ambius white paper - bord bia natural ability of plants to orient their foliage towards a light...
TRANSCRIPT
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Ambius White Paper
Plants in “Green Buildings”Kenneth Freeman
International Technical Director
The cost of energy is at record levels and likely to remain high for the foreseeable future. Add to
that the threats to the environment resulting from the profligate use of natural resources and fossil
fuels, then the need to design and manage buildings to be as energy-efficient as possible becomes
much more urgent. Whilst most new buildings are already designed to be as energy-efficient
as engineers think possible, there are innumerable older buildings where large-scale, engineered
‘greening’ is either impracticable, or prohibitively expensive.
ThisWhitePaperexplorestheuseofinteriorplantsaspartofasustainablebuilding
managementsystem.Byexploitingthephysicalpropertiesoflivingplants,itispossibletoreduce
ourrelianceonenergy-consumingengineeredandmanufacturedproducts:themulti-taskingabilities
ofplantscanbeexploitedtoenhanceindoorairquality,helpregulatetemperatureandevenreduce
nuisancenoise.What’smore,theeffectsofinteriorplantscanoftenbeobtainedatmuchlowercosts
thanspecially-made‘GreenBuilding’products.
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Ambius White Paper - 0� Plants in “Green Buildings”
Green Building rating schemesManycountrieshavesystemsinplacetomeasuretheenvironmental
impactofbuildingsandthereareoftenincentivesfordevelopersto
build‘green’.Themostwell-knownexamplesofgreenbuildingrating
systemsareLEED(LeadershipinEnergyandEnvironmentalDesign),
managedbytheUnitedStatesGreenBuildingCouncil,andBREEAM
(theBuildingResearchEstablishment’sEnvironmentalAssessment
Method),operatedbytheUKBuildingResearchEstablishment.
Aroundtheworld,othergreenbuildingratingsystemsareinplace,
usuallyderivedfromtheBREEAMmethodology.Forexample,the
AustralianGreenBuildingCouncilhastheGreenStarratingsystem.
Alloftheseratingsystemshaveversionsfornewand
refurbishedexistingbuildings,andalsofordifferenttypesof
building(forexample,offices,houses,hospitals,schoolsandeven
wholeneighbourhoods).Theyalsohaveoneothercriticalfeature
incommon-theyaredevisedandmanagedbybuildingengineers,
architectsandconstructors,sohaveanunderstandablebiastowards
engineeredandmanufacturedsolutionstogreenbuildingissues.The
ratingsystemsarealsoheavilybiasedtowardsbuilt-insystems,rather
thananythingaddedatfit-outorpost-occupancy.Thisisneither
unexpected,norunreasonable:itisoftenmuchmorecost-effectiveto
buildsystemsintothefabricofabuildingthatisdesignedwithenergy
efficiencyinmindthantoexpendmoretime,effortandresourcesin
retro-fittingequipment.
How can plants be used as part of a green building management system?Interiorplantshaveanumberofrolestoplaywithinagreenbuilding.
Someeffectsarelargeand,ifrequired,needagreatdealofplanningas
theybecomeanintegralpartofabuilding’sfabric.Otherbenefitscan
beobtainedwiththeminimumofeffort,althoughtheeffectsmaybe
Apart from being locked into existing leases, the main barrier to why businesses don’t occupy green buildings is the lack of available environmentally-friendly buildings. Companies remain convinced that renting a green building is more expensive and that the pay back period is too long.
Cushman and Wakefield 2008 UK Cities Monitor survey
ContentsGreen building rating schemes 2
How can plants be used as part of a green building management scheme? 2
Cooling a building by shading with plants 3
Cooling and humidifying buildings through evapotranspiration 4
Reducing dust with interior plants 6
Carbon dioxide reduction 6
Indoor air pollution 7
Acoustic benefits of interior plants 8
Providing a view of nature �0
What about the lack of formal credits for interior plants? ��
Conclusions �2
About the Author �3
About Ambius �3
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Ambius White Paper - 0� Plants in “Green Buildings”
onasmallerscale.Whatevertheeffortinvolved,however,onething
iscertain-thebuildingwillbegreenerinmorewaysthanone.
