Introducing plant envelopes in urban buildings allows not only green cities, but also more efficient buildings and healthier environments.
It is demonstrated that people living surrounded by green areas have a greater longevity and a better quality of life.
From physical and mental health to general well-being, plant elements are basic in the so-called green cities that are committed to sustainability.
The report ‘Cities Alive: Green building envelope’, prepared by Arup, reflects on some solutions applicable to buildings. Measures that aim to bring greater welfare to residents. In addition to making cities more sustainable.
This document is the result of a total of eight expert working groups from around the world. Specialists in architecture and urban planning who study how the growth of cities demands greater resources and construction has a direct impact on biodiversity.
The work evaluates the benefits of integrated plant elements in buildings of five capitals. Ways to integrate vegetation, provide energy efficiency and improve quality of life.
Cities facing pollution
Global urbanization is growing to such an extent that by 2025, about 75% of the world’s population will live in cities.
A group of people capable of consuming 70% of the world’s energy and posing a challenge for architects. But also a unique opportunity for today’s cities to be ready for tomorrow.
The issue is more urgent than it seems, since issues such as air pollution affect 1.780 million people. Originating all kinds of diseases.
The report, prepared by Arup, studies the multiple benefits of so-called plant envelopes in all types of buildings.
From facades, vertical gardens and covered to systems of food and energy storage or natural corridors.
Plant elements in green cities
The ‘Cities Alive’ study takes five green cities around the world: Berlin, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne and Hong Kong. Based on its climatology, morphology and geographical location, different architectural solutions are proposed:
1.- Air pollution: Implementing green facades in buildings reduces urban pollution. The vegetation elements of the facades can filter the pollutants, reducing the local concentration of particles of the urban helmet between 10% and 20%.
2.- Acoustic impact: Green facades can reduce the general noise level, absorbing it and avoiding its impact on human health.
3. The urban psychological effect: The vegetal elements contribute to reduce noise, giving a calm feeling, and evoke sounds of nature, such as the singing of birds and the wind hitting the leaves.
4.- The lowest energy consumption: Facades and vegetable roofs mitigate the high levels of solar radiation. In dense cities you can reduce the ambient temperature by 10 ° C. While energy consumption is reduced by 2% to 8%.
All these solutions must be accompanied by projects beyond the urban center, peripheral neighborhoods. This is the only way to create green cities with optimal conditions to ensure sustainability and reduce environmental impact.
