The impact of greening systems on building energy performance: A literature review

Scarcity of resources and environmental issues caused by human activities stimulate designers and policy makers to search for energy efficient strategies for sustainable development. A considerable amount of energy consumption and CO2 emission comes from the building sector which today accounts for 40% of the World's energy use. Greenery systems are considered as a promising solution for making buildings more energy efficient. However, energy saving is one among multiple benefits that a greenery system can offer to a building. The most common places in a building that can be used to accommodate vegetation include roof greening, vertical greening, terrace planting and sky gardens (indoor and outdoor) especially in the design of high-rises. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to provide a literature review for all different greening systems with respect to their energy impact. The role of indoor planting on thermal comfort and indoor air quality (IAQ) will also be discussed. Furthermore, the suitability of different greenery systems for different climate types is summarized. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.