Developing a digital workflow to estimate green walls’ performance for enhancing indoor air quality.

Abstract

Vertical greening systems, or living walls, are increasingly used indoors due to their potential to improve air quality by mitigating excess Carbon Dioxide (CO2) levels (Dominici et al., 2021). This study introduces a parametric workflow that utilizes digital light simulations to estimate the performance of green walls in terms of their ability to perform photosynthesis and subsequently reduce indoor CO2 levels. To accomplish this, the workflow uses the Rhino inside Revit plugin to identify any Revit model and then uses Rhino plugins, Grasshopper and Honeybee to simulate cumulative radiation on a grid of sensors on each leaf, after that the plant leaves' capacity to perform photosynthesis based on the compensation point of light and calculates the amount of CO2 reduction accordingly was tested. The workflow was applied in the study using a sample plant, Epipremnum aureum. This research demonstrates that early-stage simulations using the proposed parametric workflow can provide valuable insights for architects and designers to make informed decisions regarding the positioning and orientation of indoor green walls. The study suggests that different performance outcomes can be estimated depending on light levels, highlighting the importance of using sunlight simulation strategies in the early design stages when considering implementing green walls in indoor environments. However, further validation of the proposed workflow against physical lab tests is necessary to enhance its reliability and accuracy. Highlights• Avoiding the negative effect of using vegetationbased solutions such as green walls by implementing early stages studies. • Proposing performance-based simulation to bridge the gap between lab testing and in-situ studies of green walls. • Enhancing indoor air quality by using early stages simulations for green wall implementations. • A Parametric workflow to estimate and optimize green walls performance in early design stages.