International. After monitoring different experimental buildings for several years, researchers from the Higher Technical School of Architecture of the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) developed a model with which the thermal behavior of a vegetal façade can be estimated with respect to a conventional façade.
This makes it an effective tool to evaluate the energy savings associated with the installation of plant facades and the possible thermal benefits that the placement of a façade with these characteristics can bring to the users of the building.
In recent years, energy and environmental problems have been accentuated, both in Spain and in the rest of the world. The construction sector generates 36% of carbon dioxide emissions in the European Union, being one of the sectors that consumes the most energy and the one that generates the most waste.
Due to this situation, there is a need to look for project alternatives in the field of building that entail a lower environmental impact and, in turn, improve the well-being of users. In this framework, the incorporation of spaces and elements with vegetation in the architectural and urban design constitutes one of the oldest and most interesting bioclimatic strategies, since it materializes the interrelation between the building and the surrounding ecosystem.
Currently, the integration of plant systems in architecture can be used as an instrument to increase green areas in cities, enabling the design of envelopes that promote energy savings and respond to specific environmental conditions. In recent years, numerous studies have been carried out on the potential of plant envelopes in this field.
Through this model, it is intended to provide all those who research and work on the application and development of plant facades with a tool that, being both affordable and reliable, makes it possible to estimate the possible benefits derived from its use as a viable alternative to other types of façade.
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