The city comes to life through a green architecture

Green walls and facades represent an impressive architectural innovation that brings fresh air and natural green to the urban environment.

Vertical greening of buildings

They are created by planting or installing vegetation with different species of perennial plants on the vertical surfaces of buildings. Vegetation is planted in a growing medium consisting of soil, or special substrate. They can be placed on commercial, industrial, residential or public buildings.

With modernisation and increasing urbanisation, the number of concrete buildings has increased significantly, with asphalt urfaces predominating where green spaces used to be. These changes have turned cities from green to grey, resulting in unhealthy, uninspiring living environments and have brought with them a number of challenges that need to be addressed, such as overheating (urban heat island effect), air pollution, flooding, loss of biodiversity and people’s connection with nature.

Green walls effectively mitigate these issues, in a relatively small space, providing numerous benefits including biodiversity protection, air filtration, oxygen generation and microclimate improvement.

Vertical greening of buildings

Innovations in the field of green walls and façades enable the return of nature in the midst of urban congestion and offer sustainable solutions for a greener and healthier future by recreating natural habitats.

Nowadays it is evident that we need a different type of urbanization, the most important aspect being finding the harmony between urban and nature. Green walls can give large industrial facades a natural look with lush vegetation, which differs significantly from the monotonous gray of buildings; it transforms numerous previously barren surfaces into splendid vertical gardens, creating attractive spaces that promote people’s well-being.

Green walls are considered wonders of horticulture that have the power to transform even a boring, ordinary space into an eye-catching vertical garden, giving new meaning to green architecture.

Advantages of walls and green façades

Apart from the exciting design potential they offer, green walls also present significant ecological advantages for people, animals and the environment.

Aesthetics and environment
Green façades and walls offer a natural and pleasant appearance, bringing a feeling of relaxation and connection with the environment. They contribute to improving the aesthetics of urban space and can reduce the feeling of a concrete jungle.
Psychosocial impact
Plant walls can amplify our sense of happiness and improve productivity by satisfying our innate desire to connect with nature. Integrating natural elements into monotonous urban environments can boost mood, focus, and promote a more positive outlook. This phenomenon is often known as „biophilia.”
Thermal insulation
The plants on these structures help to thermally insulate the buildings, reducing the need to use air conditioning or artificial heating.
Temperature reduction
The plant evapotranspiration process generates a cooling effect on the building and its immediate surroundings. The green facade serves as a protective barrier against high temperatures, contributes to the creation of a more viable living environment by improving the microclimate and mitigating the urban heat island effect. Green surfaces have significantly lower temperatures than built surfaces, which heat up quickly and retain heat for a long time.
Noise reduction
Due to the dense foliage and the irregular shapes of the plants, the green facades have properties of damping the surrounding noise. Plants absorb sound vibrations and scatter sound waves in different directions, helping to reduce the noise.
Improving air quality
The plants contribute to the reduction of CO2 concentrations in the air. Through the photosynthetic process, plants absorb CO2 and convert it into glucose and oxygen, improving the air quality in cities, contributing to a healthier environment. A green wall of 1 m2 can remove an average of 2.3 kg of CO2 from the air/year.
Supporting biodiversity
Vegetation can provide a habitat for pollinating butterflies and bees, birds and other creatures with an important role in the ecosystem. These animals find food and shelter within the green facade, favoring the growth of local biodiversity in urban regions and the creation of unique urban ecosystems. Bees can gather nectar from flowering plants and pollinate other plants in the urban environment, for example in vegetable gardens.
Energy savings
Thanks to the thermal insulation properties, these arrangements can lead to significant energy savings, reducing building maintenance costs.

Main system types

There are many different vertical greening solutions and countless plant species that can be used depending on the specific objectives of the projects, considering shading, aesthetics, temperature or humidity. When choosing the right system, take into account the specifications of the place where they are installed; in general, factors such as cost, maintenance and basic structure determine the choice of system and plants used.

