Natural Facade for Greening Buildings in Urban Areas
In many cities, especially in the city centers, there are too few green spaces. Due to dense development, parks, gardens, and other natural areas are becoming increasingly rare. This has a negative impact on the urban climate (overheating), air quality, and people’s quality of life. Since it is rarely possible to reclaim sealed surfaces, approaches must be found to incorporate buildings into the creation of green spaces.
For this reason, DUCON, in collaboration with Bernhard Müller Betonsteinwerk GmbH, set out to find a solution that would leverage the advantages of this high-performance material to create green facades. The result is a facade panel with integrated planters. The base consists of a standard thin backing panel that can be mounted on the building shell using conventional fasteners. The planters attached to the front can then be planted as desired, allowing the facade to improve air quality.
Following several optimizations to the geometry and the manufacturing process, the first prototype has already been installed and planted on the grounds of the precast plant. This sample facade is also equipped with an irrigation system and openings for drainage in the event of excessive water inflow, such as during rainfall.
In addition to its greening properties, DUCON offers the usual sustainability benefits. The component thickness, which is at least half that of conventional reinforced concrete, saves a significant amount of resources. DUCONGreen offers an additional reduction in CO2 emissions thanks to its significantly lower clinker content. These outstanding sustainability characteristics are also reflected in the recently obtained Environmental Product Declaration for DUCON components (EPD-DUB-104).
