Living Building Envelop in the North of Italy

Living Building Envelop in the North of Italy

New office building built as solid timber construction following the cradle to cradle principles in the North of Italy.

© GKR Hydro GmbH
© Partner und Partner Architekten
The façade is designed with continuous planters on each level, providing a habitat for various climbing/trailing plants to provide a sunshade for the office. The planters are custom-made from powder-coated stainless steel and equipped with the Hydro Profi Line® Planting system to optimize water consumption, irrigation, structural loads and required planter profile.

 

  • Water consumption: through the planting system’s architecture, water consumption is significantly lowered (by up to 80% compared to conventional planting systems).
  • Irrigation: the planting system comes with a substrate-free water reservoir in each planter. Therefore, the planters themselves function as an irrigation system. On each level, one planter is attached to the non-pressurized irrigation supplying all other planters on the same level through an overflow mechanism (following the rice-terrace-principle).
  • Structural loads: the loads can be split into the water-saturated substrate, the water reservoir at maximum water level and the planting system. In total: app. 75 kg/running meter (thereof water 24kg/running meter, water-saturated substrate app. 30 kg per running meter, the planting system itself, and the planter around 15 kg/running meter). Conventional loads around 300 kg per running meter and more.
  • Planter profile: due to the triggering of mainly fine root growth, the profile of the planters can be reduced to a minimum. In this case 30 cm x 30 cm (conventionally rather 50 cm x 60 cm)

Architects: Partner und Partner Architekten
Landlord: ekos GmbH

Green Roof/Wall System: Hydro Profi Line® Planters
Number of Green roofs / Walls on Property: App. 200 running meter of climbing plants in special fadace-mounted planters

© GKR Hydro GmbH
© GKR Hydro GmbH
© GKR Hydro GmbH
© GKR Hydro GmbH

 

Date: Nov 2021
City: Vahrn
Location: Plattnerstrasse 4

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