Modern Architecture and Greening (~ 1920 - today)

Bauhaus was all about clearing off the ornamentation and embellishments considered unnecessary or unfunctional (on buildings and otherwise). Minimalism became king. The new ideal favored clear, angularly-cut facades, often without details. Though Bauhaus wanted to reconceive structures for the support of growing social needs and to counteract the momentum of the capitalist machine, the style resulted in a cold, even soul-less effect. The few original houses from the Bauhaus period (until about 1935) are listed as historical monuments in Germany and are under the strict protection of the government. They are usually kept white, as this was the typical colour of the 'new building' ('modern architecture'). From afar these houses appear quite bright, even pure, but can be somewhat shrill and glaring up close. Although greening could mitigate this effect and provide contrast, facade plants are virtually out of the question here (that is, they are usually prohibited): "only the original" is the motto. At the least, one could set simple potted plants against the walls. Still, where greening is permitted, self-clinging and vigorous climbers should be avoided.

The ideas of modern architecture were applied in Germany from 1950 onwards also in the construction of social housing. Facade greening didn't play a role here at first, but with the advent of the environmental movement, the first attempts were made around 1980. To meet rental quotas, these buildings were redeveloped and rennovated en masse and also greened (mostly on the windowless facades), starting around 1990. Unfortunately, the facades, some of which were very striking, were often expressionless after insulation because they were uniformly painted in plain, light tones (walls with external insulaion systems-- ETICS -- usually have an acrylic plaster that does not tolerate darker colours). Such large-scale and high greenings , due to a lack of maintenance or interest, were sometimes severely neglected or even later cleared away.

After 1945, the greening of buildings initially received no new impetus. The great post-war cleanup was the higher priority, both physically and mentally. Promising projects of the “Garden City” period slept, because the heirs of the remaining houses understood nothing of the art of pruning and had no desire to take care of greening on behalf of a few fruits. There was thus a pause until 1968 when the Eco / Environmental movement started; with it arose the ecologically-motivated greening of buildings. Many new green areas were created. Particularly with high greening, a few difficulties arose too. In Germany the environmental movement has profoundly shaped the urban landscape. Environmental associations were and still are at the vanguard of this movement, spearheading the return of nature to the city. Low-cost facade greening was intended to improve the quality of life in inner-cities: "Plant a wild vine on your house and all will be good!" And so,"the greening" began, with full greening being the order of the day. Innumerable urban funding programs were established, giving away thousands of self-climbing plants for this purpose. The model was the greening of social housing construction of the 20's and 30's. Competitions like, "the most beautiful greening project in our city" were also held.

In the enthusiasm of a new project, some practicals can easily be overlooked. Namely~ facade greening projects really only function if a sound net of agreements exist, when all parties agree and cooperate: owners, tenants, and neighbors. Who pays the maintenance costs? Who will see to it that the autumn foliage is removed each year? If roles are not clear and each party does not take care of its part, a cute little greening project can, in time, become a green octopus, the vigorous light-fleeing shoots of which find their way happily into roof structures, cracks and crevices, compromising the integrity of the building and potentially causing irreparable damage! Is the home or building owner ready to hire a specialty firm to trim the 4th floor of her/his building annually, and pay for it?

Such greening projects are then especially realisable when they are not the result of anonymous regulations but are decided for the owners, who will take on the maintenance of the greening with passion and care.

Entre-temps, et notamment en raison de la crise climatique, on intègre volontiers des espaces verts dans le « style Bauhaus ». It is best to choose plants which need support to climb rather than self-climbers who tend to colonize a building quickly but wildly. Those that need assistance from cables and wire ropes in order to form and grow will be significantly more maneagable in the long-run. We recommend discussing a facade garden and your greening wishes with the architect at an early stage, because it can then be integrated into the stylistic language of the building. Below you can see examples with cable systems; traditional wooden trellises are also possible. The installation of a cable system may be challenging on some wall types / special facades.

The conditions for office and commercial construction have also changed since 1920, with green building and sustainable construction playing an increasingly important role. Facade gardens have become an integral element in high-quality architecture. Parking garagesare being greened, high-rises with green facades are more common (see greening large metal structures / walls), and compltely new greening techniques ~ vertical gardens / living walls ~ are also becoming popular, though these are quite maintenance-intensive and still being tested. In any case, building for a sustainable future without some aspect of facade greening is now almost unthinkable.