Forest microclimates: Investigating the performance potential of vegetation at the building space scale

• Plants can be as, or more, effective shading solutions than typical shading devices.
• A shading metric for evaluating the shading potential of vegetation is proposed.
• The psychological benefits of plants were greater than their thermal benefits.
• The quality of building spaces was found to directly impact their performance.

The aim of this paper is to identify and evaluate the potential impact that the incorporation of vegetation into the building design process can have on building energy use and worker performance parameters. To this end, the effect of a vegetation shade canopy on the energy consumption rate and carbon emissions of an 11,000 m2 office building, as well as the canopy's potential effects on worker performance, were evaluated. The vegetation canopy's performance was compared to the performance of a typical shading device. The performance evaluations were developed through the use of a dynamic energy modelling program, as well as through an evaluation of the potential building and worker performance benefits of vegetation that have been assessed in existing literature.The thermal effects of the vegetation canopy were found to have a slightly greater effectiveness than the original shading solution. However, the additional performance benefits gained from integrating vegetation into the occupants' experience of their work environment were found to generate substantially greater revenue. In addition, the occupancy of the vegetated courtyard was found to be more effective at reducing the energy consumption and carbon emissions of the building than the vegetation shade canopy. These results indicate that the development of high quality, high performing spaces that attract building occupants can be more effective design solutions at the individual building space scale, in terms of energy consumption, company revenue, and worker performance and well-being.