Plant performance analysis of biofacades in a hot, arid Region of Qatar

Abstract

Green walls are a traditional system that has been rediscovered for addressing and combating effects of climate change on the urban environment. The greening of walls is one of the sustainable techniques towards green architecture, and it has become a significant part of the passive design. This research employed an integrated approach to create healthy urban spaces and improve people’s overall quality of life through introducing the concept of biofacades to make a city more sustainable. Today, accelerated growth in urban development is occurring in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, including in large-scale urban developments and architecture and infrastructure projects, causing significant changes to the built environment. This paper assesses the performance of biofacades in Doha’s hot and arid climate. For this purpose, four biofacade walls were installed on the campus of Qatar University, with plant species that are suitable for this region. These walls were regularly monitored to observe the adaptation of the biofacades to prevailing climatic conditions in Qatar. The project had three main steps. Step 1 involved the selection of suitable plants that could survive in Doha; Step 2 entailed the distribution of plants in four different orientations across the building; and Step 3 included monitoring, testing, measurement, observation, and analysis to determine the most suitable plants for the biofacade. The findings of this research will enable architects and engineers to formulate guidelines for the selection of appropriate plants to improve energy performance and reduce the urban heat island effect in the arid climate of Qatar.