Research Bert Belmans

Abstract

That more green space in cities will be needed in the future is beyond dispute. More greenery in the city will counteract the negative effects of climate change and at the same time provide breathing space for comfortable urban living. How this green space should be implemented is much less clear. What is certain is that utilizing the building envelope offers enormous potential in an urban context, where there is far more roof and wall space available than unbuilt space at ground level. Vertical Greening Systems (VGS) are promising "nature-based solutions" that fit perfectly into the European Green Deal, the New European Bauhaus initiative, the Sustainable Development Goals of the United nations, WHO standards for urban green space per capita and green (building) ambitions at the Flemish, national and international levels. However, the perception in which VGS are seen as 'greenwashing' must be overcome, by bringing more robust façade greenery onto the market, with a green guarantee (= healthier façade greenery) and with guaranteed performance. Dedicated monitoring techniques play an important role here as they can detect problems in VGS early and objectively. They allow timely intervention if something goes wrong, leading to fewer plant failures and lower operational and maintenance costs. In addition, these techniques facilitate the creation of optimized maintenance plans and create new revenue models. Finally, improved canopy characterization through customized monitoring, tailored to VGS, is the missing link for supportive performance-based subsidy and licensing policies. To accomplish all of this, EVERGREEN continues to build on knowledge from TETRA WonderWalls and VIS Green Building and learning lessons, techniques and technologies from the agriculture, forestry and HVAC sectors. The Cornet cooperation with TU Chemnitz and Nuertingen-Geislingen University guarantees a strong team with complementary knowledge.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Belmans Bert
• Co-promoter: Audenaert Amaryllis

Research team(s)

• Energy and Materials in Infrastructure and Buildings

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Both international research and research at UAntwerpen (AIRbezen/strawbAIRies/CurieuzeNeuzen) have shown that our outdoor air quality, especially in urban areas, often leaves much to be desired. We breathe this unfiltered air every day, not only outside but often also inside our buildings. As traffic is a major source of this problem, it is not surprising that increased concentrations of pollutants and harmful particulate matter are measured along roads. In addition to the use of new means of transport, efficient local capture and purification, close to the road, can therefore offer a solution to control the situation and prevent further spread. At TU Eindhoven, a study was recently carried out in which the concentration of fine particulate matter in the outside air was removed by means of fine dust extractors. In Belgium, an innovative "Clean Air" concept was developed by BESIX for active purification of outdoor air using moss filters. Although the operation and potential of both technologies has been demonstrated, there are no practical implementations other than pilot plants, because the investment is not yet attractive. Stakeholders indicate that it is necessary to demonstrate the socio-economic benefits to convince them. This PoC project wants to contribute to tilting the balance between system costs for installation and maintenance on the one hand and filter efficiency versus the social costs of pollution on the other hand in a positive direction for the Clean Air system. The focus is on research into the development of cheaper, more efficient and fully renewable moss filters. It will be investigated whether surplus and exhausted moss from the wall can be reused and processed into an innovative zero-waste, bio-based basic filter cloth. The objective is to further close the current system by reusing waste flows as raw materials. Due to the limited project budget within this PoC project, we will initially focus on the development and characterisation of nonwoven 2D textile composites based on recycled moss fibres. We will also actively look for additional funding to investigate the possibilities of nonwoven 3D multilayers. As support, BESIX will install a fully operational airpurifying moss wall on the BlueApp site, in order to determine and compare the in-situ filter efficiency of the new moss filters under equal (multiple filters can be placed in the wall next to each other) but variable boundary conditions (wind direction, wind speed, sunlight, etc.). This project proposal focuses on research into the development, production, testing and optimisation of a more efficient, cheaper and circular Clean Air heart. The moss filters have to be affordable, work optimally and subscribe to a circular economy before other adaptations are meaningful. However, the collaboration between EMIB, BESIX and a new venture to be set up from BESIX around Clean Air by summer 2022 (the 'NewCo' ) is a stepping stone to follow-up research, where the adaptations to other subsystems could be the subject of new funding requests. As part of this bigger story, BESIX /the NewCo and EMIB are committed to a long-term collaboration with other UA research groups. The objective is to achieve a win-win for all parties and to make Clean Air a self-sustaining, socially relevant investment within a circular and green building context. The further development of Clean Air is part of the expansion of the research and valorisation programme on "Green Building" of EMIB, which has common ground with each of the 3 spearhead domains of UAntwerpen. Strengthening this programme has the potential to bring together expertise from different research groups of UAntwerpen and make them work together towards a strong BlueApp community.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Audenaert Amaryllis
• Co-promoter: Belmans Bert
• Co-promoter: Blom Johan

