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Advances in Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Green Buildings
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Advances in Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Green Buildings

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Building".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 December 2023) | Viewed by 12262

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Amaryllis Audenaert

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Group BEASt (Built Environment Assessing Sustainability), Department of Civil Engineering Technology, University of Antwerp, Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium
Interests: sustainability assessment; life cycle analysis; life cycle cost analysis; green buildings; nature-based building solutions; circular economy; climate adaptation; climate mitigation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Bert Belmans

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Research Group BEASt (Built Environment Assessing Sustainability), Department of Civil Engineering Technology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
2. Department of Architectural Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
Interests: green infrastructure and buildings; climate adaptation; climate mitigation; nature-based solutions; circular economy; sustainability assessment; building physics; heat, air and moisture transfer; building energy modelling; building ventilation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue covers “Advances in Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Green Buildings”. The focus is both on nature-based building materials and nature-based building-related technologies and systems, such as green roofs and vertical greening systems. Research with the potential to contribute to a wider adoption and documentation of nature-based solutions for sustainable green buildings is also welcomed, as long as it is within the general scope of the journal Sustainability. The latter can include, but is not limited to, research that takes an economic, legislative or LCA/LCCA perspective, as well as practically oriented research, e.g., related to irrigation, maintenance, case studies, etc.

Climate change and environmental pollution (the urban heat island effect, noise pollution, extreme weather events, air pollution, etc.) induced by massive fossil energy consumption and increasing population numbers are significantly threatening the sustainable development of human society. In parallel, human and animal ecosystems are threatened by the mining of raw materials for use in the construction sector. To address these issues, traditional building materials and building solutions should be replaced by more sustainable alternatives. In this context, nature-based building solutions may provide both good alternatives for current practices and offer novel solutions able to increase the sustainability and/or climate resilience of the built environment.

Currently, nature-based solutions for sustainable green buildings are insufficiently documented in the state-of-the-art, and, yet, they have to catch-up and compete with the solid research base built up around traditional building solutions over centuries. Moreover, they are often faced with economic and legislative uncertainties, doubts as to whether they can offer the same performance as traditional building solutions during their lifetime, doubts about their needs for maintenance and questions regarding ‘greenwashing’. To create a fair and level playing field, the guest editors welcome all theoretical and empirical studies exploring green transformation paths of the construction sector by means of nature-based solutions for sustainable green buildings, either by adding to a broad knowledge base and/or through research aiming to remove the obstacles faced today by nature-based solutions. As a whole, in this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews covering nature-based solutions for green buildings within the general aims and scope of Sustainability are welcome.

Research topics may include, but are not limited to:

  • Novel nature-based solutions in the construction sector (materials, components and systems);
  • Theoretical modeling and case study research into the physical impacts and climate adaptation potential of nature-based solutions (hygrothermal behavior, air purification, noise attenuation, shading, moisture buffering, etc.);
  • Advances in commissioning and maintenance of green roofs and vertical greening systems;
  • Advances in policy design for nature-based green building solutions;
  • Advances in sustainability assessments of nature-based green building solutions (LCA);
  • Advances in life cycle costing of nature-based green building solutions (LCCA);
  • Advances in nature-based green building solutions in the context of circular construction;
  • Nature-based green building solutions and heritage buildings;
  • Nature-based green building solutions and sustainable development;
  • Carbon footprint of nature-based green building solutions.

Prof. Dr. Amaryllis Audenaert
Prof. Dr. Bert Belmans
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • green buildings
  • nature-based building solutions
  • nature-based building materials
  • vertical greening systems
  • green roofs
  • green walls

