Due to climate change, the average summer climate in Germany gets hotter. The greening of outdoor facilities and buildings reduces the urban heat island effect and improves the micro-climate. If this has a significant effect on the protection against summer overheating and the indoor thermal comfort of highly insulated buildings, is so far unknown. This question is investigated by coupling the thermal-dynamic building simulation software IDA ICE with the micro-climate simulation software ENVI-MET. The investigation was carried out using a typical residential area in Germany. In comparison to conventional buildings and gardens with only lawn, the planting of shrubs and trees in combination with extensive roof greening and moss facades enhances the protection against summer overheating on a hot day by up to 20 %. Through an appropriate plant selection the greening leads to an enhanced biodiversity and a better air quality, which is not possible, using conventional measures for the protection against summer overheating.
Fahrion, MS; Nickl, C; Bangalore, D; Lakatos, M; Brombacher, M
Protection against summer overheating due to greening in the built environment
Bauphysik