Latest in: EU.

© GKR Hydro GmbH
Latest News

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. © 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 ArchitektenLandlord: ekos GmbH Green Roof/Wall System: Hydro Profi Line® PlantersNumber of Green roofs / Walls on Property: App. 200 running meter of climbing plants in special fadace-mounted planters © GKR Hydro GmbH © GKR Hydro GmbH   Date: Nov 2021City: VahrnLocation: Plattnerstrasse 4 owner website contact

Read More »
05/12/2022 No Comments
EU chapter

A new model of “urban forestation” to reduce energy costs

At EIMA, the international agricultural machinery exhibition in Bologna (Italy), the World Green Infrastructure Network presented proposals for new standards on green areas in rural, commercial and public building renovations and new construction. The association’s proposals revolve around the definition of new parameters for the renovation of commercial, rural and public buildings and for new residential constructions. These parameters should stimulate, through tax and financial incentives, a more rapid reduction in energy costs in the wake of the objectives set by the European Commission. In particular, according to WGIN, green areas should be integrated in new zero-emission buildings and combined with installations of renewable energy systems: a combination that increases energy efficiency by between 5 and 10%. In addition, as regards the renovation of public, commercial and rural buildings, the introduction of a minimum green area standard should become indispensable to improve environmental mitigation measures. “The time has come for Italy, with the support of other EU countries, to seriously promote a real European Green Deal for climate mitigation in urban areas,” said Riccardo Rigolli, agronomist and board member of WGIN. Read more

Read More »
10/19/2021 No Comments
EU chapter

Renaturing our cities for climate action and citizens’ wellbeing – Open letter to the EU Commission

Boosting the uptake of green infrastructure through new EU rules on buildings’ energy performance can lead the way for decarbonised, healthier and more biodiverse buildings and cities, 36 organisations representing industry associations, companies, universities, think tanks and NGOs, wrote in an open letter to the European Commission. “The built environment is a core area of the Union’s decarbonisation efforts in the next ten years. We believe that green infrastructure, with the support of the right legislative framework, can play a key role both for climate mitigation and in supporting urban areas to adapt to a changing climate”, write the co-signatories. They underline that with urban population projected to further grow in most European regions, investing in the switch from grey to Blue-Green Infrastructure must be a priority to renature our cities, reduce their carbon footprint and improve the health and wellbeing of their residents. The 36 organisations call on the Commission to introduce in its proposal for the revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) mandatory provisions for the integration of green infrastructure in new and renovated buildings. In particular, they recommend to: Systematically integrate green infrastructure in a new Zero Emission Building standard and require combination with solar renewables installations (bio-solar roofs) such as solar thermal and/or photovoltaic energy; Require commercial and public buildings, undertaking renovations, to install green roofs and walls in combination with solar renewables installations (bio-solar roofs) such as solar thermal and/or photovoltaic energy; Require Member States to provide incentives for large residential buildings occupying a land surface of 400m2, and more, and undertaking renovations to install green roofs in combination with solar renewables installations (bio-solar roofs) such as solar thermal and/or photovoltaic energy. European citizens will support these actions, as the recent lockdowns stressed the importance of access to nature and green spaces for people’s mental and physical health and general wellbeing, the letter states. With the right legislative framework, we can make nature and green areas accessible to all by installing vegetation on billions of square meters of roofs and impervious surfaces which would be otherwise unused. Read and download the full letter here Note to the editor: The European Commission is expected to present a proposal for the revision of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) in December 2021.

Read More »
10/13/2021 No Comments
EU chapter

Why greening cities should be a pillar of climate action

Rotterdam, The Netherlands: section of the Dakakker. ID:1415339051 By interweaving green infrastructure with the built environment, we can tackle some of the effects of human-induced warming locally, writes Luigi Petito, Head of WGIN EU Chapter, in the Autumn edition of Living Architecture Monitor This summer’s extreme weather conditions battered most of Europe. In the North of the continent heavy precipitations devastated large part of Belgium and Germany. This had a dramatic human impact. In the South, wildfires ravaged large areas in Spain, Italy and Greece. Sadly, these events were not limited to Europe: extreme weather was a phenomenon witnessed by communities across the globe, showing that even some of the world’s richest countries remain unprepared for the intensifying consequences of climate change. The Sixth Assessment Report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reminded us that unless significant reductions in CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions occur in the coming decades, the global temperature will increase  above 1.5 °C and the consequences for the health of planet Earth and for humanity will be dire. Regrettably, many changes due to past and future greenhouse gas emissions are irreversible, especially changes to the ocean, ice sheets and the global sea levels. Others can be addressed with effective mitigation and adaptation actions. In cities for example, we can reverse the trends if we renature urban areas. By interweaving green infrastructure with the built environment, we can tackle some of the effects of human-induced warming locally. At the same time, we can limit further urbanization, which, according to the IPCC report, will increase the severity of heatwaves as well as mean and heavy precipitation and resulting runoff intensity. Read the full article here Living Architecture Monitor (LAM) is a quarterly publication first published in 1998. It features in-depth interviews with leaders in the green building movement, opinions, research, and green roof and wall project profiles.