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4738 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Greywater as a Sustainable Source of Irrigation for Ornamental Crops in Green Walls—A Study of Plant and Soil Using Ruellia tuberosa
by Shaheeda Marakkar Anangadan, Snigdhendubala Pradhan, Jayaprakash Saththasivam, Gordon McKay and Hamish Robert Mackey
Sustainability 2024, 16(3), 1183; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031183 - 31 Jan 2024
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1548
Abstract
Green walls and roofs are sustainable building systems with several benefits. However, the irrigation requirements of these building systems conflict with water sustainability goals in water-scarce places. This study investigates using greywater directly to irrigate ornamental species for such situations by examining the [...] Read more.
Green walls and roofs are sustainable building systems with several benefits. However, the irrigation requirements of these building systems conflict with water sustainability goals in water-scarce places. This study investigates using greywater directly to irrigate ornamental species for such situations by examining the effects of freshwater and greywater irrigation on Ruellia tuberosa growth, plant health and soil characteristics. Five replicates for each condition were grown for 91 days. Greywater irrigation led to a 15% higher plant growth height, a 31% higher plant biomass (p = 0.065), and a 71% increase in stem biomass (p < 0.001) compared to freshwater irrigation. However, greywater-irrigated plants had reduced chlorophyll content (10.7%, p < 0.001), and increased leaf chlorosis (p = 0.003), likely caused by stress from laundry and detergent chemicals. Greywater irrigation led to greater mineral content in greywater-irrigated plant biomass and soil for all minerals tested, most notably boron, which was deficient in the soil. Greywater-irrigated soil also had a higher organic content according to FTIR and electron dispersive spectroscopy. Greywater irrigation improved nutritional and soil conditions, including phosphate, which helped Ruellia tuberosa flourish. This study suggests raw greywater can replace freshwater in water-scarce climates for green wall irrigation instead of high-energy onsite greywater treatment systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Green Buildings)
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18 pages, 9032 KiB  
Article
Preliminary Research on Moss-Based Biocomposites as an Alternative Substrate in Moss Walls
by Rafael Alvarez Gutiérrez, Johan Blom, Bert Belmans, Anouk De Bock, Lars Van den Bergh and Amaryllis Audenaert
Sustainability 2023, 15(23), 16500; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316500 - 2 Dec 2023
Viewed by 2265
Abstract
Addressing urban air pollution is a pressing challenge, prompting the exploration of mitigation strategies such as urban greening. However, certain innovative greening approaches, while promising, may inadvertently incorporate unsustainable elements that undermine their eco-friendly philosophy. In this context, our research focuses on addressing [...] Read more.
Addressing urban air pollution is a pressing challenge, prompting the exploration of mitigation strategies such as urban greening. However, certain innovative greening approaches, while promising, may inadvertently incorporate unsustainable elements that undermine their eco-friendly philosophy. In this context, our research focuses on addressing the replacement of a petroleum-based filter substrate in an existing ‘green’ outdoor air purification system that utilizes ‘moss filters’, known as a ‘moss wall’. This initiative is driven by concerns about microplastic leakage from the substrate and the need to optimize the moss wall system in terms of circularity. This preliminary study presents a crucial first step, aiming to assess the feasibility of developing a circular, bio-based plate as a replacement for the existing microfiber filter substrate. The focus is on the potential of this plate to recycle moss from the system itself as raw material, ensuring structural integrity and the ability to support its own weight. To achieve this goal, a series of controlled experiments were conducted in a laboratory setting using cellulose, corn starch, and metakaolin binders. Our findings indicated that cellulose was crucial for the structural integrity, starch significantly enhanced the sample strength, and metakaolin improved the water resistance. These insights culminated in the creation of a laboratory-scale moss-based composite prototype, with moss constituting more than half of the total mass. This prototype demonstrated promising results as a starting point for a more environmentally friendly and bio-based moss wall substrate. Subsequent research efforts will concentrate on optimizing the binder and fiber composition, evaluating and improving the bioreceptivity and filter properties, conducting outdoor testing, and scaling up the prototype for practical implementation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Green Buildings)
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18 pages, 14465 KiB  
Article
Viability of Living Moss for Indoor Green Walls: A Study on Temperature, Humidity, and Irrigation
by Harald G. Zechmeister, Leonie Möslinger, Azra Korjenic, Erich Streit, Abdulah Sulejmanovski, Patrick Niklas Frank and Esther Hummel
Sustainability 2023, 15(21), 15625; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115625 - 4 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3453
Abstract
There is an increasing demand for green plant walls in indoor environments because of their multifaced benefits, such as aesthetic appeal, indoor air quality improvement, or psychological well-being. Mosses are believed to be excellent for these walls due to their easy application and [...] Read more.
There is an increasing demand for green plant walls in indoor environments because of their multifaced benefits, such as aesthetic appeal, indoor air quality improvement, or psychological well-being. Mosses are believed to be excellent for these walls due to their easy application and maintenance. However, so far there is no evidence for their indoor survival. In this study, we tested the moss species Hypnum cupressiforme, Bryachythecium rutabulum, Eurrhynchium angustirete, Thuidium tamariscinum, Streblotrichum convolutum, Syntrichia ruralis, and Ceratodon purpureus for indoor use in living moss walls. We evaluated their vitality through the monitoring of leaf coloration over a twelve month period, subjecting them to varying temperature ranges (14–20 °C), humidity levels (60–100%), and diverse irrigation methods (drip and spray irrigation, 300–1500 mL per day) within controlled climate chambers. Depending on the combination of these variables, mosses survived up to six months. Hypnum cupressiforme and Ceratodon purpureus performed best. However, as the time span of survival was limited, the use of living mosses for indoor purposes at the current stage cannot be recommended. An additional problem is that the requisition of living material such as in the culturing of moss under horticultural conditions is difficult and harvesting from natural environments is detrimental to most habitats. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Green Buildings)
