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1.Climate as a Public Interest in Planning and Zoning
2.Characteristics and Forms of the Urban Climate
3.Energy-Conscious Planning and Zoning
4.Methods of Information Acquisition for Planning (Measurements, Wind Tunnels, Numerical Modelling)
5.Climatic and Air Hygiene Maps as Aids for Planning and Zoning (Example: Climate Atlas Federation Region Stuttgart)
6.Recommendations for Planning
6.1Preservation and Acquisition of Green Space
6.1.1Landscape and Open-Space Control Plan
6.1.2Benchmarks for Describing "Green" Uses
6.1.3Avoidance of Soil Capping by Green Spaces and Water
6.1.4Roof Greening
6.1.5Façade Greening
6.2Securing the Local Air Exchange
6.2.1Cold Air Production
6.2.2Fresh Air Supply
6.2.3Green Corridors
6.2.4Advantageous Forms of Development
6.3Measures for Air Pollution Control
6.3.1Industrial and Commercial Areas
6.3.2Home Heating
6.3.3Traffic
6.4Planning-Related Urban Climate Studies
7.Bibliography
8.Thematic Websites
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RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PLANNING
   
 6.1.5 Façade Greening

The greening of façades does not result exclusively for reasons of climate and building design but also from reasons of aesthetics. For example, a façade overgrown with wild vines reflects the individual seasons in the changing colors of its leaves (Figure. 6/8).

Climbing plants are best suited for façade greening. These are to be distinguished between those that grow by clinging (e.g. ivy, climbing hydrangea), by twining (e.g. honeysuckle, hops), by sending out tendrils (e.g. clematis, grapevines), and those that require artificial support (e.g. climbing rose, blackberry vines). The advantage of climbing plants is that the use of a small horizontal ground surface can yield a large amount of biomass. Table 6/3 gives an overview of multi-year climbing plants and their characteristics. The professional association "Bauwerksbegrünung e.V." (www.fbb.de/fassadenbegruenung/pflanzenlisten/pflanzen-bodengebundene-begruenung) or at GUNKEL (2004) are also found extensive recommendations and choices according to various criteria.

Climatic Effects

Façade greening exhibits the following positive attributes:

  • Improvement of heat insulation via an air cushion between the building and its surroundings
  • Decrease in heat loss via wind braking
  • Decrease in heat loss via changes in radiation (i.e. sunlight) conditions
  • Transformation of wind energy to heat
  • Cooling effect via evaporation as well as absorption and reflection of sunshine by leaves
  • Production of humidity via evaporation
  • Protection of the façade from strong temperatures, UV rays, and hard rains
Studies such as those carried out by KIESSL and RATH (1989) have produced the following results (Figure 6/10):

Radiation burden from the sun:

A façade fully covered by greening is protected from intense solar radiation in summer and can reflect or absorb in its leaf cover between 40% and 80% of the received radiation, depending on the amount and type of greening. If it is so desired that solar radiation reaches the outer wall in winter (cf. Chapter 3), climbing plants that lose their leaves in winter must be used (e.g. wild grapevines, Figute 6/8).

Wind conditions:

The leaf cover of a green façade changes substantially the airflow conditions on the outer surface of the building. A dense greening produces a calm air cushion next to the outer wall, where the average wind velocity rests below 0.5 m/s.

Surface temperatures:

The leaf cover changes the balance of radiation at the outer wall. The corresponding air cushion and evaporation also produce a change in the thermal conditions. On sunny summer days the daily temperature amplitude of a greened wall is reduced by up to 30 degrees Celsius in comparison with a non-greened wall. In winter the surface temperature of a wall covered with evergreen plants stays about 2 degrees higher than a non-greened wall. On average, surface temperatures in summer are 1 to 2 degrees lower for greened walls, depending on the orientation of the wall.

Heat loss:

A façade with a fully-developed, dense growth of evergreen plants exhibits a reduction in heat loss of roughly 6%. This underscores the critical point that a green façade contributes to heating insulation but does not replace an optimal structural insulation!

Air humidity inside the greening:

Changes in air humidity from greening are as a rule less than may be generally expected. Air humidity is between 2% and 8% lower in winter and between 4% and 20% higher in summer versus a non-greened wall.

Hard rains:

Green façades represent an effective protection against hard rains. A fully-developed leaf cover reduces the load of driving rain on an exterior wall to zero.

In general it is to be noted that façade greening improves the microclimatic conditions around a building itself; however, no long-distance effects are to be expected.

Problems are also frequently mentioned in connection with façade greening, especially building humidity and wall damage. In response, the above-mentioned studies found no disadvantageous effect of humidity, but rather spoke of a humidity protection effect on building components via the protection against rain provided by the green cover. Damages from greening are as a rule not to be expected in the presence of intact brickwork and plaster. To what extent a problem can arise for tall buildings from the large biomass required to cover its exterior (i.e. weight on the façade) has not yet been conclusively researched.

More information about the various possibilities of outfitting buildings with modern growing techniques, offers the "Handbook Bauwerksbegrünung " (KÖHLER, ANSEL et al., 2012).

Legal Bases

The controlled greening of building facades has a so far neglected significance for the sustainable, ecological and socio-economic development of towns and cities. But this also entails problems with regard to spatial planning, road traffic and liability legislation and requires regulations concerning the sovereign designation and administrative agreement on the greening of facades (Chilla, T., 2002).

Façade greening can be established as legally binding in a site plan in the same manner as roof greening and under the same conditions (cf. Chapter 6.1.4).

Example for this type of regulation:

"A third of the façade surface is to be greened. Technically founded exceptions can be allowed (§ 9 (1) 25 BauGB)."

The option of decreeing localized (i.e. related to building law) construction specifications for the exterior design of structural features according to § 74 (1) LBO remains unchanged.
 
 
 
Fig. 6/8: House grown-over with wild vines in fall (Stuttgart)
 
Fig. 6/9: Façade Greening in Stuttgart
 
Tab. 6/3: Multi-annual climbing plants and criteria for their selection in façade greening, Source: KIESSL and RATH, 1989
 
Fig. 6/10: Schematic representation of microclimatic parameters for greened and non-greened façades as well as qualitative variations in profile of the significant measured variables in summer and winter (KIESL u. RATH)