A systematic analysis on the efficiency and sustainability of green facades and roofs

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2024-07, Vol.932, p.173107-173107, Article 173107
• Main Authors: de Oliveira Santos, Thácia Danily, Pacheco, Fernando António Leal, Fernandes, Luís Filipe Sanches
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Efficiency; Green facades; Green roofs; PRISMA method; Sustainability
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173107

In the modern urban space, green infrastructures have been gaining increasing relevance due to their positive impacts on sustainability issues, visual appeal, and the well-being of individuals. On the other hand, environmental sustainability has become mandatory in the agenda of governments and organizations. Thus, a systematic analysis on the efficiency and sustainability of green facades and roofs spanning key applications, benefits and implementation constraints is welcome. In this paper, we employed the PRISMA method to investigate how these matters were addressed in the recent literature, comprising articles published in scientific journals indexed to the SCOPUS database. Following the web search, selection, systematization, and analysis of that literature, it was revealed that the efficiency of green facades and roofs has been mostly associated with energy and thermal performance in buildings, which brings unequivocal multiple benefits (e.g., consumption savings, mitigation of urban heat island effects) despite of some barriers (e.g., installation and maintenance costs). Other discussions about green facades and roofs involved their valuable roles in stormwater management, considering their retention capacity, and in the treatment of wastewater for reuse in non-potable applications, considering their filtering capacity. It was also discovered the need to improve green infrastructures through the use of cleaner technologies and recycled materials, selection of plants that are appropriate for the local climate, and minimization of construction, transportation, disposal and maintenance costs. Efficiency and sustainability in these cases was prognosed to succeed if the costs were minimized throughout the entire life cycle, and complemented with incentive policies (e.g., tax reduction, agile administrative processes) and collaboration among multidisciplinary teams comprising designers, builders, municipality planners and the academic and market worlds. [Display omitted] •Recent studies on green facades and roofs focuses on thermal and energy performances.•Other topics relate with stormwater management and water treatment and reuse.•Within these broad applications, key issues are costs across the entire life cycle.•Benefits and barriers to green facade and roof implementation are also addressed.•Future green facades and roofs should employ clean technologies and use recycled materials.