Green roofs and living walls are a great alternative to integrating nature into urban architecture. We all have heard about billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s house, Antilia, which is constructed with vertical gardens of green walls covered in vegetation. Not only does it look appealing from the outside, but it also improves air quality by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. Studies have also revealed that exposure to green roofs or living walls can positively impact mental health and well-being.
Green roofs are the living vegetation planted on the roofs of the buildings. These sustainable and environmentally friendly GRs have been proven to improve buildings’ energy performance and help combat the urban heat island (UNI) effect by reducing the atmospheric temperature while providing human thermal comfort. In the ScienceDirect article Green Roofs As A Nature-Based Solution For Improving Urban Sustainability: Progress And Perspectives, it is revealed that green roofs can reduce the cooling load by up to 70% while achieving an indoor air temperature reduction of up to 15 degrees Celsius, this offers a major improvement of thermal comfort conditions.
Today, many people in London, Paris, and North American cities are inclined towards rooftop vegetation to reap its benefits. Green roofs are also gaining popularity in Singapore, Hong Kong, India, and South American cities. As per Grand View Research, the global green roof market was valued at USD 1.1 billion in 2019 and is predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17% from 2020 to 2027. Integrating green roofs and living walls into urban architecture offers numerous benefits that contribute to sustainable development and a greener future. By integrating these innovative elements, the urban environment will become more environmentally friendly and visually appealing, giving a better quality of life.
As industries continue to expand and urbanisation becomes a global trend, sustainable urban architecture is a need of the hour. According to scientific reports, green walls improve office workers’ skin quality and enhance their immune systems as they breathe in quality air. With urban architecture, green roofs, and living walls exhibit exciting opportunities to create sustainable, livable, and environmentally-friendly that benefit everyone, including present as well as future generations.
