Vertical Greenery Systems

Noise pollution is a phenomenon that affects many large cities and is caused by several factors, one of which is traffic noise due to the high population density in urban areas. This paper aims to investigate three retrofitting techniques to reduce traffic-induced noise on the main faç ade of the architectural department building at Cairo University. Initial physical measurements recorded a minimum noise level of 63.9 dB(A), exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) standards. The first technique explores geometry manipulation by altering the inclination angles (5° and 15°) of the faç ade protrusions. The second technique evaluates two sound-absorbing cladding materials: green wall systems and coarse concrete tiling. The third technique combines the two approaches, applying the cladding materials to the optimized angles. Using I-Simpa as a computational simulation tool, the sound pressure levels (SPL) resulting from each technique were analyzed. The results indicate that the base case scenario with a 0.75-meter protrusion achieved an average SPL reduction of 1.7 dB(A) with a green wall and 2.4 dB(A) with coarse concrete. However, implementing a combination of techniques-including increased protrusion, inclination, and surface treatment-proved more effective, achieving a maximum SPL reduction of 2.8 dB(A) from the highest recorded level. This study demonstrates the potential of integrated retrofitting strategies to address urban noise pollution effectively.

Vertical greening systems can help mitigate the urban heat islands, increase the thermal efficiency of the buildings, save cooling energy and enhance air quality by using the vegetation's natural processes. However, since vertical greening schemes need materials and energy to be built, there are questions about whether they actually deserve to be adopted and how their environmental efficiency can be improved. The study aims to evaluate verticalgreening systems' environmental efficiency and to study essential factors for efficient and sustainable building construction.

The vertical greening technique offers a wide range of benefits. However, due to inadequate study and technical knowledge in this area, the efficiency of vertical greenery in providing a thermally comfortable indoor environment is not well known which acts as a main obstacle to its widespread adoption. This article reviews some of the successful vertical greening projects and field experiments performed to evaluate the thermal performance of vertical greening in tropical climates, particularly in hot and humid regions to conclude with an efficient vertical greening system for exterior wall application to provide a comfortable indoor environment in hot and humid climate.

The vertical greenery system (VGS) is a passive shading and urban greening solution for multi-storey buildings. Buildings installed with VGS could benefi t from lower indoor air temperature, which in turn will save energy. As cities are experiencing urban heat island due to excessive development and overpopulation, building occupants turn to mechanical cooling to cool the interior space. Normally, the VGS is installed with living aesthetic plants that function to absorb solar radiation. However, in this paper, Psophocarpus Tetrogonobulus (Winged Bean Plant) is selected as the plant medium based on its ability to provide vegetable pod, have longer lifespan and withstand heat gain from long sun exposure. This edible VGS could lower the building energy cooling load and at the same time provide food production at a household level. This paper presents a series of recently measured data from the use of Test Cell (ground level) at University Sains Malaysia, Penang. The VGS managed to reduce the surface temperature by an average of 2.4°C, while the maximum surface temperature drop achieved was 6.4°C. These promising results

The vertical greening technique offers a wide range of benefits. However, due to inadequate study and technical knowledge in this area, the efficiency of vertical greenery in providing a thermally comfortable indoor environment is not well known which acts as a main obstacle to its widespread adoption. This article reviews some of the successful vertical greening projects and field experiments performed to evaluate the thermal performance of vertical greening in tropical climates, particularly in hot and humid regions to conclude with an efficient vertical greening system for exterior wall application to provide a comfortable indoor environment in hot and humid climate.

Background: Climate change has continued to pose a global concern, as the resulting effect of the increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions continues to have significant consequences on the planet and its inhabitants. One of the major sectors contributing to the greenhouse effect is the healthcare sector, however, it is one of the sectors that has been overlooked and under reported. Objective: This article aims at reviewing the carbon footprint of healthcare facilities in Nigeria and its impact on climate change, while highlighting important and effective strategies towards addressing it. Methods: Data was obtained through a systematic review of available research articles obtained online via PubMed and Google scholar search engines, using the key words; climate change, healthcare facilities, global warming, and carbon footprint. Results: Effective policy and regulatory frame works are essential towards addressing the carbon footprint of healthcare facilities; however a lot of gap ...

Green noise barriers have become an alternative means of reducing urban traffic noise. In this paper, the acoustic performance of a modular greenery noise barrier is evaluated. In situ measurements of noise reflection were performed using an experimental prototype to estimate the sound absorption coefficients. These coefficients were found to have values of approximately 0.7, higher than those previously found in laboratory measurements for a similar system with a lower vegetation density. The obtained values were input into software for predicting environmental noise to analyse the expected performance of such barriers, particularly in the case of a pair of parallel barriers. A comparison with the results for reflective barriers indicates a significant improvement in sound attenuation of up to 4 dBA. The values are similar and even superior to results reported by other authors regarding the effectiveness of absorptive treatments applied to parallel barriers, and furthermore, the proposed barriers offer an aesthetic element for environmental integration.

