Green facades - Their use in the sponge city

Abstract

Greenery in the urban environment is slowly disappearing and is being replaced by new construction. This trend has several consequences. One of them is the overheating of the urban climate and the associated increased need for energy for cooling. We are trying to eliminate this negative impact by creating green structures on buildings. As such, greenery brings a number of benefits. It helps to cool buildings, but also the urban climate, through the shading effect of leaves and the evaporation of trapped water. There are a number of studies around the world that investigate green roofs, or green facades. The effect of green leaf area index on cooling by shading and the effect of the distance of the façade from the envelope are investigated. Another influence is the orientation to the cardinal directions and the careful selection of plants. One of the main factors influencing the functionality of green facades is the choice of plants in relation to the climatic conditions in the country. In this article I discuss the adaptation of green facades to the climatic conditions in Slovakia. In Slovakia this issue is minimally studied and green facades occur only sporadically or only seasonally.