Irrigation of Urban Moss Surfaces: Making Cities Climate Resilient by Enhancing Moss Growth on Façades

Moss covered surfaces are a promising way to mitigate the urban heat island effect. A layer of moss on a building’s façade reduces heat absorption during summer, hence passively cooling the building and its surroundings. The startup Respyre wants to offer such moss layers as a commercial product. A bio-gel mixed with moss fragments is sprayed on...

Using green facades to increase urban sustainability and resilience: An assessment of potential vertical green locations to enhance urban green space in Amsterdam

Urban living has many advantages but also has its fair share of issues. This thesis tries to indicate the urban issues that can be solved by implementing vertical green systems (VGS). A literature review is undertaken, and expert interviews are held to examine socio-ecological criteria. The criteria heat stress, air pollution, water stress,...

Valuing Vertical Green

The rapid development of Dutch DC’s near airports pressures the environment. VGS are considered a promising measure toward a more nature-inclusive development of Dutch distribution centers. However, an integral quantitative impact assessment model is needed to retrieve funding and facilitate an evidence-based decision-making process for the...

Optimized Green Walls: Study of Vertical Green Systems’ Performance in an Urban Setting

The construction, operation and maintenance of buildings consume more than 40% of primary energy in most countries. Out of this 40%, a large portion is related to the operational phase involving heat losses through a buildings envelope. To reduce this loss, several materials have been developed to reduce the thermal transmittance through a...