Vertical gardens, called "Greenery Systems", are a new tendency in modern constructions. They are applied increasingly more frequently on those buildings where energy and ecological considerations, environmentally friendly, are a priority. Some main features of these technologies are: thermal insulation improvement, environmental pollution filtering, acoustic absorption, water retention and a friendly aesthetic appearance. Vertical gardens can have dissimilar acoustic features because they depend on the kind of support, substrate and vegetation used. For this reason, nowadays, collected data are very diverse and incomplete and it is necessary to expand the data available to provide more alternatives with practical application. In this work, acoustic absorption of modular vertical greening was studied. Each module was developed with a rigid PVC base covered with fibrous material forming pockets, where the substrate and vegetation were placed. The plant species that were used are some of the most widespread ones in the region, in order to achieve a good adaptation and simple maintenance.

The environmental problems of cities have caused an increase in energy consumption in buildings, which can be slowed by improving the buildings’ energy efficiency. Energy consumption in buildings is affected by the building envelope, and integration of the greenery with the building envelope will contribute in saving energy and increasing the buildings’ energy efficiency. Therefore, the vertical greenery system (VGS) has received a lot of attention in recent decades as a model whose implementation can increase the energy efficiency of buildings. Defining the basic VGS system implementation will allow engineers to systematically approach the process of VGS system implementation and help them choose the best VGS system model for a selected site or building.

This study aims to study carbon monoxide (CO) concentration in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (FTKL), which involves primary data through field studies with a quantitative approach. The CO sampling method involves 12 observation stations covering six main zones for eight days. Data are collected twice a day at night and day between 01:00-04:00 AM and 1:00-4:00 PM. The duration of the sampling is 30 minutes for one sample. Sampling time may vary for stations but still within the stipulated time. The instrument to measure CO is the Model Carbon Monoxide meter AS700A. The Analysis is descriptive. The findings show that the lowest value at night is stations 3 and 10, with an average concentration value of 5 parts per million (ppm). Simultaneously, the highest CO value in the afternoon is at station 1 and station 4, with a concentration of 12 ppm. The overall average at each station is high, between 7 to 12 ppm. Most stations show readings exceeding the WHO's standard (5 ppm/hour). However, CO's concentration is considerably under control because it does not exceed the standard limits of NAAQS and DOE. Overall, CO concentrations are higher in the day than in the morning and on weekdays than on weekends. In conclusion, vehicle increase significantly contributes to increased CO concentrations in Kuala Lumpur. The proactive and effective measures to reduce the well-being of life to maintain human health and the environment.

Mitigation of urban air pollution has been constrained by the availability of urban spaces for greening. Green walls offer the prospect of greening spaces and surfaces without requiring large areas. Green walls can largely be divided into green facades where the aboveground parts of plants rooted in soil and pots grow directly on, and living walls holding bags, planter tiles, trays and vessels containing substrates in which plants are grown. Green facades and living walls can be continuous or modular with repeating units that can be assembled for extension. This review aims to present the effectiveness of green walls in removing different types of air pollutants in indoor and outdoor environments. It examined more than 45 peer-reviewed recently published scholarly articles to achieve the aim. It highlights that most of the studies on green walls focus on particulate matter removal and green walls could effectively remove particulate matter though the effectiveness varies with plant ...

Green spaces have become the most threatened by urban growth, and the decline in these areas is a main cause of environmental and social problems with implications for human health and well-being. Vertical greenery systems have been proposed as a solution to restore the connection between the city and nature, particularly in compact and dense cities, where horizontal space is limited. This paper provides a literature review to examine the influence of outdoor and indoor vertical greenery systems on human health and well-being. The Web of Science and Scopus databases were chosen to survey peer-reviewed documents published until October 2022. A total of 73 documents were selected by the search. Over 71% of the documents were published over the last four years, and most of them focused on the environmental and thermal benefits of vertical greenery systems. Although these benefits could bring health and well-being outcomes, they were not objectively measured and quantified. Other additi...

Los jardines verticales forman parte de una de las tendencias tecnológicas constructivas más modernas, conocidas como “Greenery Systems”. Estas son aplicadas cada vez con más frecuencia en aquellas construcciones donde se priorizan consideraciones energéticas y ecológicas conciliables con el medio ambiente. Algunas de las características relevantes que presentan son la mejora del aislamiento térmico, el filtrado de polución ambiental, la absorción acústica, la retención de agua y una estética amigable. Los jardines verticales pueden poseer características acústicas disímiles entre ellos, debido a que dependen del tipo de soporte, sustrato y vegetación utilizada. Por ese motivo en la actualidad los datos existentes son muy variados e incompletos, y resulta necesario ampliar los mismos para disponer de mayores variantes constructivas con aplicación práctica. En este trabajo se estudió la absorción acústica de un sistema de jardín vertical del tipo modular. Cada módulo fue realizado so...

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention (Safe D.U.M.P) to improve the knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding the return and disposal of unused medications. Community-dwelling adults in Malaysia who could understand English were recruited from two healthcare events. Participants were asked to fill out the validated Return and Disposal of Unused Medications (ReDiUM) questionnaire (pre-intervention), view six educational intervention posters on how to dispose of unused medications (Safe D.U.M.P), then answer the ReDiUM questionnaire immediately after viewing the posters (post-intervention). A total of 390 out of 456 participants participated (response rate=85.5%). Most were female (71%) with a median age of 42 years. The overall knowledge of participants significantly increased from 60% to 80% (p<0.001). However, no improvement was seen regarding their overall attitude and practice. This outcome was as expected as it may be more difficult t...

