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Field evaluation of precipitation interception potential of green façades

Field evaluation of precipitation interception potential of green façades
Field evaluation of precipitation interception potential of green façades
This paper evaluates the potential of living green façades in intercepting precipitation and delaying ‘canopy through-flow’ (i.e. total precipitation minus canopy interception). Precipitation interception and delayed through-flow or discharge from two visually distinct mixed-species green façade configurations – one, fully-foliated and the other twiggy (respectively as proxies for well-managed and degenerated stands) – were monitored using rain gauges located at their base. The precipitation interception levels for the fully-foliated and the twiggy stands respectively ranged between 54-94% and 10-55% of the total precipitation. Regression of the experimental data showed interception volumes were proportional to the ambient precipitation up to a maximum tested event size of 35 mm. The fully-foliated façade gave a delay of at least 30 minutes from the start of precipitation events to the first measured through-flow, compared to about 15 minutes for the twiggy façade. This highlights the potential for well- foliated and maintained façades to contribute to reducing peak flows within urban drainage infrastructure, and the importance of façade maintenance in ensuring good interception and delay properties.
green façade; stormwater interception; sustainable drainage; vertical greening
0925-8574
69-75
Tiwary, Abhishek
97b69446-3517-4b2e-93dc-3f51f575dd92
Godsmark, Kate
ec3e697d-1684-4ba7-8b77-232e8b6b77ee
Smethurst, Joel
8f30880b-af07-4cc5-a0fe-a73f3dc30ab5
Tiwary, Abhishek
97b69446-3517-4b2e-93dc-3f51f575dd92
Godsmark, Kate
ec3e697d-1684-4ba7-8b77-232e8b6b77ee
Smethurst, Joel
8f30880b-af07-4cc5-a0fe-a73f3dc30ab5

Tiwary, Abhishek, Godsmark, Kate and Smethurst, Joel (2018) Field evaluation of precipitation interception potential of green façades. Ecological Engineering, 122, 69-75. (doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2018.07.026).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This paper evaluates the potential of living green façades in intercepting precipitation and delaying ‘canopy through-flow’ (i.e. total precipitation minus canopy interception). Precipitation interception and delayed through-flow or discharge from two visually distinct mixed-species green façade configurations – one, fully-foliated and the other twiggy (respectively as proxies for well-managed and degenerated stands) – were monitored using rain gauges located at their base. The precipitation interception levels for the fully-foliated and the twiggy stands respectively ranged between 54-94% and 10-55% of the total precipitation. Regression of the experimental data showed interception volumes were proportional to the ambient precipitation up to a maximum tested event size of 35 mm. The fully-foliated façade gave a delay of at least 30 minutes from the start of precipitation events to the first measured through-flow, compared to about 15 minutes for the twiggy façade. This highlights the potential for well- foliated and maintained façades to contribute to reducing peak flows within urban drainage infrastructure, and the importance of façade maintenance in ensuring good interception and delay properties.

Text
Tiwary Godsmark & Smethurst (2018) Ecological Engineering - Accepted Manuscript
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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 23 July 2018
e-pub ahead of print date: 29 July 2018
Published date: 15 October 2018
Keywords: green façade; stormwater interception; sustainable drainage; vertical greening

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 422677
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/422677
ISSN: 0925-8574
PURE UUID: 3669d837-1170-4071-88f2-fa41ed5e0fdd

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Date deposited: 30 Jul 2018 16:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 06:55

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Contributors

Author: Abhishek Tiwary
Author: Kate Godsmark
Author: Joel Smethurst

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