Overthenextfewpages,threemajorthemeswilldevelop:the
effectsofplantsonindoorclimate,airqualityandnoisereduction.We
willstartwithbenefitsthatworkbestonlargescale,relativelycomplex
installationsthatrequireplanning,projectmanagementandsome
constructionconsiderations.Wethenconsiderprogressivelysimpler
solutionsthatcanbeaddedatthefit-outorevenpost-occupancystage.
Cooling a building by shading with plantsAttheextreme,interiorplantsarethebasisofasystemknownas
‘GreenSolarArchitecture’,pioneeredinGermanybyDieterSchempp.
Inthissystem,theinteriorclimateisregulatedwiththeplants,
whicharechosenfortheirsurvivabilityintheindoorenvironment,
andwhichalsoguaranteegoodairqualityandhumidityregulation,
especiallyinthewinterwhentheplantscanhelpmaintaintheideal
relativehumidityof40%to60%.
Thisconceptrequiresagreatdealofplanningand
interdisciplinarycooperation.Buildingengineerstakepartand
contributetheirspecialistknowledge,forexampleplantingmustbe
designedandcarriedoutwithlighting,wateranddrainagespecialists.
Theplantsareselectedtoincludeaproportionofspeciesthatshed
someoftheirleavesinwinter,whichallowsmoresolarenergyintothe
buildingforheating,whilstinsummertheygrowtoprovideshadeand
contributetocoolingbyevapotranspiration.Indoortrees,whichcan
beaslargeas8m(25feet)tall,cancastshadowsandshadewindows
muchmorecost-effectivelythancomplexmanufacturedandengineered
products(Fig. 1).Inpractice,temperaturereductionsoftheorderof
2°C-3°C(4°F-5°F)belowtheoutsidetemperaturehavebeen
achieved.Thisisaresultofthecombinationofinteriorplanting,the
massofthebuildingandairexchangeinsummerthroughventilation
openingsinthebuildingfacades.
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Ambius White Paper - 0� Plants in “Green Buildings”
Evenwithoutgoingtothelevelsofdesigningabuildingalong
Schempp’slines,interiorplantscanbeusedveryeffectivelytocool
buildings.Availableinalmostanyform,fromtallpalmswithfeathery
frondstodensely-canopiedtreesandbushes,interiorplantdisplayscan
bedesignedtocastasmuchoraslittleshadowasyouneed.Bytaking
advantageofthevarietyofheightsandformsofplants,itispossibleto
createlightorheavyshadeatanytimeofdayandduringallseasons.
Thenaturalabilityofplantstoorienttheirfoliagetowardsalight
sourcewillhelptoensurethatdirectsunlightisinterceptedbythe
leaves.Dappled,diffusedlightwillmakeitswaytotheinsideofthe
buildingaddingatmosphereandinterestingshadowstocomplement
thevisualappealoftheplantsthemselves.
Theshadingbenefitsofplantscanbeexploitedinalltypes
ofbuildingandlocation.Smallplantsnearwindowscanobviatethe
needforblindsandstillprovidethebenefitsofaview.Inatriumsand
otherhighlyglazedspaces,largeplantsandtreescanbeusedtoreplace
manufacturedproductssuchasbrisesoleilsandprovideotherindoor
climatebenefitssuchascoolingthroughevapotranspiration(seebelow)
andimprovingairquality(seepage6).
Cooling and humidifying buildings through evapotranspirationEvapotranspirationistheprocessbywhichwatermovesfromthesoil,
viatheplant(andfromthesoilsurface)intotheatmospherethrough
evaporationandtranspiration.Almostallofthewatergiventoaplant
willbereleasedintotheairduringthetimethatplantsareactively
photosynthesizing.Therateofevapotranspirationisgovernedbylight
levels,temperature,relativehumidity,airmovementandplantspecies
andplantsize.
Aswaterevaporatesintheair,coolingtakesplaceasheat
energyisusedtodrivetheprocess(Fig. 2).Theprecisescaleofthe
Fig. �: shading effects of plants
Fig. 2: flow of water through a plant display, from irrigation water through the soil and transpired by the plant resulting in cooling of the air.