Green façades or vertical greenery systems (VGSs) are continuously gaining attention among urbanists for improving the living comfort and energy efficiency in urban areas. However, modelling and simulating the thermal response of VGSs remains a research topic. This paper introduces a novel inverse modeling approach for modeling the thermal response of VGSs on building envelopes. The modelling approach considers the VGSs as a homogeneous layer with apparent thermo-physical properties. The approach optimizes the apparent thermo-physical properties by calibrating the inverse model using data generated by a detailed thermal response model of VGS or experimental data. It is shown that the predicted temperature of VGS deviates by less than ± 1.3 °C, while the heat flux on the inner side of the building envelope deviates by less than ± 0.3 W/m² compared to the measured values.

A mathematical model that governs unsteady coupled moisture and heat energy transport through an exterior wall covered with vegetation is described. The unknown temperature and moisture content of the plants and canopy air are represented by a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The transport of moisture and heat through the support structure, which includes insulation and soil layers, is defined in a series of nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs). After setting out the model, this article presents and discusses a set of numerical applications. First, a simplified system consisting of a brick wall covered with climbing vegetation is used to study the role of individual variables (e.g., wind speed, minimum stomatal internal leaf resistance, leaf area index, and short-wave extinction coefficient) on the hygrothermal behaviour of the green wall. Thereafter, more complex green wall systems comprising a bare concrete wall, mortar, cork-based insulation ...

This study aims to study carbon monoxide (CO) concentration in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (FTKL), which involves primary data through field studies with a quantitative approach. The CO sampling method involves 12 observation stations covering six main zones for eight days. Data are collected twice a day at night and day between 01:00-04:00 AM and 1:00-4:00 PM. The duration of the sampling is 30 minutes for one sample. Sampling time may vary for stations but still within the stipulated time. The instrument to measure CO is the Model Carbon Monoxide meter AS700A. The Analysis is descriptive. The findings show that the lowest value at night is stations 3 and 10, with an average concentration value of 5 parts per million (ppm). Simultaneously, the highest CO value in the afternoon is at station 1 and station 4, with a concentration of 12 ppm. The overall average at each station is high, between 7 to 12 ppm. Most stations show readings exceeding the WHO's standard (5 ppm/hour). However, CO's concentration is considerably under control because it does not exceed the standard limits of NAAQS and DOE. Overall, CO concentrations are higher in the day than in the morning and on weekdays than on weekends. In conclusion, vehicle increase significantly contributes to increased CO concentrations in Kuala Lumpur. The proactive and effective measures to reduce the well-being of life to maintain human health and the environment.

Over the years, many models have been created to estimate pollution inventories and fuel usage. These models can be divided into two types: travel-based and fuel-based. One of the most used travel-based models for estimating emission inventories is driving cycles. It can be used for a variety of different things, such as establishing pollution regulations, traffic control, and calculating journey time. For these goals, researchers have previously attempted to use easily available, well-established driving cycles. In many ways, however, the local environment differs greatly from that of the driving cycle's genesis. As a result, these cycles' applications have failed to provide high-quality results. This research aims to analyse the various approaches utilised for driving cycle construction in various locations of Malaysia under varied operational situations.

This research aims to develop a conceptual framework for a design support model for energy-efficient vertical green façade systems with a focus on their thermal and shading performance. The model applies forecasting and backcasting methods based on an extensive literature review and analysis by the authors, with a particular focus on the energy efficiency parameters of vertical green façades. The key parameters are related to the location (climate, surroundings, orientation of the façade), system type (air gap dimensions, irrigation, structure, and substrate type) and plant characteristics (leaf area index, leaf absorptivity, foliage thickness, stomatal resistance, typical leaf dimensions, leaf emissivity, transmission coefficient, radiation attenuation) determined from actual data collected from buildings. This holistic approach changes the perception of a user and an architect while facilitating the design process. The method’s limitations result from the scarcity of comparative e...

The vertical greening technique offers a wide range of benefits. However, due to inadequate study and technical knowledge in this area, the efficiency of vertical greenery in providing a thermally comfortable indoor environment is not well known which acts as a main obstacle to its widespread adoption. This article reviews some of the successful vertical greening projects and field experiments performed to evaluate the thermal performance of vertical greening in tropical climates, particularly in hot and humid regions to conclude with an efficient vertical greening system for exterior wall application to provide a comfortable indoor environment in hot and humid climate.

Green façades or vertical greenery systems (VGSs) are continuously gaining attention among urbanists for improving the living comfort and energy efficiency in urban areas. However, modelling and simulating the thermal response of VGSs remains a research topic. This paper introduces a novel inverse modeling approach for modeling the thermal response of VGSs on building envelopes. The modelling approach considers the VGSs as a homogeneous layer with apparent thermo-physical properties. The approach optimizes the apparent thermo-physical properties by calibrating the inverse model using data generated by a detailed thermal response model of VGS or experimental data. It is shown that the predicted temperature of VGS deviates by less than ± 1.3 °C, while the heat flux on the inner side of the building envelope deviates by less than ± 0.3 W/m² compared to the measured values.

