Tech Briefs Magazine - October 2021 - 23a

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT
FIGURE 7             
FIGURE 8          
          
        
structure also helped explain it to the
organizations that provided funding. " The
simulation was an analytical tool that also
supported our design discussions, and
now it helps us promote the concept to
others, " says Kristoffer Ulbak.
» PLANTING THE SEEDS
FOR GROWING MORE
GREEN SCREENS
After approximately 6 years of
development, the urban green screen was
installed in Copenhagen in 2019 (Figure
8). The completed structure addresses the
priorities of everyone who contributed to
its design - including those who would
have preferred a barrier made of glass. A
series of vertical windows provide visual
breaks in the willow-clad surface, and
add " eyes on the street " to help ensure
neighborhood safety.
So far, the structure is succeeding at both
dispersing moisture and quieting traffic
noise for residents (Figure 9). " When you
move from the street to the housing side
of the screen, it is like going into paradise, "
says Prof. Jensen. Reactions from the
various stakeholders have been positive,
although the global COVID-19 pandemic
and other factors have complicated
attempts to study the installation in
detail. Prof. Jensen, befitting her scholarly
perspective, wants to do more research
before declaring it a success.
" We believe that air quality on the
residential side of the fence is better, and
evaporative cooling should help reduce the
'urban heat island' effect. We need more
testing to confirm this, " she says. " There is
also the question of perception. We want
to monitor how people use the space and
interview the residents who live with the
structure every day. "
Even as the project awaits further follow
up, there is already some telling evidence
of the green screen's acceptance: It does
not attract graffiti. Pilebyg's Vibe Gro is
not surprised. " Our structures are often in
FIGURE 9     
    
     
areas that get vandalized, but it seems like
people act differently around trees, even
if they are installed as part of a structure, "
she says. " We have a rainwater solution
that solves a noise problem, and it is a
structure that people feel comfortable
living with, " says Gro. " In Danish we say, 'It
takes out two flies with one smash!' "
COMSOL NEWS 23a
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Tech Briefs Magazine - October 2021

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