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Ambius White Paper - 0� Plants in “Green Buildings”
effectisdifficulttopredictindoorsasfactorssuchasairflowvary
considerably-theremaybelocalizedareasofhighairflowandothers
ofrelativestagnation,andsuchairmaybeamixtureoffreshand
recirculatedair.
Nevertheless,large-scaleinteriorplantinginatriumswillhavea
measurableeffectontemperatureashasbeendemonstratedinalarge
numberoftallbuildingsaroundtheworldandwiththosebuildings
constructedaccordingtoSchempp’s‘GreenSolarArchitecture’
principles.
Plantscanalsohelptokeeptheairinbuildingsfreshandatthe
optimumhumiditylevelofbetween40%and60%.(Fig. 3)Inlarge-
scaleschemes,suchasthosethatarebuiltintoabuilding’sfabric,the
effectcanbequitelarge.However,inmanysituations,especiallythose
buildingsequippedwithair-conditioningsystems,theeffectisoften
smallandlocalisedasanyexcesshumidityisoftenquicklyremoved.
Humidificationbytranspiration(thetransportofwaterthrough
theplant,fromroottoleafandoutintotheatmosphere)isgoverned
byspecies,lightlevels,humidityandtemperature.Themoreactive
theplantis,thegreaterthetranspirationrate.Conversely,plantsthat
areunderstress,e.g.underattackbypests,ortoodry,oftenreduce
transpirationbyclosingthepores(stomata)intheirleaves.The
greatestbenefitisthereforederivedfromhealthy,well-maintained
plants.Thesecondmechanismisevaporationfromthesoil,whichhas
alocalisedhumidifyingeffect.Dryairtendstobeabiggerproblem
inthewintermonths,whenventilationfromtheoutside(evenif
available)isreducedandheatingturnedup.
Althoughinteriorlandscapingwon’tcompletelysolveadryair
problem,itcanmakeausefulcontribution,especiallyifplantsaresited
neartowherepeoplework.Experimentaldatafromseveralstudies
overthelastfewyearshasshownthatinteriorplantscanincrease
humidityinofficesbyasmuchasafifth.
Fig 3: localized humidification around the canopy of a tree.
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Ambius White Paper - 0� Plants in “Green Buildings”
Reducing dust with interior plantsResearchintheUSAhasshownthatbuildingswithinteriorplants
havelessairbornedustthanthosewithout.Theresearch(carriedout
byVirginiaLohrandCarolinePearson-Mims)suggests
thattheaccumulationofparticulatematteronhorizontal
surfacesininteriorscanbereducedbyasmuchas20%
byaddingfoliageplants.Theirexperimentsdidlittle
toexplaintheprecisemechanismsatwork,although
increasedhumidityandelectrostaticeffectsseemtobe
implicatedaspossiblemechanisms,bywhichparticulate
matteriscanbereducedbyattractionandadherenceto
leafsurfaces.(Fig 4)Thiskeepsofficescleaner,reduces
theriskofallergiesandhelpstoprotectsensitiveelectronicequipment.
Itisevenreasonabletosuggestthatlevelsofairborneparticlessuchas
fungalandbacterialsporeswillalsobereduced,furtherenhancingair
qualityandhygiene(andcounteringsomeoftheobjectionsofusing
plantsinhealthcareenvironments).However,theabilityofplants
toremovedustislimited,andwilldependonthenumberofplants
installedandthelevelofdustpresent.
Carbon dioxide reductionElevatedconcentrationsofcarbondioxideareknowntoinduce
drowsinessandtheconsequentreductioninconcentrationand
productivity.Unlessindooraircanbecontinuouslyrefreshed,human
activityinmodern,well-sealedbuildingscanresultinsurprisingly
highlevelsofcarbondioxide.Plantsnaturallyextractcarbondioxide
duringphotosynthesisandreplaceitwithoxygen,thusreducing
carbondioxideconcentrationsandincreasingoxygenlevels.Research
todatesuggeststhatbushyplantswithahighphotosyntheticrateare
particularlyeffectiveinthepresenceoflight,whereassucculentplants
fromhotaridareas,especiallythoseintheCrassulafamily,aremore
‘... experiments documented that the accumulation of particulate matter on horizontal surfaces in interiors can be reduced by as much as 20% by adding foliage plants.’
from V. I. Lohr and C. H. Pearson-Mims (1996): Particulate matter accumulation
on horizontal surfaces in interiors: influence of foliage plants. Atmospheric
Environment Vol. 30, No. 14,.
