This concept stands between classic, ground-based greening and ‘living walls’. It requires ‘exterior corridors’ on the building. Planters require pergolas, balconies or platforms on the building.
‘Shelving systems’ meet high ecological standards in densely populated areas. The concept is suitable for prestigious buildings, city centre locations, company headquarters or simply anywhere where green privacy screening is desired. The investment costs can range from 400 to well over 1,000 euros per square metre of green space (as of 2020).
As with a shelf, the greenery is arranged in several layers, on several ‘shelf boards’, usually in plant troughs set up there and often with automatic irrigation. The greenery is fully present immediately or after a few weeks/months.
Sometimes, because of the greening, the building needs its own construction level in front of the façade in a pergola design for the installation and maintenance of the plant troughs, and then it becomes really expensive. However, if the building already has pergolas, these can often be greened at low cost. However, they must be wide enough for escape routes AND plant pots and, if necessary, be reinforced for the installation of heavy pots.
The plants can grow downwards or climb upwards on wire ropes and trellis bars.
The more green mass is produced and has to be removed by pruning, the higher the maintenance costs. A mix of different plants in a small space requires specialist staff for pruning and maintenance, which may increase costs further.
Planned as a flagship project by the developer Ferdinand Piëch Holding GmbH and architect Christoph Ingenhoven, this green façade, which cost several million euros, has exceeded pretty much all expectations. Nothing was left to chance during the preparation phase! Plants were tested on sample walls for all four cardinal directions. Once it was clear what went well together, the plants were pre-cultivated in more than a thousand large ‘inlay’ troughs in a nursery for months until they were finally lifted into the metal tubs on the façade by crane and connected to the irrigation system. This system uses sensors to detect the outside temperature and humidity in the tubs and can therefore operate with precision...
Our company, FassadenGrün, played a relatively modest role in the project, supplying small parts for the climbing ropes.
Conclusion: Even if this ingenious project is hardly reproducible, it will inspire players in the green industry for all future projects of this kind!
This photo gallery attempts to show the many plants used in the pilot project and their respective design effects. Unless otherwise noted, the photos were taken in early April 2024.
Evergreen plants are of course desirable here, but deciduous species are often more attractive. A mixture of both can achieve great effects. Species with weak to moderate growth are preferable, as this limits the amount of maintenance (pruning) required. Tangled thickets and knots should be avoided! Species such as hops, which produce a lot of dead plant shoots, should also be avoided, as they form ‘dead wood’ and may then become a ‘fire hazard’. Overall, growing plants in pots is a challenge, and not all plants like it. However, the species listed below have proven themselves, without this being an exclusion criterion. Many can be seen in the photos.
Twining plants: Evergreen honeysuckle, Japanese honeysuckle, climbing knotweed, ornamental vine ‘Kolomikta’, Periploca, Akebia, Schisandra.
Stem Tendril Climbers: Thicket creeper, grape-free wild vine, Ampelopsis
Leaf stalk climbers: Clematis alpina, Clematis tangutica, Clematis montana
Spreading climbers: Winter jasmine
Hanging plants: Ivy, thicket creeper, winter jasmine, cotoneaster “Coral Beauty” and “Skogholm”, large-leaved periwinkle (Vinca major), low purpleberry (Symphoricarpos chenaultii “Hancock”)
Greenery in a ‘shelf construction’ can be combined with classic, ground-based greenery! Even though this approach was not taken in the above-mentioned pilot project... The ‘base load’ of greening can come from plants growing in the ground below, possibly with the prospect of having to wait several years for success and the desired greening heights. Shelf greening is immediately visible, even in the first year, ultimately enhancing the appearance and adding additional accents such as flowers, etc.
Automatic irrigation, ideally with fertilisation, is expensive but sustainable, because as long as it works, the plants remain green and healthy. The costs are correspondingly high. For large green areas, however, the irrigation system is significantly more economical when its price is calculated per square metre. Of course, such a system must also be maintained so that the pipes do not calcify, so that humidification also takes place in winter, etc. But it must be said clearly: automatic irrigation is the best solution!
In order to save on this expensive building technology, the irrigation and maintenance of the planters can of course also be carried out by the users, especially in residential construction. However, in our experience, it does not work to have MANY people looking after individual planters, sections of greenery or even maintenance intervals. It is cheaper to have ONE person responsible for all the greenery, all the planters, etc. This could be a retiree in the building who receives a rent reduction in exchange for watering, or even a caretaker.
Or: each user gets their own plant pot, e.g. on a balcony. For this purpose, voluminous (i.e. not too small) planters can be integrated into the architecture and then become the responsibility of the residents.
Fassadengrün is a commercial supplier of stainless steel wire rope systems in Germany, Europe and overseas. Information about: Which plants are suitable, are climbing aids necessary, should they be made of wood or metal? Here at FassadenGrün you will find all the information you need from a single source.
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