Annual assessment of the active plant wall on indoor environment from summer, transition season and winter

Abstract

Plants not only enhance the aesthetic appeal of indoor spaces, but also contribute to the regulation of the indoor thermal environment. In this study, an active plant wall (APW) integrated with air-conditioning system to investigate its influence on the indoor thermal conditions, as well as examine participants′ skin temperature and subjective perceptions. In transition season and winter, the results demonstrated that APW led to a decrease in indoor temperature by 1.35℃ and 1.03℃, respectively. The mean relative humidity (RH) enlarged by 11.6% and 20.76%. In summer, APW caused a rise of 0.18℃ in indoor temperature and led to a decline of 2.7% in RH. Throughout the year, APW controlled air speed at 0.2–0.3 m/s, reducing the CO2 concentration by 42.35ppm, 43.83ppm and 46.83ppm, respectively. APW brought the mean skin temperature (MST) in Room B closer to neutral skin temperature of 33.2℃ throughout the year. Additionally, APW raised overall air fresh and thermal comfortable levels throughout the year to around “Fresh (+ 1)” and “Slightly comfortable (+ 1)”, respectively. The findings suggested that APW can enhance indoor air quality and thermal comfortable levels throughout the year.