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19 pages, 6471 KiB  
Article
Mapping Vertical Greening on Urban Built Heritage Exposed to Environmental Stressors–A Case Study in Antwerp, Belgium
by Eda Kale, Marie De Groeve, Lena Pinnel, Yonca Erkan, Piraye Hacigüzeller, Scott Allan Orr and Tim De Kock
Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 12987; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712987 - 29 Aug 2023
Viewed by 2364
Abstract
Urbanisation amplifies environmental stressors, including heat, air and noise pollution, while constraining horizontal space for green areas. Vertical greening (VG) offers a sustainable alternative to mitigate these environmental stressors and enhance the well-being of urban residents, particularly in densely built areas. However, heritage [...] Read more.
Urbanisation amplifies environmental stressors, including heat, air and noise pollution, while constraining horizontal space for green areas. Vertical greening (VG) offers a sustainable alternative to mitigate these environmental stressors and enhance the well-being of urban residents, particularly in densely built areas. However, heritage buildings are often excluded from VG initiatives due to concerns regarding potential damage caused by invasive plants. Nonetheless, these concerns mainly apply to abandoned structures lacking proper maintenance, overlooking the implementations of VG on urban built heritage. This study addresses this research gap through an evidence-based framework under three main research questions; first, by studying the presence of VG implementations in urban built heritage among neighbourhoods that lack green spaces and face high environmental stressors; second, by investigating the heritage designation status of buildings with VG; last, by analysing street morphologies where most VG implementations are observed. Antwerp, Belgium, a historical city actively promoting VG initiatives, is selected as the study area. Environmental risk index maps for historic urban areas are used for determining case studies among 63 neighbourhoods. VG implementations in three selected neighbourhoods are documented using GIS and field surveying methods. The results reveal that VG is implemented on up to 7–14% of buildings in these neighbourhoods. In the Historical Centre, 59% of these VG implementations are observed on heritage buildings. In densely built neighbourhoods with limited green space, neither narrow streets nor the heritage designation status of buildings hinders VG implementations. This illustrates the great potential for heritage buildings in adopting such types of nature-based solutions, nevertheless requiring proper guidance and integration strategies for implementing VG on heritage buildings. While these results are specific to the study locations, they provide valuable insights for policymakers and urban planners, supporting them to further explore the environmental contributions of VG on heritage buildings and create effective integration strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Green Buildings)
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13 pages, 3913 KiB  
Article
Preliminary Experimental Laboratory Methods to Analyse the Insulation Capacity of Vertical Greening on Temperature and Relative Humidity
by Marie De Groeve, Eda Kale, Scott Allan Orr and Tim De Kock
Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11758; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511758 - 30 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1840
Abstract
Ground-based vertical greening is one of the well-known nature-based solutions that is widely used in city centres due to its small footprint and the large surface area of vegetation. Although the impact of vertical greening on the local microclimate has already been extensively [...] Read more.
Ground-based vertical greening is one of the well-known nature-based solutions that is widely used in city centres due to its small footprint and the large surface area of vegetation. Although the impact of vertical greening on the local microclimate has already been extensively researched, there is a poor understanding of the impact of vertical greening on historic building fabrics. The impact of vertical greening on microclimate environments has primarily been researched through in situ case-study monitoring; as such, there are currently no standard protocols for investigating this impact in laboratory studies. By performing simulations in controlled laboratory conditions, the influence of vertical greening on specific environmental conditions can be assessed as well as the significance for key mechanisms, such as the insulation capacity of a vegetation layer. Experimental results on the insulation capacity of vertical greening illustrate that the presence of vertical greening reduces the rate of heat exchange between the wall and the surrounding environment compared to the bare wall, resulting in a delayed temperature response of the wall. This delay varies across the seasons or its intensity, which is represented, for instance, by a more pronounced delay in the wall’s surface temperature response in summer than in winter. However, the magnitude of the insulation capacity is more pronounced in winter (up to +2.1 °C) compared to summertime. The insulation capacity of vertical greening is more likely to have a significant impact on façades with a lack of solar irradiation, such as façades facing north or shaded by built surroundings. This experimental investigation can help build an understanding of these processes more fundamentally and support the interpretation of in situ case-study monitoring as well as provide a standardized approach to investigate the environmental performance of vertical greening across climatic regions and seasons. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Green Buildings)
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