Evaluation of green walls as a passive acoustic insulation system for buildings

Greenery on buildings is being consolidated as an interesting way to improve the quality of life in urban environments. Among the benefits that are associated with greenery systems for buildings, such as energy savings, biodiversity support, and storm-water control, there is also noise attenuation....

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Azkorra Larrinaga, Zaloa, Perez, Gabriel, Coma, Julia, Cabeza, Luisa F., Bures, Silvia, Alvaro, J.E., Ercoreca González, Aitor, Urrestarazu Gavilán, Miguel
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2015
País:España
Institución:Universidad del País Vasco
Repositorio:Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigación
OAI Identifier:oai:addi.ehu.eus:10810/65220
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10810/65220
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:vertical greenery systems
acoustic insulation
airborne sound insulation
sound absorption coefficient
noise reduction
hydroponic systems
Descripción
Sumario:Greenery on buildings is being consolidated as an interesting way to improve the quality of life in urban environments. Among the benefits that are associated with greenery systems for buildings, such as energy savings, biodiversity support, and storm-water control, there is also noise attenuation. Despite the fact that green walls are one of the most promising building greenery systems, few studies of their sound insulation potential have been conducted. In addition, there are different types of green walls; therefore, available data for this purpose are not only sparse but also scattered. To gather knowledge about the contribution of vertical greenery systems to noise reduction, especially a modular-based green wall, two different standardised laboratory tests were conducted. The main results were a weighted sound reduction index (Rw) of 15 dB and a weighted sound absorption coefficient (α) of 0.40. It could be concluded that green walls have significant potential as a sound insulation tool for buildings but that some design adjustments should be performed, such as improving the efficiency of sealing the joints between the modular pieces.