Read More »
10/06/2021 No Comments
EU chapter

In the press | Rainwater as a resource in the city

Blue-green infrastructure are key to help adapt urban rainwater management to climate change, reports Tagesspiegel Background (Germany). In Germany and the EU, experts are calling for more commitment to adapting urban rainwater management to climate change. The focus is on new concepts such as a blue-green infrastructure and the networking of storage measures. Luigi Petito, Head of the European Chapter of the World Green Infrastructure Network, was asked by Tagesspiegel about the benefits of green infrastructure for urban water management and the latest policy developments at EU level. “A lot is happening right now, but there is still a lack of mandatory regulations for blue-green infrastructure in cities,” Petito said, pointing in particular at the upcoming revision of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD). “Germany has played a pioneering role in the implementation of blue-green implementation of blue-green pilot projects in cities, but also in the development of technical solutions”, he added. Such examples could serve as a model throughout Europe. Read the full article (German)

Read More »
07/21/2021 No Comments
EU chapter

Have Your Say: European Commission Consults on New Stormwater Policies

Oblique lid of a well after thunder shower. ID: 697109167 April 2021 was the wettest and coldest April on record, yet summer in Europe could not have had a better start for green infrastructure. Let’s find out why. In the Summer edition of Living Architecture Monitor (LAM), Head of EU World Green Infrastructure Network Luigi Petito, writes about the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) that was developed 30 years ago to ensure clean and safe urban wastewater in European cities. The full article is available here. The LAM magazine is a quarterly publication first published in 1998.  It features in-depth interviews with leaders in the green building movement, opinions, research, and green roof and wall project profiles. Living architecture is the integration of living, organic systems with non-living, inorganic systems in, on, or around buildings. Living architecture is an important step to reconcile people and nature in the modern built environment.

Read More »
07/05/2021 No Comments
EU chapter

In the press | Jure Šumi: “Green infrastructure bring life to cities”

Azotea del Instituto Nacional de Biologia, en Liubliana, capital de Eslovenia. © DANILO BEVK In an interview to top-ranking Spanish media outlet El Pais, Jure Sumi, president of the Slovenian Green Infrastructure Association and Representative of the WGIN European Business Group presented the multiple benefits of nature in cities. “The holistic benefits that urban green infrastructure is bringing to cities are relatively little known”, Jure Sumi told El Pais, “People, and even city officials, are not aware of all the positive effects of nature. The benefits go beyond the aesthetic. Green infrastructure brings life to cities, reduces overheating in city centres, manages stormwater and removes dangerous dust particles from the air…. If buildings are designed correctly, green roofs on top can be additional amenity spaces for residents to enjoy nature at home.” “Not understanding all the benefits brings us to the second challenge”, he explained, “Adding green infrastructure is costly. As the benefits are not yet recognised, investors are not willing to pay much more for ‘green buildings’ as they are not sure how to sell the benefit to potential buyers. They see green infrastructure more as an additional cost than as an opportunity to increase the value of the building. I firmly believe that this is our task, to convince national and municipal governments, as well as investors and residents, to understand the benefits of green infrastructure. In the end everyone wins: municipality, investor, resident and, above all, nature.” Read the full article (in Spanish): https://elpais.com/elpais/2021/06/14/seres_urbanos/1623663219_703877.html

