Green Infrastructure and the

Wokplace

Professor John Dover The Green Wall Centre, Staffordshire University

j.w.dover@staffs.ac.uk

Essential

Infrastructure

Essential

Infrastructure

Essential

Infrastructure

Essential

Infrastructure

Essential

Infrastructure

Essential

Infrastructure

“Green infrastructure is the sum of an area’s

environmental assets, including stand-alone

elements and strategically planned and delivered

networks of high quality green spaces and other

environmental features including surfaces such as

pavements, car parks, driveways, roads and

buildings (exterior and interior) that incorporate

biodiversity and promote ecosystem services”.

Dover (2015)

GI

Definitio

n:

Sight

Smell

Taste

Touch

Hear

Se

nse

s

Specific sensory stimulation can be

designed-in to GI, but it is there

anyway…

Hypotheses

Biophilia – Built-in response to natural

settings; absence = discord (Wilson, 1984)

Import

ance

Attention Restoration Theory –Restorative effects of nature following

prolonged concentration & effort (Kaplan &

Kaplan,1989)

Psychophysiological Stress Reduction

Framework – nature promotes recovery from

stress & psychological disorders (Ulrich, 1983)

• Supporting services e.g. nutrient and water cycling, soil

formation, primary production

• Regulating services e.g. climate control, pollution removal,

water regulation & purification, pollination, pest & disease

suppression, erosion control

• Provisioning services e.g. food, medicines, building materials

• Cultural services e.g. societal appreciation of nature and

environment, aesthetics, recreation

(EASAC, 2009)

Ecosyste

m S

erv

ices

Four Types

• Regulating services – climate control,

– pollution ‘removal’,

– water regulation & purification,

– disease suppression

• Cultural services – aesthetics,

– appreciation of nature and environment,

– recreation

For

Bu

ildin

g D

esig

n

Most Relevant

Ecosystem Services can help

with many current and future

challenges

Climate

Change Societal

Value

Amenity

Value

Health &

Wellbeing

Energy

Management

Water

Management

Urban

Climate

Ecosystem

Services

Inside buildings and outside

Challe

nges

Evapotranspiration

7-10°C

difference

Air cooling, humidification,

UV control, shade

Clim

ate

Contr

ol

Can be used with Air Cons A

ir C

onditio

nin

g

Contemplative spaces,

Stress reduction,

Thermal comfort,

Sustainable Urban Drainage

Future proofing for climate change

Outd

oor

shade

Shaded

walkways

Cool in summer warm in winter

Deciduous species: leaves shade in summer, fall-off in winter and

sun warms room

Win

dow

Shade

Sustainable Urban Drainage

Slo

win

g it do

wn

Captu

re

Rain Gardens

Storm-water planters

For images relating to this subject see the

presentation by Tom Liptan from the City of

Portland, Oregon: http://green-

roof.group.shef.ac.uk/pdf/TomLipton.pdf

Perm

eable

pavin

g

Pavements, Car parks,

Driveways, Patios

Infiltration

Building Insulation

Warmer in Winter

Cooler in Summer

Energ

y

Ma

nag

em

en

t

Energy consumption

One study suggests that shading air conditioner heat exchangers

could save up to 10% in energy costs!

Air C

onditio

nin

g

Units

‘Nature’ helps in: •Stress recovery

•Attention restoration

•Reduced prevalence of mental

disorder

•Trust, tolerance, participation,

feelings of safety

•Recovery from surgery

State-of-Mind M

enta

l H

ealth

Roof Gardens R

ela

xation

Looking good, hiding the ugly,

enhancing the mediocre A

esth

etics

For an image of a

green wall used as

the rain shielding on

a building, see:

http://www.biotecture.

uk.com/portfolio/mino

ries-tower-bridge/

For an image of wall

planters used on the side

of a car park in Monaco

see:

http://mobilane.co.uk/cas

e-studies/wallplanter-

monaco

Plants and the work environment P

roductivity

• Increased job satisfaction

• Higher quality of life scores

• Reduced work pressure

• Reduced absences

• Better productivity

• Improves climate (humidity)

• May reduce microbes in the air

For an image of a very

large internal living wall

in the Anthropologie

Store in Regent St,

London, see here:

http://www.biotecture.uk

.com/portfolio/anthropol

ogie-regent-street/

Food

Fresh produce

http://greenbronxmachine.org/

http://www.cityfarmer.info/2008/08/08/rooftop-food-

garden-ywca-vancouver-bc-canada/

https://livewall.com/wall-to-table-

the-freshest-food-in-restaurants/

For various images of small-

scale vertical food production

see these websites:

Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOCs) In

door

Air P

ollu

tion

Plants – especially

microbes in the root-zone

can detoxify VOCs

• Higher concentrations indoors

• Hundreds of compounds

• Some carcinogens

• Given off by building products,

furnishing, electrical, etc.

• Sick-building syndrome

Nursery x250 mag A38 Bristol St x250 mag

66 days

Pollu

tion O

utd

oors

Plants Capture PM and Gasses

NO2

SO2

O3

CO2

CO

PM10-1.0

Reducing hubbub

Sound absorption, diffraction, reflection

Will vary with plant species & architecture, growing units/media

Valuable where many hard surfaces

Nois

e P

ollu

tion

For an image of a very large internal green wall in

the atrium of Centrica’s offices, see here:

http://www.biotecture.uk.com/portfolio/centrica-

british-gas/

Room dividers

Indoor vegetation can be a fixed or a mobile facility creating and

recreating spaces as required. Green walls take up little space.

Space u

tilis

ation

For an image of a green wall in a

breakout space in Q-Free’s offices

in Trondheim, Norway, see here:

http://www.biotecture.uk.com/portfo

lio/office-break-space-q-free/

Caveats

/

Consid

era

tions

The right plants in the right place

• Some plants produce pollen which cause

allergic reactions

• Some plants emit a lot of VOCs which can

combine with NO2 to produce O3

• Evergreen or Deciduous species?

• Who will maintain the plants (ongoing cost)?

• Where will the water come from?

1. What is Green Infrastructure?

2. Benefits of Green Infrastructure

3. Indoors

4. Permeable Pavements

5. Green Walls

6. Green Roofs

7. Street Trees

8. Policy, Regulation and Incentives

CONTENTS:

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