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Energy Procedia 36 (2013) 995 – 1001

TerraGreen 13 International Conference 2013 - Advancements in Renewable Energy and Clean

Environment

Experimental study of thermal performance and the contribution of

plant-covered walls to the thermal
behavior of building

Saifi Nadiaa, Settou Noureddinea, Necib Hichema, Damene Djamilaa

Laboratoire de Valorisation et de Promotion des Ressources Sahariennes (VPRS)
, Kasdi Merbah University, Ouargla, Algeria.
Saifi.nadia2009@Gmail.com

Abstract

This paper presented on experimental investigation of the influence of plant-covered wall on the thermal behavior of
buildings in the semi-arid regions during the summer period. Thermal performance of a green walls system on facade walls has
been experimentally investigated in a test room. The test cell dimensions are 1x1.2x0.8 m. In this study the thermal analysis
concerns two test cells that incorporate non-covered and covered with two types of plants (Jasmine and Aristolochia). A Light
source is used to simulate solar radiation. The results showed that plant cover improved indoor thermal comfort in both summer,
and reduced heat gains and losses through the wall structure. It is verified that a microclimate between the wall of the test cell and
the green wall is created, and it is characterized by slightly lower temperatures and higher relative humidity.

© 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selection
Selectionand/or
and/orpeer-review under
peer-review responsibility
under of theofTerraGreen
responsibility Academy
the TerraGreen Academy.
Keywords: Plant-covered wall sections, Experimental investigation, thermal comfort, Solar cooling, Green building

1.Introduction

The first example of green walls may be found in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, even if they may have been
more roof gardens than green walls. Later, from Scandinavia to Japan, numerous civilizations used climbing plants to
cover buildings, making what is now called green façades. The integration of vegetation on buildings, through green
roofs or vertical greening, allows obtaining a significant improvement of the building’s efficiency, ecological and
environmental benefits. A Green Roof and Green Wall will have a noticeable impact on the heat gain and loss of a
building, as well as the humidity, air quality [1] and energy savings. Various parameters to evaluate the influence of
the green wall of theirs behavior. Basically, there are four fundamental mechanisms that characterize green vertical
systems as a passive system for energy savings: shadow produced by the vegetation, insulation provided by vegetation
and substrate [2,3], evaporative cooling by evapotranspiration, and the barrier effect to the wind[4]. Covering façades
with leaves on outside walls, also known as green façades or vertical greening, is discussed in many studies.G. Pérez
et all[5] found that The building wall surface temperature in an area without shade was on average approximately 5.5
°C higher than in areas partially covered by vegetation. This difference was higher in August and September, reaching
maximum values of 15.2 °C on the south west side in September. Gabriel Pérez et all[6] Confirm that The
measurements of the ambient temperature and humidity Of the green facade creates a microclimate in the
intermediate space, characterized by lower temperature and higher humidity. The scale of the influence of plant-
covered surfaces depends on several parameters. First of all, factors such as the covering percentage, density and
width of plant foliage that covers building surfaces have an important bearing and their extent defines the effectiveness

1876-6102 © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of the TerraGreen Academy
doi:10.1016/j.egypro.2013.07.113
996 Saifi Nadia et al. / Energy Procedia 36 (2013) 995 – 1001

of plant cover. In [7–8] the impact of the above factors is examined for different environmental conditions and
constraints.

2. Materials and methods

2.1 Objective

The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of the Vegetation planted to cover the external surface of a building
on the thermal and the hygrothermic comfort of the habitat under desert climatic conditions of Ouargla, Algeria. The
simple Green Façade system in the building can play an important role in the microclimate of buildings, which
consequently reduced commercial energies consumption.

2.2. Methodology

This investigation on real case of two test cells A and B (Fig.1,Fig. 2)to estimate the impact of the vertical green wall
on the surface and air temperature and humidity, in other words on the hygro -thermal comfort of these test cells in
summer period. The test cell, of volume 3,10x 3,10 x 2,5 m3. A solar simulator completes the experimental set-up and
allows generating radiations in the test cell.

Fig.1.Test cell "B" Fig.2.Test cell "A"

2.2.1. The solar simulator

Solar simulators can be divided into three broad categories: continuous, flashed, and pulsed. The first type of solar
simulator is used in this study. This category is most often used for low intensity testing, from less than 1 sun up to
several suns. In this context, 1 sun is typically defined as the nominal full sunlight intensity on a bright clear day on
Earth, which measures 1000 W/m2.The lamp types were selected for solar simulator is gas-discharge lamps with metal
halide. Four projectors are placed on a steel backing and rectangular (72cm x 56cm) with the possibility of tilted of a
45 degree angle. (Fig.3).The solar radiation is generated using three lamps 500 W and the other has a power of 1000w

Fig.3. Solar simulator

 Saifi Nadia et al. / Energy Procedia 36 (2013) 995 – 1001 997

2.2.2. The test cell

This experimental study consists of two test cells with a complete instrumentation for testing of natural cooling
techniques using vegetation. A test cells of approximately the same size as a quarter of standard room. The wall
consists of three layers different, 1,5cm of coating with cement from the outside, 10cm of brick wall and 1,5cm of
coating with cement from the inside .The compositions of the walls and the physical characteristics of the materials
used are described in (Fig.4). Elements of a roof was the concrete and the reinforcement (Fig.5)

Fig.4. Wall composition Fig.5. roof composition

2.2.3. Measurement instrumentations.

In order to evaluate the performance of the test cells, as well as proceeding to the comparison between the test cells
with vertical green wall and the test cell without vertical green wall, it was necessary to install a measurement system
in the test cells. The measurement system can be divided in three base components:
x Air temperature and relative humidity sensor;
x Thermocouples (K type) were installed in the inside and outside surface of the wall (superficial temperature
sensors) of the tow Test Cells(Fig.6.);
x A pyronometer were installed in the outside surface to meter the total radiation product by the solar
simulator.
The wall vegetation examined in this study was established as a factorial experiment investigating tow factors,
substrate composition and radiation of solar simulator.

Fig.6.Distribution of Thermocouples (K type) in the inside and outside of the Test Cells.
2.3. Experimental description

The experimental investigation was carried; we suppose that all the walls are adiabatic except the wall exposed to
the solar simulator. Measurement period (the test of stabilization) is determined by heat transfer Phenomena
Characterized by the differential equations. This test indicates that the stabilization of temperature variation compared
to time is made after three hour(Fig.7)s.
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The figure to show that the curve of the temperatures of the interior air in the house “C” is below that of the test cell
“A”, recording a maximum variation of 0.4°C. Consequently, the variation recorded between the curves of the two
cells attests thermal performance of the screen of ivy of the test cell” A " offering a density and a thickness higher than
those of the cell “C”.

4. Conclusion

This investigation on real case of three detached test cells allowed to estimate the impact of the climbing
vegetation on the surface and air temperature and humidity, in other words on the hygrothermal comfort of these test
cells in summer period.
The results revealed that, creepers on the wall have a beneficial effect on the outside thermal environment near the
building and consequently on the internal thermal conditions of these last ones. Besides, we raised (found) that the
hygrothermal performance creepers effects on buildings depends strictly on the density of the foliage, its thickness and
covering ratio and finally on vegetal typology.

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