Page 20 - Climate Control News Magazine

Indoor Air Quality
Living, breathing buildings that release clean air
THE SYDNEY OF CITY COUNCIL WAS THE FIRST MUNICIPALITY IN AUSTRALIA TO ADOPT A ‘GREEN ROOFS AND WALLS’ POLICY WHICH BOAST A RANGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS INCLUDING IMPROVED INDOOR AIR QUALITY (IAQ).
ONE EXAMPLE IS moss gardens which can significantly improve the indoor environment.
Moss gardens improve indoor air quality through a process known as bio-filtration whereby air pollutants are absorbed by the moss, turned into carbon dioxide
and water, and then released as clean air.
Since HVAC maintenance in many offices is not performed regularly, having green wall
plants of moss can help clean the air.
A vertical green wall of moss adds another
layer of insulation helping to absorb the heat or cold that the building is exposed to from the outside. By preventing this heat or cold from entering the building, the moss wall helps re- duce energy bills from decreased use of cli- mate control systems.
A moss wall is a proven low maintenance solu- tion for indoor gardening. Moss requires very lit- tle sunlight and just needs to be kept wet through an occasional misting. A moss wall will not re- quire a lot of care as very little trimming is re- quired due to the slow growth.
As well as being aesthetically pleasing a green wall can create a calming environment.
The City of Sydney adopted its green roofs and wall policy back in April 2014 pointing out that an outdoor green wall or rooftop can improve so- lar panel efficiency and cool city temperatures reducing the urban heat island effect.
Australia currently boasts the world’s tallest green wall. At One Central Park in Sydney (pic- tured), a joint development between Frasers Property Australia and Sekisui House, a 120-me- tre vertical garden is enveloped by 35,000 plants.
Designed by French botanist Patrick Blanc, the green walls – all 1,120 sqm – are fed hydroponically.
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