New Construction ('Modern Architecture') and Greening (ca. 1920 - today)
Greening 'up' (facade greening) was initially frowned on in the Bauhaus era of "modern architecture" (1920) because it reflected the older "garden city" style. Bauhaus was all about clearing off the ornamentation and embellishments on buildings. Minimalism was king. The new ideal was the "living machine," and so clear, angularly-cut facades were created-- often without details-- and had a somewhat cold, repellent, even soul-less effect. Since then, things have relaxed a bit and greened walls are no longer taboo: naturalness, warmth, and fullness of life-- and with them full-greening-- are once again "allowed!" At the same time, there have been undesirable developments where greening is sometimes intended to compensate for poor architecture...
Older Single-Family Homes
The few original houses from the Bauhaus period until approx. 1935 are under the strict protection of the government-- the historical monuments preservation department. They are usually painted only white, because this was the typical colour of the "new building." The houses appear bright and pure from afar, but can be shrill and glaring up close. Greening is virtually impossible here, even if it would soothe the blinding effect of the facades ("only the original" is the motto). At least it could be possible to put simple potted plants in front of the walls. With houses from later times, greenery may be used, but self-clinging climbers and also strong vigorous plants should be avoided.
New Single Family Houses
When greening 'new buildings,' plants are preferred which do not grow 'wild' (like self-climbers) but need assistance from cables and wires to form and grow. It is recommended to discuss a facade garden/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; modern trellises are also possible. The installation of a cable system may be challenging if special façades need to be greened.
Pre-Fab Buildings, approx. 1950
Starting around 1950, ideas of "modern architecture" were also implemented for social (municipal) housing. Facade greening didn't play a role here at first, but in the course of the environmental movement, the first attempts were made around 1980. To safeguard rental quotas (occupancy rates), these buildings were redeveloped and rennovated en masse and also greened, (especially windowless gables), starting around 1990. Unfortunately, the result was that these facades were often expressionless, even after walls were brightly painted (walls with ETICS would not stand any dark colours). And, such large-scale greenings were sometimes neglected or even cleared, because of lack of interest and care.
Office and Commercial Buildings
The conditions for office and commercial construction have also changed since 1920, with "green building' playing an increasingly important role. Facade gardens have become an integral component of a high-quality architecture. Parking garages are greened, high plant-climbing walls are more common... life without facade greening in all its facets is now almost unthinkable. Completely new greening systems are also being tested, but are still quite maintenance-intensive.
Functional Buildings and Negative Trends
A negative trend also begins to emerge now. Functional buildings (warehouses, car parking houses, protective walls, etc..) begin to be perceived more and more as eye-sores and disruptive enough to require greening as a compensation measure. Naturally, the positive insight is that greening can improve the appearance of large, boring, unsightly, or uniform areas. The shady side of this thinking: a builder/owner can take advantage of this fact and must then no longer take the trouble that is necessary to create high-quality buildings. One could equate "modern buildings" with expressionless, cheap, dull facades. And greening is reduced to just a covering/coating to provide consolation to the architect, provided that 'architecture' is really deserving of the name. (In German, silver lace vine is also called 'architektentrost'-- literally, ''architect's consolation" -- for its ability to quickly cover large areas.)
Housing Construction - Single-Family Houses, Photo Gallery
Greened residential buildings, most from the time after 2000. FassadenGrün-systems are noted with a wire rope system number. More examples under Modern Trellises.
Office and Commercial/Industrial Construction
Examples of successful facade greening. Please also refer to the section on Parking Garages.
