The Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning

Research Project: Funding Guideline for Green Roofs and Facades ‒ Feasibility Study

Project briefing

The consequences of climate change are already being felt today. Periods of drought, heavy rainfall, tropical nights and heat islands in cities are a burden on the population and lead to economic damage. Green spaces are a sustainable and nature-based solution to positively influence the urban microclimate. At the same time, they fulfil a variety of ecological and social functions. The greening of buildings offers enormous potential for connecting urban green spaces. As multifunctional measures, roof and facade greening in dense urban structures can contribute to adapting to the consequences of climate change. The feasibility study serves as a basis for possible federal funding of building greening.

Climatic changes have serious effects in cities. Especially in high-density urban areas, we can observe an increasing number of summer days, hot days and tropical nights, which are a burden on human health. There is a lack of green spaces to mitigate heating through evaporation and shading. The municipal drainage facilities are sometimes no longer able to absorb the immense surface runoff from the sealed surfaces during heavy rainfall events, which repeatedly leads to flooding and damage. In response to the current challenges, cities are developing climate adaptation concepts. The importance of urban green spaces in reducing heat stress and their contribution to flood prevention is now being recognised. In addition to parks and urban trees, greening of buildings also plays a significant role. Both roof and facade greening can be implemented as climate adaptation measures in existing and new buildings. Due to their proximity to buildings, they are in the direct sphere of human activity. Their great advantage compared to other greening measures is their low space consumption, which is why they are particularly suitable for greening of buildings in dense urban structures, thus enabling multifunctional roof and facade use. The federal government has recognised the growing public awareness and the increasing demands on urban greening. The goals of the project were therefore:

  • Summary of the contribution of building greening to climate protection, temperature reduction, rainwater management and ecological diversity
  • Description and categorisation of structural engineering solutions
  • Evaluation of existing instruments (urban land use planning, wastewater fee statutes, sustainable building assessment systems, information and advisory services)
  • Analysis and evaluation of existing funding programmes
  • Presentation of potential s olutions, interactions, obstacles and conflicting goals
  • Preparation of recommendations for action for the federal government on the promotion of building greening

Contractors of the research project were Dr. Gunter Mann, Bundesverband GebäudeGrün e.V. (BuGG), Berlin and Dr. rer. nat. Dipl.-Ing. Bernhard Fischer, IBF Ingenieurtechnische Beratung Fischer, Velbert.

Contact us

  • Svenja Binz
    Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development
    Division WB 6 "Instrumente des ressourcenschonenden und klimaangepassten Bauens"
    Phone: +49 30 401-2766
    Email: svenja.binz@bbr.bund.de

  • Dr. Stefan Haas
    Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development
    Division WB 6 "Instrumente des ressourcenschonenden und klimaangepassten Bauens"
    Phone: +49 30 18401-3414
    Email: stefan.haas@bbr.bund.de

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