Fig 4: interior plants differentially attract dust.
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Ambius White Paper - 0� Plants in “Green Buildings”
effectiveatnightduetotheirparticularwayofassimilatingcarbon
dioxideduringthecoolofthenight.
Asageneralrule,thecapacityofplantstoremovecarbon
dioxideisdeterminedbytheirabilitytointerceptlight.Factorssuchas
leafsize,overallheight,positionintheoffice,orientationoftheoffice,
andthepositionofthesunduringtheday(orseason)arekeyfactors
indeterminingthephotosyntheticratesofplantsandtheirsubsequent
valueinbuildings.
Precisecalculationsonthecapacityofinteriorplantstoremove
carbondioxidearedifficultduethelargenumberofvariablefactors.
However,usingsomeveryconservativeestimates,webelievethatat
least300g(10oz)ofcarbondioxide(netofthatreleasedthroughplant
metabolism)canberemovedfromtheatmosphereforeverysquare
metreofleafsurfaceperyearintypicalinteriorconditions.(This
equatestoapproximately170litres,or6cubicfeet,ofCO2gas)In
brighterconditions(suchasinanatrium),usingthemostactively
photosynthesizingplants,muchmorewouldbepossible.
Whilstitmaybepossibletousesuchafixationofcarbon
aspartofameasuredcarbonfootprintreductionprogramme,there
areanumberofcaveatsandconfoundingfactorstoincludeinthe
calculations,suchasthecomplexitiesofcalculatingafulllifetime
analysisofcarbonassimilationbytheplant,againsttheresourcesused
duringitsgrowthandpreparationforuseasaninteriorlandscape
plantanditssubsequentdisposalattheendofitslife.
Indoor air pollutionTheworkofBillWolverton,bothduringhistimewiththeNational
AeronauticsandSpaceAdministration(NASA)andafterwards,is
amongthemostfrequentlyquotedinplantbenefitsresearch.He
showedthatplantscanabsorbpollutantgasessuchasformaldehyde,
benzeneandtrichloroethane,whicharereleasedinsmallquantitiesby
“We found that potted-plant presence was associated with significant reductions in both CO2 and CO concentrations in offices without air-conditioning. In the presence of plants, CO2 levels were reduced by about �0% in offices in the air-conditioned building, and by about 2�% in the naturally ventilated building.”
from: Tarran, J., Torpy, F. and Burchett, M (2001). Proc 6th Int. Conf. on Indoor
Air Quality, Ventilation & Energy Conservation in Buildings.
To ensure sustainability of the urban environment, satisfying the ‘triple bottom line’ of environmental, social and economic considerations, it is expected that indoor plants will become standard technology - a vital building installation element, for improving indoor air quality.
from: Tarran, J., Torpy, F. And Burchett, M (2001). Proc 6th Int. Conf. on Indoor
Air Quality, Ventilation & Energy Conservation in Buildings.
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Ambius White Paper - 0� Plants in “Green Buildings”
awholerangeofmaterialsandhumanactivities.Mostofhisresearch
ontheseso-calledvolatileorganiccompounds(VOCs)wascarriedout
onplantsgrowninoptimumconditionsonasmalllaboratoryscale,
whichuntilrecentlyhadlittlesupportfromthescientificcommunity
whowantedtoseedatatakeninsiderealbuildingswithsensible
plantingdensities,realisticlightlevelsandairexchangerates.
Suchdataarenowbeingproducedandpublished,notleastthe
workcarriedoutbyDrRonWood,ProfessorMargaretBurchettand
othersinAustralia.Theirexperiments,inrealoffices,haveshown
thatseveralcommonspeciesofinteriorlandscapeplantshavethe
abilitytoremovecompoundssuchasbenzeneandhexane,sometimes
intheorderofa50%-75%reductioninconcentrationoftotalvolatile
organiccompounds.Itappearsthatthereisaninteractionbetweenthe
plantrootsandsoilmicrobes.What’smore,theseeffectshavebeen
observedatplantingdensitiesinofficesthatarebothpracticableand
affordable-indoorjunglesarecertainlynotrequired.
