transforming building facades: mitigating urban heat & enhancing biodiversity with vegetated walls
1. Transforming Building Facades:
Mitigating Urban Heat & Enhancing
Biodiversity with Vegetated Walls
By: Muhammad Tariq
Architect & Assistant Professor at Architecture department, CECOS University Peshawar, Pakistan
Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters graduate from UK, Finland & Spain Jointly, 2023
2. 01
Urban Heat Island Effect
The Growing Challenge
Nature's Cooling
Solution
02
Vegetated Walls
The Biodiversity Boost
03
A Haven for Urban
Wildlife
Design Considerations
for Vegetated Walls
04
How can you design
vegetated walls
3. The project was named Bosco
Verticale, or in English "Vertical
Forest", because together the
towers have 800 trees, 5,000
shrubs, 90 species and 1,500
plants, which help mitigate smog
and produce oxygen.
Vertical Forest in
Milan, Italy
4. Heat wave deaths
By 2050, heat waves are forecast to
account for nearly 1.6 million deaths –
mostly in the highest-risk areas, including
the US, Central America, southern and
western Africa, the Middle East, India,
Pakistan, South-East Asia and northern
Australia.
5. 5 billion people
By 2050, over 5 billion people — probably
more than half the planet's population —
will be exposed to at least a month of
health-threatening extreme heat when
outdoors in the sun.
6.
7. What is Urban
Heat Island
Effect?
● Urbanization leads to the “Heat island
effect," where cities are significantly
warmer than surrounding rural areas.
● Buildings absorb and trap heat,
radiating it back into the
environment.
● This effect increases energy
consumption for cooling and creates
uncomfortable outdoor conditions.
8.
9. Nature's Cooling
Solutions: Vegetated
Walls
● Vegetated walls, also known as green
walls or living walls, are vertical gardens
installed on building facades.
● Plants provide shade, absorb solar
radiation, and transpire, releasing water
vapor that cools the surrounding air.
● Studies show vegetated walls can reduce
building surface temperatures by up to
4°C.
Tree House, Residential tower in Singapore
10. Plant leaves on macro level
Plant leaves are
Micro fountains
11. Literature review on benifits
shading
Shading and
evapotranspiration
reduce from 0.8 °C
to 8 °C depending
on the system
configuration.
Noise absorb
80% of the noise
absorbed by a
green wall is due to
the presence of the
substrate.
Biodiversity
A recent review conducted
in six Swiss cities over the
past 20 years showed that
91 out of the 532 species
(17%) known in Switzerland
are represented on green
roofs
12. Noise is a real nuisance in many cities. That’s why InnoGreen is participating in a trial with the City of Helsinki to find new, better, and greener solutions to
tackle noise pollution. In the summer of 2023, we are fighting against noise with a green noise barrier at Erottaja Square.
13. The Biodiversity
Boost: A Haven
for Urban
Wildlife
● Vegetated walls provide habitat and
food sources for pollinators like bees,
butterflies, and hummingbirds.
● They attract other beneficial insects,
birds, and small animals, increasing
urban biodiversity.
● Increased biodiversity promotes a
healthier ecosystem and enhances
the overall ecological balance of
cities.
14. Design
Considerations for
Vegetated Walls
● i) Supporting elements which provide the
structure for the system;
● (ii) Growing media that serves as the
substrate for plant growth;
● (iii) Vegetation which is the living
component of the system;
● (iv) Drainage which is crucial for water
management
● (v) Irrigation which ensures the plants
receive adequate water.
15. Types
Direct & indirect
● In the first case the plants are directly
attached to the wall.
● While the indirect GFs present a
structural support for the growth of
vegetation,
17. CREDITS: This presentation template was
created by Slidesgo, including icons by
Flaticon, and infographics & images by
Freepik.
THANKS!
+34 655 05 6573 WhatsApp
mtariq@cecos.edu.pk