Research team(s)

• Energy and Materials in Infrastructure and Buildings

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Within the context of change-oriented building, there is a great need for flexibility and adaptability. In the area of reorganization of spaces, various technical solutions for adaptable interior walls and facades have already been developed. Flexibility of function, layout and use, however, also require the necessary attention to be paid to heating and ventilation. After all, adaptable solutions must also be healthy, comfortable and energy-efficient. To make solutions for adaptable interior walls and facades widely applicable and to make HVAC solutions compatible with the changing requirements imposed by an adaptable context, several issues must be addressed simultaneously. Bringing the different actors of the value chain together and anticipating a circular future in concert can create a valuable synergy.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Audenaert Amaryllis
• Co-promoter: Belmans Bert

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Context: In our increasingly dense urban environment, there is a growing need for green spaces. As there is little space left to integrate this vegetation in a traditional way, alternative solutions are needed. Where green roofs are increasingly used today, vertical building surfaces remain largely unused. However, the available vertical façade area in cities is large. Both ground-bound green façades and living wall systems have enormous market potential. In addition to the economic opportunities they offer, they go hand in hand with a positive ecological, social and urban planning impact. They offer a cost and space-efficient way to increase the liveability and climate resilience of cities, they filter pollution and CO2 from the air, they increase biodiversity and they have a positive impact on people's productivity. Goals: The latent potential of green façades is almost ready to be monetized in terms of positive economic, ecological, social and urban planning impacts. To this end, knowledge that is concentrated in research institutes and in the manufacturing industry needs to be prepared for dissemination to the field and translated into practical tools and guidelines. In order to achieve a breakthrough in vertical façade greening and stimulate new innovations, this TETRA project will therefore focus on: (1) Developing an objective assessment framework to evaluate the performance of green façades. This will include environmental, economic and building physics elements. The systems will be assessed on the basis of their performance during their entire life cycle. (2) The elaboration of practical and reliable decision tools to help the various actors within the construction sector (e.g. architects, contractors, building owners, authorities) in the judicious prescription and application of green façades. Attention will be paid to the various elements that can influence the final choice, including the installation and maintenance of the various systems (e.g. whether or not they are ground-bound). (3) Targeted product innovations and testing in demo applications, such as evaluating and optimizing the efficiency of growth limiters. (4) Disseminating the knowledge to the various target groups by means of demos, workshops, ... Particular attention will be paid to the flow of knowledge and experience to education (e.g. students of architecture and industrial engineering, as well as practical training in construction and landscaping). Output: - www.gevelgroen.be - Buildwise Innovation paper "Begroende Gevels" (November 2022) - Wetenschappelijk Eindrapport WonderWalls (November 2022) Scientific Publications: A1: Is the sustainability potential of vertical greening systems deeply rooted? Establishing uniform outlines for environmental impact assessment of VGS Rowe, Timothy; Poppe, Jan; Buyle, Matthias; Belmans, Bert; Audenaert, Amaryllis Renewable and sustainable energy reviews - ISSN 1364-0321 - 162(2022), p.1-12 A1 (Under review) A review on the Leaf Area Index (LAI) in vertical greening systems. De Bock, A., Belmans, B., Vanlanduit S., Blom J., Alvarado-Alvarado A. Audenaert, A. Building and Environment, 34 p. Modeling the hygrothermal benefits of green walls using COMSOL Multiphysics ® Alvarado-Alvarado A., De Bock, A. , Belmans, B., Denys S. Sustainable Cities and Societies (SCS) P1 Conference proceedings with peer review: What's under the canopy of current LCA studies on vertical greening systems? – a SWOT analysis Timothy Rowe, Anouk De Bock, Matthias Buyle, Bert Belmans and Amaryllis Audenaert Proceedings of the 2022 International Conference on Green Building Stockholm, Sweden, 6 p. SWOT Analysis of an LWS as a replacement for the outer cavity leaf. M. Adriaenssen, W. Meeusen, T. Rowe, B. Belmans, A. Audenaert Proceedings 2022 International Conference on Green Energy and Environmental Technology (GEET-22) July 2022, Rome, Italy, ISSN: 2695-804X, 6 p.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Audenaert Amaryllis
• Co-promoter: Belmans Bert
• Co-promoter: Denys Siegfried
• Co-promoter: Verbeke Stijn

Research team(s)

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project