Sopowerfularethenewdatathattheauthorsarebrave
enoughtoassertthat“to ensure sustainability of the urban environment,
satisfying the ‘triple bottom line’ of environmental, social and economic
considerations, it is expected that indoor plants will become standard
technology - a vital building installation element, for improving indoor
air quality.”
Acoustic benefits of interior plantsInteriorplantshaveanimpressiveabilitytomulti-task.Aswellas
lookingbeautiful,wehaveshownthattheyimproveindoorairquality
andhelpregulatetheindoorenvironment.Oneotherimportant
benefitistheirabilitytoreducenoiselevelsinbuildings,reducingthe
needforexpensive(andoftenugly)manufacturedacousticpanels.
Ourownresearch,andthatcarriedoutbyscientistsatSouth
BankUniversityinLondon,indicatesthatplantdisplaysareeffective
“ …our ‘field’ studies in 60 offices, show that potted-plants can reliably reduce total volatile organic compound (TVOC) loads, a major class of indoor pollutants, by 7�%, to below �00 ppb.”
from: Tarran, J., Torpy, F. And Burchett, M (2001). Proc 6th Int. Conf. on Indoor
Air Quality, Ventilation & Energy Conservation in Buildings.
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Ambius White Paper - 0� Plants in “Green Buildings”
atabsorbing,diffractingandreflectingsound.Thebalancevaries
withthefrequencyatwhichthesoundisgeneratedandtheroom’s
physicalproperties.Thetypeofplant,itssize,shape,thecontainer,top
dressingsandthecompostallhaveaneffectonthesoundreduction
capabilitiesofplantdisplays.Thefollowingtableshowshowawide
varietyofindoorplantscanabsorbsoundatdifferentfrequencies.
Aswellasabsorption,plantsaffectroomacousticsby
diffractionandreflection,particularlyatlowerfrequencies.This
worksbecausetheleafsizeofindoorplantsissmallbycomparisonto
thewavelengthofthenoise.Plantswithlotsofsmallleavesareuseful
astheyscatteranddiffusesound.Athigherfrequenciestheleaves
mayreflectsoundtowardsothersurfacesthatmaythenabsorbthe
noise.
So,howcanyoupracticallyuseplantstoreducenoise?First,
uselargeplantcontainers.Thesecontainmorecompostandhavea
greaterareaoftopdressing,bothofwhichhaveasignificanteffect
Plant Species
Table of Absorption Coefficients (�)
Sound Frequency�2� Hz 2�0 Hz �00 Hz � kHz 2 kHz 4 kHz
Ficus benjamina 0.06 0.06 0.�0 0.�� 0.22 0.�7Howea forsteriana 0.2� 0.�� 0.0� 0.22 0.�� 0.08Dracaena fragrans 0.�3 0.�4 0.�2 0.�2 0.�6 0.��Spathiphyllum wallisii 0.0� 0.07 0.08 0.�3 0.22 0.44Dracaena marginata 0.�3 0.03 0.�6 0.08 0.�4 0.47Schefflera arboricola - 0.�3 0.06 0.22 0.23 0.47Philodendron scandens - 0.23 0.22 0.2� 0.34 0.72ComparisonsBark mulch 0.0� 0.�6 0.26 0.46 0.73 0.88Thick pile carpet 0.�� 0.2� 0.�0 0.60 0.70 0.70Plasterboard 0.30 0.�� 0.�0 0.0� 0.04 0.0�Fresh snow, �00 mm (4”) 0.4� 0.7� 0.�0 0.�� 0.�� 0.��
(1) An absorption coefficient of 1 means that 100% of the sound (at the stated frequency) is absorbed, whereas a coefficient of 0.15 means that 15% of the sound (at the stated frequency) is absorbed.
