Evaluating the Impact of Vertical Greening Systems on Thermal Comfort in Low Income residences in Lagos, Nigeria

Nigeria has a population of about 120million and is the most populated country in Africa. However there has been insufficient attention to developing sustainable ideas and materials to combat the issue of global warming which has resulted into extreme temperature rise within the country. This should be a concern because combating global warming and improving sustainability should be a collective worldwide effort.This research took place in Lagos, Nigeria to evaluate the effect of vertical greening system on occupant's thermal comfort. With 70% of the population living below a dollar a day, the focus of the study were low income residences characterized by overcrowding and overheating of interior spaces due to choice of building materials and high ambient temperatures.Vertical Greening Systems also called wall gardens are simply plants on walls. A VGS that was financially affordable, easy to erect and maintain was setup on selected low income residences. Continuous readings were taken with the tiny tag data logger over a period of 4 months from May to August across the two major seasons, Wet and dry.The results reveal a very small reduction especially in ambient temperature of the immediate surroundings of the VGS setup as well as a reduction in indoor temperatures.Further research on VGS can be encouraged as complementary qualitative undertaken by the author has shown that majority of the target group are open to embracing sustainable strategies but only at minimum expenses. It is proposed that simulation of further VGS design scenarios using design builder software should now be explored, to evaluate the potential wider benefits of low cost alterations to the design and build of Low income group housing in Nigeria.Finally, the importance of a worldwide collective effort towards sustainable houses and cities is extremely important for global reduction in carbon emission to be achieved