Composting food waste is a delicate procedure that requires specific infrastructure and machinery that can gradually transform the wastes to nutrient-rich manure. Nevertheless, it also desires a constant attention by experts to achieve a quality outcome. Therefore, automatic composting machinery is a promising new idea as modern technology is taking over the world with it high efficiency. The objective of this paper is to build a fully automated composting machine that can help to reduce food waste using a more efficient and environmentally friendly method. This machine has its special features of heating, cooling and grinding which is simple and easy to use for every consumer at just one touch of a button. In addition, it uses a special filter to eliminate unpleasant odor to ensure consumer’s space of mind. The composting process uses node microcontroller (MCU) to run its operation and Internet of Things (IoT) with a developed mobile application to measure the amount of food waste,...

Green noise barriers have become an alternative means of reducing urban traffic noise. In this paper, the acoustic performance of a modular greenery noise barrier is evaluated. In situ measurements of noise reflection were performed using an experimental prototype to estimate the sound absorption coefficients. These coefficients were found to have values of approximately 0.7, higher than those previously found in laboratory measurements for a similar system with a lower vegetation density. The obtained values were input into software for predicting environmental noise to analyse the expected performance of such barriers, particularly in the case of a pair of parallel barriers. A comparison with the results for reflective barriers indicates a significant improvement in sound attenuation of up to 4 dBA. The values are similar and even superior to results reported by other authors regarding the effectiveness of absorptive treatments applied to parallel barriers, and furthermore, the proposed barriers offer an aesthetic element for environmental integration.

The aim of our study was to develop and validate the return and disposal of unused medications (ReDiUM), as there are currently no validated tools available (worldwide) to assess this. The ReDiUM was developed by an expert panel. It was then administered to community-dwelling adults, who could understand English, at baseline and 2 weeks later. A total of 338/354 participants agreed to participate (response rate = 95.4%). Flesch reading ease was 60. The overall Cronbach’s α was 0.703 (range = 0.609-0.762). At test-retest, κ values ranged from 0.244 to 0.523. Median total knowledge score was 60% (interquartile range = 40% to 70%). The majority of participants (94.4%) knew that improper drug disposal has harmful effects on the environment. However, their knowledge was low (11.2%) regarding the disposal of pressurized metered-dose inhalers in the garbage. The ReDiUM was found to be a valid and reliable instrument to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice on the ReDiUM in Malaysia.

This paper focuses on the passive cooling effect of herbal garden application in increasing thermal environment of modern house in hot humid climate. The study focused on horizontal gardern gap and vegetable plant type modification. The methodology was developed and applied using field measurement on indoor and outdoor. In increasing thermal environment, its impact, higher levels of horizontal garden gap (distance from house facade) produced the indoor air temperature reduction. Further, several modifications were found to produce a potential building cooling load reduction of up to 5°C by the use iresine herbstii hook (bayam merah). In fact, the optimum improvement of both outdoor and indoor environment was influenced by two major horizontal garden factors, namely, larger horizontal garden gap and type of herbal plant. Thus, it is suggested that appropriate guidelines, influencing implementation of these improvements could be implemented in order to increase thermal environment in ...

Greenery is recognized as strategic element for the design and the regeneration of sustainable cities and buildings. Building integrated vegetation (BIV) offers many ecological benefits and an increasing number of local authorities, urban planners and architects are aware of these. Living Wall Systems (LWSs) can be classified as a BIV. LWSs can be assumed as self-sufficient vertical gardens that are attached to the exterior or interior of a building. Their environmental properties are remarkable, for these cities encouraging architects to use them. Nevertheless technical standards dealing with design, construction and maintenance of LWSs are rarely available. The objective of the research is to stimulate the LWSs development providing a technical standard proposal with information, and specifications. It tackles some aspects that should be considered significant in a standard such as: design guidelines; maintenance procedures; requirements and indicators for assessing the expected performances. The outcome of the paper can be used a first framework to make available harmonized information to stakeholders engaged in design, off-site and on-site production, as well as in operation and repair. The standard proposal encourages innovative and responsible LWS development, with a focus on ecological requirements. The proposal standard was implemented in consistency to an Italian standard (UNI 11235:2015). The UNI 11235 contains the instructions for designing, building up, monitoring and maintaining the green roofs. Although UNI 11235 is not an international standard it is based on a robust framework that can be applied at global scale and most importantly to LWS.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention (Safe D.U.M.P) to improve the knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding the return and disposal of unused medications. Community-dwelling adults in Malaysia who could understand English were recruited from two healthcare events. Participants were asked to fill out the validated Return and Disposal of Unused Medications (ReDiUM) questionnaire (pre-intervention), view six educational intervention posters on how to dispose of unused medications (Safe D.U.M.P), then answer the ReDiUM questionnaire immediately after viewing the posters (post-intervention). A total of 390 out of 456 participants participated (response rate=85.5%). Most were female (71%) with a median age of 42 years. The overall knowledge of participants significantly increased from 60% to 80% (p<0.001). However, no improvement was seen regarding their overall attitude and practice. This outcome was as expected as it may be more difficult t...