Data produced by Peter Costa (South Bank University, London) in 1995 as part of series of experiments carried out for Rentokil Research and Development
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Ambius White Paper - 0� Plants in “Green Buildings”
onnoisereductionintheirownright,soitfollowsthattheymake
alargerimpactontheroomacoustics.Itwillalsobepossibletoget
largerplants,orseveralplantsintothecontaineraswell.
Secondly,useamixtureofdifferentplantspeciesandsizes.
Experimentshaveshownthatarrangementsofdifferentplantsin
groupsappeartoworkbetterthanindividualplantsandthatseveral
smallarrangementsarebetterthanonebigone.
Next,positionseveralarrangementsaroundaspaceratherthan
concentratetheminonelocation.Inthiswaythesurfaceareaofthe
plantsexposedtonoisemaybemaximizedandindividualworkareas
inanofficespacewillallbenefitfromalocalizedeffect.
Edgesandcornersarebetterthanthecentre.Plantsplaced
neartheedgesandcornersofaspacearebetterthanplantsinthe
middle.Thisisbecausesoundisreflectedfromthewallsstraight
intothefoliage.Troughsandbarrierplantersshouldbeplaceda
fewcentimetres(inches)awayfromthewall,sothattheycanabsorb
reflectedsoundfromthewallaswellassoundreachingthemdirectly.
Anglingthemslightlyawayfrombeingparallelwiththewallwillalso
helptodispersereflectedsound.(Fig. 5)
Finally,considerusingscreenplantsinsteadofofficepartitions.
(Fig. 6)Open-planofficesareoftenverynoisyplaces.Thehumof
computers,theringingoftelephonesandthebuzzofconversationall
makeforasurprisinglynoisyenvironment.Oftenthesespacesare
dividedupwithpartitionsorranksoffilingcabinets.Acousticpanels
canbeused,butthesecanbeexpensive,whereasplantscreensand
barrierarrangementscanbeaneffectivealternatives,cheaperandable
tocontributetotheenvironmentinmorethanoneway.
Providing a view of natureFinally,interiorplantshaveauniqueability-notjustareplacement
formanufacturedorengineeredsolutions,butadirectreplacement
Wall
Plant troughsNar
row
gap
Sound absorbed by foliage and densecompost in container. Sound reflectedand dispersed by container and, to an extent, the foliage. Narrow gap betweenplant display and wall allows sound reflected from wall to be absorbed byback of plant display.
Fig. 6: screen plant display in an open-plan setting.
Fig. �: possible sound-absorbing arrangement of plants.
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Ambius White Paper - 0� Plants in “Green Buildings”
fornatureitself.Aboldclaimindeed,butonethatcanbemadewith
confidenceinthecontextofgreenbuildings.
Accesstoviewsofnatureforofficeworkersisbothdesirable
andarecognisedbestpractice-indeed,accesstoviewsfeaturesin
severalgreenbuildingratingschemes.However,itisnotalways
possible,especiallyinbuildingswithadeepfloorplanorinnew
buildingsthattheymaybeconstructedwithfewerwindowstoreduce
heatloss(alsosomethingthatmayfeatureinaratingsystem,although
howthiscontradictioncanbereconciledisnevermadeclear.)
Onesolutionwouldbetheprovisionofgoodqualityinterior
landscaping,whichcanbeemployedtoprovidesubstituteviewsby
givingpeopleaccesstoanindoorgardenorviewsofvegetation,
especiallyifthereisanatriumorotherlargespace.(Fig 7)Byadding
full-spectrumlighting,acombinationofplantsandartificialdaylight
canhelpovercomesomeoftheproblemsoflackofaccesstonatural
daylightandmayevencounteractsomeoftheproblemsassociated
withSeasonalAffectiveDisorder.
What about the lack of formal credits for interior plants?Wehaveclearlydemonstratedthatinteriorplantshaveausefulrolein
greenbuildings-theirusecanreduceenergyneedsdirectlythrough
theirabilitytocoolbuildingsandalsoreducetherelianceonenergy-
intensivesystemsandproductsbytheirabilitiestoimproveindoor
airqualityandreducenoise.Notonlythat,theyachieveallofthese
featswiththeminimumofmaintenanceandwithaproductionsystem
that,comparedwithproductmanufacturing,isachievedwithverylow
inputs.
