Modelling facade greening impacts on indoor conditions: an ENVI-met parameterization approach for IDA ICE

Rising temperatures and urban heat islands (UHI) affect human health and well-being. Green infrastructures (GI) can mitigate UHI and reduce indoor building temperatures through shading (lower solar gains) and evapotranspiration. However, quantifying these effects is challenging, as most building performance simulation (BPS) tools accurately model conventional cooling but lack greenery effects. Therefore, we developed facade greening parameters in IDA ICE using ENVI-met outdoor microclimate simulations that include ecosystem services from greenery. A case study in Vienna, Austria, assessed renovated and unrenovated buildings under future climate scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). Cooling effects in IDA ICE were negligible in renovated buildings and up to 1.1°C in unrenovated ones. The study demonstrates that modelling facade greening in IDA ICE is feasible, though fully capturing GI’s benefits requires further BPS tool development.