The perception of green integrated into architecture: installation of a green facade in Genoa, Italy

In October and November 2014, a green facade was built on an office building owned by the National Institute of Social Insurance (Istituto Nazionale di Previdenza Sociale) in Genoa’s Sestri Ponente district, an area characterized by relatively high population density (13,000 inhabitants/km2). As in many Italian cities, Sestri Ponente has high rates of air pollution, and the Department of Sciences for Architecture at the University of Genoa (Italy) is conducting monitoring activities in collaboration with RSE SpA (Research on Energy System) to evaluate the effectiveness of the facade in summer cooling, winter heating, air quality improvement, and economic and environmental sustainability. A sociological survey of local residents and employees who work in the building on their perceptions of the green facade is also under development. This monitoring includes surveys before and after the installation of the facade to evaluate if the introduction of foreign elements has destabilizing effects in the context of the domestic environment. This article discusses the results of the survey done before the implementation of the green facade. Other surveys will be carried out in subsequent months in order to understand if the experience of prolonged contact with this new “presence” has changed citizens’ perception.