Cooling Performance of Green Walls Under Diverse Conditions in the Urban Zone of Lower Silesia

Green facades, commonly referred to as vertical plant systems, offer sustainable solutions. They improve the energy efficiency of buildings, reduce energy consumption, and positively impact the microclimate both at the microscale and at the urban level. Their ability to regulate temperature and improve thermal comfort, including mitigating the heat island effect, makes them a valuable element of sustainable architectural design. They also contribute to reduced energy consumption, reduced noise, mitigation of air pollution, and aesthetic and wind protection. The main goal of the study was to analyse the cooling effectiveness of green walls in a transitional temperate climate zone. The study was conducted on two experimental models located on the campus of the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences and at the Research and Educational Station in a suburban area. Both locations had different characteristics: the former contained urban development, while the latter contained open and sparsely developed areas. On warm and sunny days, the cooling effects of the systems were observed independently for both locations and their exposures. For data acquisition at a distance of 5 cm from the plants, a higher data concentration and a lower variability in the mean temperature drop were observed. In the same group, on sunny days, the cooling effect averaged 4–7 °C and depended on the location. On cloudy days, the mean maximum cooling in this group did not exceed 4 °C.