The Green Wall: A Project and a Prototype of a Sustainable 3D Printed Bearing Wall with Integrated Vegetation

In a context where the climate change topic is a primary matter of discussion, the use of vegetation to improve the thermal insulation of buildings and biodiversity while contributing to carbon sequestration has become a popular strategy to increase sustainability. This paper aims at presenting a model of a bearing wall made of 3D-printed stone ashlars with integrated greenery. This constructive system has been designed to merge a series of characteristics such as: •a simple and fast assembly process, that makes it suitable also for emergency contexts • a good thermal performance due to the presence of the vegetation on the outer surface • the possibility to customise the properties of the ashlars thanks to the use of 3D printing. Blocks can have different dimensions, different overhangs or can be customised to optimise their static behaviour, their thermal performance and their weight by changing their internal porosity • the possibility to use recycled materials like waste stone powder or debris from demolition, keeping the entire construction process greener.