Effects of green curtains to improve the living environment

Abstract

A green curtain means vertical planting of vines over a building surface. It is expected to improve indoor thermal environment of the building in summer, because it has a number of leaves shading a wall surface and windows of the building. However, it is also supposed to be obstacles to natural ventilation. Some experiments were done to confirm these environmental performances of green curtains. Model green curtains for the experiments were made of bitter gourd vines. A questionnaire survey for green curtain users was also carried out in Hamamatsu, Japan, to collect data about the amount of energy saved by green curtains and about the effect of green curtains on natural ventilation in residential houses. Results of the experiments and the survey indicate obvious effects of green curtains on indoor thermal environment.