Environmental pollution is a complex and rapidly evolving challenge faced by urban environments. University campuses are susceptible to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions arising from energy use, particularly due to vehicular movement, solid waste generation and disposal, and electricity generation. The impact of GHG emissions, particularly carbon dioxide (CO 2) on climate change, mainly global warming, which has emerged a contemporary concern. The recent increase in the number of proposals for regulatory legislations on emission control indicates the need for a clear methodology to address GHG emissions, as well as their environmental impacts. This paper deals with CO 2 emission arising from energy used and solid waste within the campus of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru. The objective of this study is only the environmental aspect, related to carbon emission from energy used in the study area under review. This emission sources on UTM campus include, transportation, electricity and waste generation. This work reviews the application of compliance plans and approaches for the monitoring and control of environmentally sustainable parameters and categories. The performance of each model which reflects the sustainability achievement goals was determined. Constraints to the practice of sustainability concepts are identified and measures to improve sustainability levels are suggested. It is concluded that by following the standard set by Universitas Indonesia (UI) ranking, sustainability coupled with, enabling environment will be enhanced for universities' dwellers.

There have been many biomimetic research works which look into the relationship between nature and architecture in order to propose an innovative solution. People have been considering nature as an inspiring source of knowledge. It is also a mentor and measure in creating an innovative solution. This trend is known as biomimicry. However, the basic concept of biomimicry is not merely copying the nature, but it is an abstraction of nature's fundamental principle and function. This study aims to discover the potential of a tropical rainforest as an effective microclimate modifier in the urban setting. By using the 'top-down' or 'problem-based' biomimetic approach, the canopy layers of tropical rainforest can be generated into a multi-layer planting system, as a part of urban green infrastructure. Observation, documentation, and LAI measurement were conducted in this research to determine the appropriate species to be planted in a multi-layer planting concept. The three selected layers were defined based on the density and characteristic of the leaves as well as the Leaf Area Index (LAI). Edible and/or medicinal plants were fully considered in this research to highlight the food security issue and farm-to-table movement. In the future, the recommended plants species will be beneficial as a guideline to determine the appropriate species to be planted on a balcony of a high-rise building in tropical urban setting.

After decades of fast growth, the scarcity of land in cities causes many buildings to be constructed very close to expressways, exposing occupants to serious noise pollution. In recent years, sustainable cities have found that greenery is a key element in addressing this noise pollution, giving rise to the popularity of vertical greenery systems (VGS). This research has two objectives. The first involves the study of eight different vertical greenery systems installed in HortPark, Singapore to evaluate their acoustics impacts on the insertion loss of building walls. Experiment shows a stronger attenuation at low to middle frequencies due to the absorbing effect of substrate while a smaller attenuation is observed at high frequencies due to scattering from greenery. Generally, VGS 2, 7 and 8 exhibit relatively better insertion loss. The second objective aims to determine the sound absorption coefficient of the vertical greenery system constructed in the reverberation chamber which is found to have one of the highest values compared with other building materials and furnishings. Furthermore, as frequencies increases, the sound absorption coefficient increases. In addition, it is observed that the sound absorption coefficient increases with greater greenery coverage.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention (Safe D.U.M.P) to improve the knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding the return and disposal of unused medications. Community-dwelling adults in Malaysia who could understand English were recruited from two healthcare events. Participants were asked to fill out the validated Return and Disposal of Unused Medications (ReDiUM) questionnaire (pre-intervention), view six educational intervention posters on how to dispose of unused medications (Safe D.U.M.P), then answer the ReDiUM questionnaire immediately after viewing the posters (post-intervention). A total of 390 out of 456 participants participated (response rate=85.5%). Most were female (71%) with a median age of 42 years. The overall knowledge of participants significantly increased from 60% to 80% (p<0.001). However, no improvement was seen regarding their overall attitude and practice. This outcome was as expected as it may be more difficult t...

Chin Siong, for the encouragement, guidance and criticism, without which this thesis would not have been the same as presented. My sincere appreciation goes to all my colleagues, friends and others whom space will not permit me to mention for the assistance provided at various occasions and for the special kind of friendship extended to me. I must express my appreciation for the cooperation of the entire members of staff of Faculty Alam Bina. I will also like to thank the staff of the Assets and Facilities Department. (Harta Bina) UTM, particularly Mr Khayrun Nizam, Mr. Sharima, and Mr. Amir Hamza for their cooperation during the data collection for this research, as well as Dr. Hassan Chizari for assisting in the development of MUCET. I also wish to appreciate the kindness of Prof. Said Idid Abidin, Prof. Mahbob Salim, Prof Rosdan and Dr. Rosli. I could not have anticipated what your support and friendship would mean to me over the course of this journey. In fact you made this process so much bigger than the degree itself and for that I thank you. This thesis and the topic of university campus sustainability impassioned me. I glorified Allah for the inspiration and thank Dr. Chandrasekhar, for boosting my confidence early in my journey when I desperately needed it. Most of all, I need to extend a special gratitude to Dr. Mohammed Zali Shah for the access given to me, I am truly glad I ventured over to your office to solicit for your assistance and I am very grateful for your contributions. I also wish to recognize Alh. Jubril Ajayi for his contributions and support, I will forever remain indebted. Finally, I need to thank my mother, Mrs F. A. Adeyemi, my wife, Mrs M. O. Abdul-Azeez and my children for their patience, prayers and love. I certainly share this accomplishment with all of you.

