Green walls as natural air conditioning

Green walls are often considered only as aesthetic elements for the design of interior and exterior spaces. However, a well-designed green wall does much more. The benefits are many: green walls prevent graffiti, they create new habitats for insects and birds, they clean the air by absorbing carbon dioxide, they release oxygen and bind pollutants. In addition, green walls help reduce the impact of urban heat islands. An urban heat island is an urban area where temperatures rise compared to surrounding rural areas due to human activities such as replacing foliage with bricks and asphalt.

Buildings today are better insulated than ever before thanks to improved construction techniques and building materials. In winter, that's an advantage. But what happens in summer? In warm months, building interiors increasingly heat up. Add to this rising temperatures due to climate change and urban heat islands, and this leads to unbearably warm situations in modern buildings during the summer. Current climate forecasts predict further increases in temperatures. So this problem could get worse.

Insulation of buildings remains necessary in view of the winter months. However, the development of other options must be added to solve the heat problem of the summer months. One effective way to reduce rising temperatures is through urban greening, particularly greening on the facades of buildings.