IntheUKandUSA,itispossibletomakereasonedarguments
togreenbuildingratingassessorsthattheuseofplantsfulfilssome
ofadeveloper’srequirementstominimizeenergyconsumptionand
Fig. 7: large-scale interior landscaping used as a substitute for an exterior view.
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Ambius White Paper - 0� Plants in “Green Buildings”
providealternativestomanufacturedgoodsandengineeredsystems.
However,suchargumentshavetobemadeonacase-by-casebasisand
willbesubjecttothewhims,prejudicesorknowledgeoftheassessors.
Withoutwishingtodisparagetheprofessionalismofgreenbuilding
ratingassessors,thereisagapintheireducation,andthatofthe
peoplewhodevisetheschemes.
TheAustralianGreenBuildingCouncilhasformallyrecognised
thevalueofinteriorplantsandwillgivecreditsfortheirinstallation
andongoingmaintenance.However,whilstthisisawelcome
recognitionofthevalueofinteriorplants,itispossiblethatinsome
buildings(suchasthosedesignedwithplantsinmindfromtheoutset),
theawardofalimitednumbercreditsfailstorecognisethetotalgreen
buildingvalueoftheplants.
ConclusionsInteriorplantscanno-longerbeconsideredaluxury.Theyarea
demonstrablyvaluableandcost-effectivewayofenhancingtheindoor
environmentbyimprovingindoorairquality,coolingthebuildingand
reducingnoise.Buildingoperatorscanmakeexistingbuildingsmore
environmentallyfriendlysimplybyreplacing,orreducingtheneedfor
manufacturedproductsandengineeredsystemswithplants.Architects
canmakeanevenbiggerimpactbydesigningbuildingswithplantsin
mind,makingbuildingsgreeninmorewaysthanone.
Thereisapowerfulsetofargumentsfortheinclusionofplants
ingreenbuildingratingsystems.Howsuchacontributioncanbe
quantifiedinsuchasystemwillrequireagreatdealofthought.The
inclusionofplantsintheAustralianGreenBuildingCouncil’s‘Green
Star’ratingsystemisagoodstart,butrefinementanddevelopmentof
theconceptinLEEDandBREEAMwouldreallygivethebenefitsof
interiorplantsthevisibilitytheydeserve.
A few things to remember about using plants in green buildings
• Most of the environmental benefits of plants can be obtained without the requirement to specify unusual or expensive plants.
• The costs of installing and maintaining plant displays are a minute fraction of the annual running costs of a typical commercial building.
• Plants that are absorbing noise will be improving air quality and removing dust at the same time.
• Existing buildings can be made more sustainable with plants without the need for large-scale capital expenditure.
• Interior plants don’t need drinking water - they can be irrigated with grey water or rain water, so you won’t be increasing your demand on metered potable water.
• For best results, interior plants need to be cared for by competent people. The benefits of interior plants diminish rapidly if they are neglected.
• Interior plants have very low requirements for inputs of fertilizers and they can be grown in environmentally-friendly composts.
• There are interior plants available that will thrive in all interior conditions - your interior landscape objectives can be met without the need for additional light, heat or cooling resources.
• For new buildings, architects and developers should discuss interior landscaping proposals in plenty of time. Large-scale planting requires a degree of project management expertise and an understanding of the time scales required to source, acclimatize and install large trees.
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Ambius White Paper - 0� Plants in “Green Buildings”
About the authorKennethFreemanisAmbius’sInternationalTechnicalDirector,basedinLondon.Anexpertininteriorlandscaping,hehasbeendirectlyinvolvedinallaspectsofresearchintothebenefitsofinteriorplantsaswellasthedevelopmentofhorticulturalbestpractices.HehasdevelopedarangeofeducationandtrainingprogrammesandistheauthorofcontinuingeducationprogrammesforarchitectsintheUKaspartoftheRoyalInstituteofBritishArchitectsContinuingProfessionalDevelopmentCoreCurriculumandintheUSAaspartoftheAmericanInstituteofArchitectsContinuingEducationSystem.
E-mail: [email protected]: +44(0)7789273478
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