A very large component of the maintenance cost of any real estate property is the electricity consumption cost. The electricity consumption cost of a 700-acre university campus in Malaysia would reach an overall yearly operating expenditure of nearly RM 1 billion. Knowing this fact, the University of Malaya’s (UM) top management has conducted many projects at various scales to address energy efficiency (EE), including the replacement of old and inefficient mechanical and electrical (M&E) equipment and the installation of new EE technologies around the campus. In enhancing the overall EE effort, an energy management system is required to ensure that a calculated EE plan can be implemented and audited after it is completed to improve the overall sustainability of UM. Therefore, this study presents the formulation of an Energy Management System (EMS) for UM based on the ASEAN Energy Management Scheme (AEMAS) methodology. Results show that with the full support of the top management of ...

Integrating public art with Vertical Greenery could promote sustainable principle in public spaces. Therefore, to investigate the possibilities and challenges of integrating Vertical Greenery with public art, this paper reviews nine projects in public spaces at urban places in Malaysia, as reference studies. It explores diverse dimensions of Vertical Greenery, types of public art and how they fit each other. The findings show that there are various types, systems and methods of Vertical Greenery applied in Malaysia and in coherent with the operational definition for public art used. Yet, Vertical Greenery's promoters deal with several challenges in encouraging its vast application in urban Malaysia.

The trend in vertical sprawl of building have initiated the experts in greening high-rise buildings in the urban setting. This phenomenon has been captured by many scholars in conducting studies on the benefits of greeneries in limited space in urban buildings, especially in the form of biofaçade as one of the Vertical Greenery Systems (VGS). Besides its cooling effects, biofaçade could be optimised as a vertical edible landscape, hence it could also address food security issue in the urban context. In a high-rise building, transitional or buffer space, such as in the balcony, is a space with less economic value. Regardless, thepresence of transitional space is important and could be optimised in the application of biofacade. This paper reviews the potential of biofaçade as one of the methods for urban greening in a limited space. However, there are many factors that need to be consdiered in growing edible plants on the balcony of highrise building. Those factors are the plant type ...

Amidst today's energy-economic crisis, the introduction of green spaces in a high-rise building is one way of reducing building's cooling load, which at present relies mainly on air conditioning. This paper evaluates users' perceptions and expectations in three different landscape gardens on a 21-storey high-rise office building in Penang, Malaysia. The questionnaire focuses on comfort level, landscape preferences as well as expectations and use of space. The low usage factor was attributed to the unawareness of the gardens' existence, low accessibility and users' preference of staying indoors. The three gardens are significantly different in its overall comfort level, thermal comfort parameters, attractions and number of visits.

Chin Siong, for the encouragement, guidance and criticism, without which this thesis would not have been the same as presented. My sincere appreciation goes to all my colleagues, friends and others whom space will not permit me to mention for the assistance provided at various occasions and for the special kind of friendship extended to me. I must express my appreciation for the cooperation of the entire members of staff of Faculty Alam Bina. I will also like to thank the staff of the Assets and Facilities Department. (Harta Bina) UTM, particularly Mr Khayrun Nizam, Mr. Sharima, and Mr. Amir Hamza for their cooperation during the data collection for this research, as well as Dr. Hassan Chizari for assisting in the development of MUCET. I also wish to appreciate the kindness of Prof. Said Idid Abidin, Prof. Mahbob Salim, Prof Rosdan and Dr. Rosli. I could not have anticipated what your support and friendship would mean to me over the course of this journey. In fact you made this process so much bigger than the degree itself and for that I thank you. This thesis and the topic of university campus sustainability impassioned me. I glorified Allah for the inspiration and thank Dr. Chandrasekhar, for boosting my confidence early in my journey when I desperately needed it. Most of all, I need to extend a special gratitude to Dr. Mohammed Zali Shah for the access given to me, I am truly glad I ventured over to your office to solicit for your assistance and I am very grateful for your contributions. I also wish to recognize Alh. Jubril Ajayi for his contributions and support, I will forever remain indebted. Finally, I need to thank my mother, Mrs F. A. Adeyemi, my wife, Mrs M. O. Abdul-Azeez and my children for their patience, prayers and love. I certainly share this accomplishment with all of you.

