| Vertical Gardens in moderate to hot climates reduce excessive heat gain and the effect of the urban heat island (UHI) on low rise buildings and their interiors by a significant amount; thus, saving energy. Vertical Gardens are claimed to reduce air pollution and provide energy reduction by lowering indoor temperature and allowing air conditioning to run less. This investigation demonstrates to what extent this is true. This research is one of few studies performed in this area and is educational to home owners and people in many different fields. This thesis is focused on understanding the benefits these gardens provide for buildings and the environment. Some benefits include: storm-water control, sound insulation, air quality, and energy reduction. Data recorded from test cells compared thermal differences between buildings and portions of buildings with Vertical Gardens and without. Moreover, Vertical Gardens affect indoor energy but were only considered to be saving energy if it was sustainable because, otherwise we are wasting energy on the vertical garden to save some energy with the usage of less air conditioning. In conclusion, the ecosystem of a Vertical Garden is more complex than is generally understood. It has to have a balance of efficient irrigation, suitable selection of plants depending on the climate, usage of recyclable material, choosing the right facade depending on the orientation and the exposure to direct sunlight, and the total cost of the vertical garden has to be reasonable. If all of those apply than the vertical garden could be considered to save energy. |
