Researchers unveil a green brick facade with a cooling effect
Lucerne/Winterthur - Researchers at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and Zurich University of Applied Sciences, in collaboration with partners, have developed a green brick facade. GreenBrick is designed to lower ambient temperatures around buildings by up to 4 degrees while reducing water and resource consumption, as well as noise pollution.
Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), in collaboration with Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and companies from the construction industry, has developed the GreenBrick green facade system. According to a statement, the research project, supported by the Swiss Agency for Innovation Promotion Innosuisse, combines clay bricks with mosses and drought-tolerant plants such as ferns and cranesbill.
GreenBrick operates on the principle of evaporative cooling. Simulations and field tests show a cooling effect of up to 4 degrees Celsius in the immediate vicinity of buildings. “The effect is particularly noticeable in densely built-up urban areas with limited wind,” said building technology expert Markus Koschenz of HSLU.
At 1.3 liters of water per square meter per day, the system requires less water than existing green roof solutions and is designed to be irrigated primarily with rainwater through a closed-loop system. GreenBrick is also intended to promote biodiversity and improve sound insulation. Thanks to its modular design, individual elements can be replaced, dismantled, or reused. The facade system is suitable for both new construction and the retrofitting of existing buildings, and can be combined with other curtain wall systems, such as solar panels. “Our goal was to create a resource-efficient green facade that makes a tangible contribution to quality of life, especially in urban areas,” materials designer Cornelia Gassler of HSLU is quoted as saying.
In addition to ZHAW, GreenBrick’s project partners include Skygardens AG (Fislisbach, Swiss canton of Aargau), Lüchinger Meyer Partner AG (Zurich), Waldhauser+Hermann AG (Münchenstein, Swiss canton of Basel-Landschaft), Wagner System AG (Willisau, Swiss canton of Lucerne), and Zürcher Ziegeleien AG (Regensdorf, Swiss canton of Zurich).
Hochschule Luzern Architektur & Technik
