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Protection against summer overheating due to greening in the built environment Due to climate change, the average summer climate in Germany gets hotter. The greening of outdoor facilities and buildings reduces the urban heat island effect and improves the micro‐climate. If this has a significant effect on the protection against summer overheating and the indoor thermal comfort of highly insulated buildings, is so far unknown. This question is investigated by coupling the thermal‐dynamic building simulation software IDA ICE with the micro‐climate simulation software ENVI‐MET. The investigation was carried out using a typical residential area in Germany. In comparison to conventional buildings and gardens with only lawn, the planting of shrubs and trees in combination with extensive roof greening and moss façades enhances the protection against summer overheating on a hot day by up to 20 %. Through an appropriate plant selection the greening leads to an enhanced biodiversity and a better air quality, which is not possible, using conventional measures for the protection against summer overheating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approaches to the economic valuation of living wall systems. Vertical greening can make a significant contribution to sustainable urban development. Greening can not only improve the building‐physical properties of buildings and contribute to improving air quality as a pollutant filter, but can also have a major impact on the people affected. A greening measure to be carried out as part of an existing renovation or a new construction is highly dependent on the costs incurred and the potential benefits. The aim of the research carried out is to develop a basic model with which the costs and benefits for wall‐based greening systems can subsequently be estimated on an object‐related basis. For this purpose, an entire life cycle is considered for each system, from installation through use to final disposal. Due to the lack of measurability and quantitative evaluability of many positive effects of building greenery, no holistic model can currently be presented, but only the developed, easily extensible approach to economic evaluation can be shown. Thanks to this model, it has already been possible to gain valuable insights into system optimisation and to define starting points for further evaluation options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]