The systems of green walls and façades can be made in different ways: with climbing plants (with or without support) with the help of pre-cultivated panels or by building individual walls with a special substrate for rooting and growth. The concept of green walls is divided into two main categories, depending on their approach: green façades and living walls.

Green Façades

Representing traditional wall greening, it is based on climbing plants, with commonly used species such as: ivy (Hedera sp.), Russian vine (Fallopia sp.), Virginia vine (Parthenocissus sp.) and wisteria (Wisteria sp.). Many other climbing plants can also be very decorative, including: clematis (Clematis sp.), honeysuckle (Lonicera sp.), jasmine (Jasminum sp.). These plants tend to grow more slowly and do not provide as dense cover as traditional climbers, but they produce vibrant, pleasantly scented flowers that can serve as nectar sources for insects. In the case of green façades, plants are rooted in natural soil or in large planters, using the building or trellises and wire systems as structural support. They can only be installed on the exterior of buildings; it takes a longer period of time to grow to cover a larger area. At the same time, it represents an economical greening solution, compared to modular systems.

Vegetation attached directly to the building is the oldest method of greening the walls, in this case there is no space between the plants and the wall, and they grow without additional support and guidance in the direction of growth. It is especially used on porous brick and stone walls, using the structure as a support.

In the case of the indirect system, the plants are not attached directly to the wall of the building. Usually nets, fences, cables or metal structures are installed with support at a distance from the wall that plants can climb and grow higher. The supports limit the direct contact between the wall and the plants, prevent damage to the building and provide vertical support for the plants.

There are pre-grown modules with which green walls can be quickly built with maximum coverage from the moment of installation (eg: pre-grown ivy panels with dimensions of 120 cm x 180/200/220 cm).

Living Walls

Living walls or vertical gardens are a more complex solution, they usually have a growing medium on the surface or structure of a wall, they can be pre-grown for faster installation to ensure total coverage with instant vegetation. These include modular panels and modular irrigation systems. Living walls can vary depending on the type of growing medium used and the structure of the support.

For many centuries, climbing plants have served as covering systems for various constructions, and modern technology has developed the concept of a modular system for green walls.

Modular systems have gained prominence in green architecture over the past 15 ears, proving reliable and effective for greening buildings.

For modular systems plants are grown in separate modules that are placed along the entire wall. These systems incorporate a wider range of plant species, improving both biodiversity and the aesthetic appeal of façades. Although modular systems are generally considered high-tech and therefore more expensive, they offer a number of aesthetic and environmental benefits.

There are many types and solutions of modules, made of different ecological materials and used with various substrates, planting media inside the modules; when choosing the system, the specific needs of the project are taken into account.

Modular System for Vertical Gardens

The E-Flower & Wall modular panel system represents the latest innovation in the field of building greening, it is a modern, sustainable method which can easily transform any gray surface into a green oasis.

The plants are placed in a substrate specially designed for vertical growth; thanks to the professional irrigation system and growing environment, the plants receive all the nutrients and hydration necessary for healthy development, so the vegetation has a vibrant and multi-colored appearance.

The system is characterized by a low weight; offers a versatile solution for greening, with multiple possibilities of use for almost all types of walls. It can be mounted both on existing, renovated and new buildings; it can be installed in any desired shapes and sizes, even on surfaces with curved, wavy lines. The profiles are resistant to corrosion and can be installed both horizontally and vertically, depending on the format and layout of the retaining wall.

E-Flower & Wall is an exceptional system for green construction, offers climate resiliant solutions and contributes to the creation of a healthy and attractive living environment.

The abundant vegetation of the vertical garden, in addition to adding a special aesthetic aspect, also favors the increase of biodiversity, air purification and heat mitigation.

  • Plants embedded in the living wall increase biodiversity, improve air quality and create a favorable microclimate; protects the façades and the structure of the building against large temperature fluctuations.
  • It is made of durable and fully recyclable materials.
  • Each module with live plants can be easily inserted into the wall or replaced.
  • It is a versatile system that can be used for façade greening, noise and heat protection, urban gardening, herb gardens, windbreaks, hedge replacement, etc.