Planter Brick with Internal Plant Void for Heat Island Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Concrete and masonry brick structures in urban areas contribute to the urban heat island effect, increasing temperatures and energy demand, while lacking aesthetic appeal.
Innovation Solution
Structural building units with integrated plant containers that allow for soil and plant growth, using a form system to create units with internal voids for drainage and aesthetic features, which can be made from various materials and assembled into structures that reduce heat through shading and carbon dioxide reduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional concrete and masonry bricks are used for building structures, then structural integrity and durability are improved, but the structures contribute to urban heat island effect and lack aesthetic appeal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies porous materials by incorporating a porous core within the concrete building unit. This porous core allows for vegetation growth and creates internal voids that reduce thermal mass, thereby decreasing the heat absorption and storage capacity of the structure. The porous structure maintains structural integrity while enabling thermal regulation through evapotranspiration from plants and reduced heat capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements the nesting principle by placing a removable form assembly with planting channels inside the concrete building unit during casting. This nested form creates internal voids and channels within the solid concrete matrix, allowing vegetation to be integrated within the structure itself. The nested design enables the concrete unit to contain functional elements (plants, soil, drainage) while maintaining external structural integrity.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional concrete bricks are used, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but aesthetic value and environmental benefits are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the building unit into distinct functional zones: an outer concrete shell providing structural integrity, an internal porous core for vegetation, removable form assemblies for creating aesthetic patterns, and drainage systems. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while maintaining ease of manufacture through modular assembly during the casting process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics through removable form assemblies that can be extracted after concrete setting. These removable forms create cavities and channels that can be filled with vegetation, transforming the static concrete structure into a dynamic, living system. The removability of forms maintains manufacturing simplicity while enabling aesthetic customization through plant selection and arrangement.
3Strength
If solid concrete structures are built, then structural strength is improved, but heat absorption and urban temperature increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reduces heat absorption by incorporating porous materials within the concrete structure. The porous core contains air voids and vegetation that have lower thermal mass than solid concrete, reducing the overall heat capacity of the building unit. Plants within the porous structure provide evaporative cooling through transpiration, actively lowering temperatures while the surrounding concrete maintains structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure combining concrete (for strength) with porous materials and vegetation (for thermal regulation). This composite design allows the concrete to provide structural integrity while the porous vegetated core provides thermal mass reduction and evaporative cooling, achieving both structural strength and heat mitigation simultaneously.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The structures provide a cooling effect, reduce urban heat island temperatures, enhance aesthetic value, and increase planting space in urban areas by integrating plants that convert carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.
Implementation Method 1
plants contained within the walls are able to convert carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and water through photosynthesis, reducing the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
Implementation Method 2
the watering of the structural building units and wet soil can lessen the effects of the summer heating of many cinder block walls
Data Source
AI summary
A structural building unit, a form for making a structural building unit, and a method of forming a structure from structural building units are disclosed. A structural building unit comprising left, right, back, and front portions with the front portion extending inward and downward from the left and right front edges creates a void into which soil and plants may be placed, allowing plants to grow from any structure created with the structural building units. These structural building units are suitable for improving the aesthetic value of the structure and providing any structure built therefrom with shade and other methods of cooling, including evapotranspiration, reducing the contribution of the structure to any heat island effect. The plants also lead to improved air quality through conversion of carbon dioxide to oxygen and carbohydrates.