Read More »
06/25/2021 No Comments
EU chapter

European Parliament calls for green roofs targets to restore urban biodiversity

The European Parliament adopted its position on the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, signalling another important recognition of green infrastructure benefits. On 9 June 2021, the European Parliament adopted the resolution “EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030: Bringing nature back into our lives”, fully endorsing the EU Commission strategy to address the current biodiversity crisis in Europe and the rest of the world. In the resolution, the Parliament calls on the European Commission to set ambitious legally binding targets for urban biodiversity, nature-based solutions, ecosystem-based approaches and green infrastructure, highlighting their benefits for both humans and wildlife and their contribution to the overall biodiversity targets. To promote urban biodiversity, MEPs stress the need to include measures such as a minimum share of green roofs on new buildings, supporting urban farming, ensuring no chemical pesticides are used and reducing fertiliser use in EU urban green areas. At the same time, the Parliament underlines the importance of increasing the number of green spaces according to the number of inhabitants of European urban areas, while also addressing inequalities in access to green spaces. The resolution recognises that green urban areas and green infrastructure can provide ecosystem services to support biodiversity and contribute to the physical and mental well-being of the population. In this view, MEPs support the Commission’s initiative to set up an EU platform for urban greening. “We are glad to see that the European Parliament recognizes the key contribution of green infrastructure to restore biodiversity in urban areas”, said Prof. Manfred Koehler, President of the World Green Infrastructure Network. “Bringing nature back into our cities is among the most urgent and difficult challenges that Europe and the world are facing. By installing vegetated surfaces on our buildings, we can create a natural habitat for pollinators, small insects and birds, and even allow for urban farming, in places that are otherwise unutilised.” In the resolution, MEPs regret that the EU has not achieved its 2020 biodiversity objectives, stressing that the new strategy must tackle all five main drivers of change: changes in land and sea use; the direct exploitation of organisms; climate change; pollution; and invasive alien species. Moreover, they ask to mobilise €20 billion per year for biodiversity action in Europe. About usThe EU Chapter of the World Green Infrastructure Network (WGIN) aims to increase the awareness of European Union policymakers about the multiple benefits of green infrastructure, with a specific focus on Building Integrated Vegetative Systems (green roofs and living walls). WGIN brings together national and regional industry associations, researchers, and companies to promote the incorporation of urban green infrastructure practice and planning, globally.

Read More »
06/11/2021 No Comments
EU chapter

WGIN selected as partner of the New European Bauhaus

The World Green Infrastructure Network (WGIN) has been selected as official partner of the New European Bauhaus (NEB). The New European Bauhaus initiative aims to connect the European Green Deal to our living spaces by calling on all Europeans to imagine and build together a sustainable and inclusive future that is beautiful for our eyes, minds, and souls. Being inspired by the 1920s Bauhaus current, that synthesized scientific, technological and artistic innovation and transformation, the NEB pushes for cross-disciplinary debates and ideas to rethink our current practices and rebuild our places according to the principles of, sustainability, quality of experience and inclusiveness. During the co-design phase of the initiative, the New European Bauhaus teamed up with inspiring networks, associations, and organisations that are committed to act as promoters and key interlocutors throughout the project. WGIN is proud to join the community of NEB partners, which include leading architecture, design and urban planning schools, universities, NGOs as well as networks of cities, mayors and local authorities. Through the inputs of contributors and partners, the NEB co-design phase will lead to the launch of at least five concrete pilot projects in different EU Member states, as innovative projects bringing the new Bauhaus concept to life. Green infrastructure, such as green roofs and walls, are a perfect example of combining sustainability with aesthetic and inclusiveness and can greatly help reconnect nature and human beings in cities and urban areas across Europe. The full list of official partners can be found here

Read More »
04/17/2021 No Comments
EU chapter

European Parliament highlights green roofs for climate change adaptation

December 2020 – In a resolution adopted on 17 December the European Parliament recognised the key role of green roofs and walls to minimise the adverse impact of climate change. The resolution says that green roofs and walls can contribute to cooling high urban temperatures, retaining and reusing rainwater and producing food. Urban green infrastructure can also help reduce air pollution, improve the quality of life in cities, reduce risks to human health, and protect biodiversity, including pollinators. MEPs supported any targeted initiatives to seize this potential, including the development of urban strategies and better spatial planning. Moreover, they called for infrastructure such as roads, parking lots, train tracks and power and drainage systems to be made biodiversity and climate-proof. The Parliament’s resolution on adaptation to climate change will provide input on a new EU Adaptation Strategy, expected from the Commission in 2021 as part of the European Green Deal. About usThe EU Chapter of the World Green Infrastructure Network (WGIN) aims to increase the awareness of the European Union policymakers about the multiple benefits of green infrastructure, with a specific focus on Building Integrated Vegetative Systems (green roofs and living walls). WGIN brings together national and regional industry associations to promote the development of the green infrastructure industry through training, research, advocacy for new policy, conferences, publications, and promotion.

Read More »
04/12/2021 No Comments
Load More

Follow us on our social channels.

Follow us on the channel that best suits you to receive our latest updates!

Twitter Facebook-f Linkedin Youtube