Abstract. The studies on vertical greenery systems are increasing due to its presence in technology and research that are composed with sustainable approaches. The remarkable functions of vertical greenery systems comprise of facilitating urban adaptation to a warm climate, reducing internal wall temperatures, and mitigating building energy consumption. Apart from it's benefits for the environment, it is also visually appealing and promotes healthier air quality. There are two major methods in constructing vertical greenery systems; ground- based system and wall-based system of vegetation. This paper disseminates plants with a passive cooling character as it helps cool the air and buildings on which it is installed, naturally. Approximately 46 articles were reviewed from multidisciplinary fields such as that of renewable and sustainable energy, plant physiology, ecological engineering, and built environment. This paper focuses on experimentations, simulations and case studies, w...

This study aimed to examine the plant diversity and plant performance of vertical greening system (VGS) and how the hardware setup (including growing substrates) potentially affect plant performance. A total of 125 VGS (including 85 outdoor and 40 indoor VGS) were surveyed in Hong Kong. We recorded the type of VGS, species composition, frequency and plant coverage; substrate medium type, and plant performance. The findings revealed that indoor soilless VGS performed comparably well as on conventional soil, and outdoor soilless VGS performed significantly better than on soil. Regardless of substrate type, plants on indoor VGS performed better than outdoor VGS. Keywords: Vertical greening system; Floristic composition; Growing medium; Plant performance eISSN: 2398-4287© 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-rev...

There exists a well-known gap between occupants and building's energy-efficient designs. A comprehensive building evaluation which encompasses occupant's perspective may surpass the current evaluation method and reduce the gap between occupants and building's energy-efficient design. For these reasons, the aim of this research is to develop a survey instrument for the identification of problems in respect to energy-efficient design which affecting the occupants' comfort. This research will be conducted in Malaysian ...

Public transportation brings more convenience to customer in urban and rural areas. In Malaysia, awareness of using the PJ City bus by passengers in Petaling Jaya is still limited. Many passengers are still unsatisfied with the services provided because the shuttle bus is zero-priced services, so the quality of services are always questioned by access users. Therefore, this current study is to investigate the influences of value, quality and reputation of free shuttle (PJ City) bus services towards customer satisfaction. Understanding what customers expect is very important as it will help to improve the services. Data were collected from users of PJ City bus using a survey questionnaire. The finding further revealed that, value positively influenced the satisfaction of customers. So, it is important for the service provider to enhance its value to the customer.

Los jardines verticales forman parte de una de las tendencias tecnológicas constructivas más modernas, conocidas como “Greenery Systems”. Estas son aplicadas cada vez con más frecuencia en aquellas construcciones donde se priorizan consideraciones energéticas y ecológicas conciliables con el medio ambiente. Algunas de las características relevantes que presentan son la mejora del aislamiento térmico, el filtrado de polución ambiental, la absorción acústica, la retención de agua y una estética amigable. Los jardines verticales pueden poseer características acústicas disímiles entre ellos, debido a que dependen del tipo de soporte, sustrato y vegetación utilizada. Por ese motivo en la actualidad los datos existentes son muy variados e incompletos, y resulta necesario ampliar los mismos para disponer de mayores variantes constructivas con aplicación práctica. En este trabajo se estudió la absorción acústica de un sistema de jardín vertical del tipo modular. Cada módulo fue realizado so...

Vertical landscape or living walls have been used in history and its references have been found in vernacular architecture. These walls not only have helped maintain the temperature by being good insulators to heat (cool in summers and warm in winters), but also have helped in reducing the Urban Heat Island effect, the greenhouse gases like Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), reduce noise levels (maintain acoustic balance) and increase ecological balance of the area by providing more dimensions for birds/insects etc. The Paper focuses on replacing the plantations and vegetation in the urban areas by hard paved surfaces areas is causing too much rise in temperature due to radiation and re-radiation. If checked, it is found to be 6ºC warmer than the air in rural areas.

To "green" building envelopes is currently one of the most promising ways to provide energy savings in buildings and to contribute to the urban heat island effect mitigation. The shadow effect supplied by plants is the most significant parameter for this purpose. One way to characterize the potential shadow effect of greenery is to calculate the facade foliar density by means of the leaf area index (LAI). As LAI is commonly used in horizontal crops, their use in vertical greenery systems (VGS) has generated dispersion and uncertainty in previous studies both in terms of methodologies and results obtained. In addition, a lack of data relating to the influence of the facade orientation in the final contribution of vertical greenery to the energy savings has been observed in previous studies. This study aims at establishing a common and easy way to measure LAI and to lick it to the energy savings provided by VGS. Moreover, the energy savings achieved as well as the influence of facade orientation on the final thermal behaviour of two different VGS, a double-skin green facade and a green wall, was studied. From the results, it can be stated that the most simple and quick procedure to measure LAI in order to characterize the foliar density of VGS is the indirect method based on the amount of light transmitted through the green screen. From the experimental tests interesting energy savings were obtained (up to 34% for Boston Ivy pant specie with a LAI of 3.5 to 4, during summer period under Mediterranean continental climate). Moreover, the dependence on facade orientation was confirmed with representative contribution over the whole energy savings from East and West orientation.

