling effects of as much as 0.40oC. Morphologically, the pumpkin facade gives a cooling effect more than the sweet potato facade. The two characteristics of pumpkin facades reveal that they can be superior in implementation on both sides of the building and their use in providing additional food for occupants. Conclusions: The placement of the façade facing east and west for certain types of food crops determines the cooling effect of the building.