Urban university campuses may be a substantial producer of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the environment, through either campus operations or research activities. To date, there is little research on GHG emission reduction in higher education institu- tions—particularly in developing countries—so this work presents such an initiative from an urban university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Higher education institutions in Malaysia are progressively integrating similar strategies to apply the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to education-translational research activities. The paper presents the GHG emission reduction data from campus activities and a living labo- ratory project conducted within Universiti Malaya (UM) main campus. Emissions reduc- tion was categorised based on the standard GHG Protocol from the Kyoto Protocol into Scope 1, 2 and 3. GHG Scope 1 contributes the most activities and yielded the main GHG emission reductions in electricity consumption (in kg CO2-eq/kWh) with a 90.72% decline for the year 2016–2017. The highest reduction for total annual GHG emissions was found for the year 2017–2018, with a reduction of 6,590,000 kg CO2-eq/year. Most of the living laboratory research activities in that year were categorised in the change management core area. These activities benefitted from continuous funding and were more successful when the research was in mature phase, regardless of research constraints and difficulties.

Los jardines verticales forman parte de una de las tendencias tecnológicas constructivas más modernas, conocidas como “Greenery Systems”. Estas son aplicadas cada vez con más frecuencia en aquellas construcciones donde se priorizan consideraciones energéticas y ecológicas conciliables con el medio ambiente. Algunas de las características relevantes que presentan son la mejora del aislamiento térmico, el filtrado de polución ambiental, la absorción acústica, la retención de agua y una estética amigable. Los jardines verticales pueden poseer características acústicas disímiles entre ellos, debido a que dependen del tipo de soporte, sustrato y vegetación utilizada. Por ese motivo en la actualidad los datos existentes son muy variados e incompletos, y resulta necesario ampliar los mismos para disponer de mayores variantes constructivas con aplicación práctica. En este trabajo se estudió la absorción acústica de un sistema de jardín vertical del tipo modular. Cada módulo fue realizado so...

Vertical gardens, called "Greenery Systems", are a new tendency in modern constructions. They are applied increasingly more frequently on those buildings where energy and ecological considerations, environmentally friendly, are a priority. Some main features of these technologies are: thermal insulation improvement, environmental pollution filtering, acoustic absorption, water retention and a friendly aesthetic appearance. Vertical gardens can have dissimilar acoustic features because they depend on the kind of support, substrate and vegetation used. For this reason, nowadays, collected data are very diverse and incomplete and it is necessary to expand the data available to provide more alternatives with practical application. In this work, acoustic absorption of modular vertical greening was studied. Each module was developed with a rigid PVC base covered with fibrous material forming pockets, where the substrate and vegetation were placed. The plant species that were used are some of the most widespread ones in the region, in order to achieve a good adaptation and simple maintenance. Keywords: vertical greenery systems; acoustic absorption; noise reduction. Resumen-Los jardines verticales forman parte de una de las tendencias tecnológicas constructivas más modernas, conocidas como "Greenery Systems". Estas son aplicadas cada vez con más frecuencia en aquellas construcciones donde se priorizan consideraciones energéticas y ecológicas conciliables con el medio ambiente. Algunas de las características relevantes que presentan son la mejora del aislamiento térmico, el filtrado de polución ambiental, la absorción acústica, la retención de agua y una estética amigable. Los jardines verticales pueden poseer características acústicas disímiles entre ellos, debido a que dependen del tipo de soporte, sustrato y vegetación utilizada. Por ese motivo en la actualidad los datos existentes son muy variados e incompletos, y resulta necesario ampliar los mismos para disponer de mayores variantes constructivas con aplicación práctica. En este trabajo se estudió la absorción acústica de un sistema de jardín vertical del tipo modular. Cada módulo fue realizado sobre una base rígida de PVC, revestida de material fibroso, con el cual se conformaron bolsillos. En ellos se alojó el sustrato y la vegetación. Las especies vegetales que se utilizaron son algunas de las más difundidas en la región, a fin de lograr una buena adaptación y un mantenimiento sencillo. Palabras clave: jardines verticales; absorción acústica; reducción de ruido; greenery. I. INTRODUCCIÓN En las últimas décadas surge una situación extraordinaria en la historia de la humanidad como consecuencia del incremento significativo de la población mundial residente en áreas urbanas, situación que configura una matriz compleja de problemáticas tanto en el ambiente natural como en el construido. Dicha situación produce un conjunto de consecuencias en el aspecto sanitario, urbano y ambiental, entre las cuales se encuentra la contaminación acústica. En contrapartida, el desarrollo de "Greenery Systems" ha demostrado ser una solución apropiada para éstas problemáticas urbanas ya que, paulatinamente, se van reduciendo los costos de producción, mantenimiento, facilidad de colocación y además buscando cubrir las necesidades funcionales que requieren las viviendas en la actualidad. Los jardines verticales se presentan en diversos formatos ya sea en forma de cobertura intensiva o extensiva, parcial o total, compacta o modular, cada una de las cuales posee ventajas y desventajas respecto a los muros que se desea intervenir. La composición del jardín se conforma básicamente por una estructura que relaciona físicamente el muro con el sistema que contiene el sustrato, la vegetación y el sistema de riego. II. SISTEMA ESTUDIADO A. Módulos individuales El tipo de jardín vertical que se estudia es el "modular". Este jardín vertical, en su versión completa y con aplicación práctica, está compuesto por paneles individuales (módulos)