How the technology works, which standards apply, which funding programmes exist and what matters in your project phase. The measured impact can be found under Impact.
The key concepts of vertical greening – briefly explained.
Vegetation carrier: mineral-bound, in the tray with baffle elements
Wall-bound: curtain-wall mounted, rear-ventilated, fully greenGround-bound greening uses climbing plants rooted in the soil. Wall-bound systems such as LivingPANELS carry the plants in a vegetation carrier mounted on the wall – fully green from the start, independent of the ground.
The core of the system: a mineral-bound, dimensionally stable carrier with around 1 litre of root space per plant. It stores water (over 45 % per litre) and remains resistant to ageing and pests.
The modules are pre-grown for 8–10 weeks and arrive at the site fully green. The facade is green on arrival and takes effect immediately – no waiting for the first growth.
LivingPANELS are hung in front of the wall as a rear-ventilated facade. The air gap protects the building fabric and improves the building-physics performance.
Planning principles for building greening: ÖNORM L1136 applies in Austria, the FLL facade greening guideline in Germany. Reaction to fire is classified according to EN 13501-1 (B-s1,d0).
Research project on the impact of building greening (BOKU/IBO). The cooling and radiation values quoted on this page were recorded at the permanent measurement site Wien Energie Simmering.
Three typical reasons why green facades do not deliver what they promise – and what LivingPANELS do about them.
Greening that becomes patchy after a few years: in a trial with textile carriers, almost 60 % of the plants died after a single late frost.¹ Too little root space, sagging substrate, ageing fleece: replanting becomes a permanent construction site.
LivingPANELS: mineral-bound, dimensionally stable vegetation carrier with around 1 litre of root space per plant and over 45 % water retention; winter-hardy operation documented.
A facade waiting for its green: ground-bound greening usually reaches the desired coverage only after more than three years.² The building has been handed over, the effect has not. Until then, the greening remains a promise.
LivingPANELS: pre-grown for 8 to 10 weeks, fully green from day one – impact and appearance from handover.
Weeks on the scaffolding and risk on site: every week of standing time costs money,³ and a leak that is only noticed after mounting means rework while the scaffolding stays up.
LivingPANELS: plug & play in three steps, leak test of the irrigation before mounting, pads removable and reusable.
¹ Trial series “Begrünte Fassadenkacheln” (STFI Chemnitz / Hochschule Geisenheim, 2017–2019), NEUE LANDSCHAFT 12/2021: loss of almost 60 % of the plants after late frost 02/2018, 20 % in the following winter. · ² City of Vienna facade greening guide, system overview: time to full greening ground-bound “after more than 3 years”, wall-bound fully green “immediately”. · ³ Indicative scaffolding rental €0.50–1.50/m² per week plus assembly/dismantling (industry benchmarks 2026). General market values, not system-specific.
All values from the home and product pages collected in one place – system, measured impact and references. For tenders, planning and comparison.
Technical values according to NatureBase product documentation (Technical Information 02/2026). Impact values: Stangl R. et al. (2026), HEDWIG project, Berichte aus Energie- und Umweltforschung 59a/59b/2026, BMIMI – depend on location and building. Insulation effect from hot-box measurement. Project areas according to the NatureBase project list.
Federal, state and many municipal programmes support building greening – some with fixed amounts per m², some as a bonus within housing subsidies. The Funding Check shows in 30 seconds what may apply to your project.
Select location, applicant and area – the matching programmes appear here with an indicative amount and a link to the funding body.
The Funding Check is non-binding guidance (as of October 2026) and does not replace a funding commitment. Indicative amounts are calculated from the published funding rates; the actual amount depends on costs, guidelines and the budget of the funding body. Basic rule of almost all programmes: submit the application before awarding the contract. Combining programmes is usually permitted up to 100 % of costs.
Vienna: street-facing greening is subsidised with up to €100/m²
Germany: over 100 cities fund building greeningFor businesses and municipalities: roof and facade greening as part of a comprehensive thermal renovation – €120/m² facade-bound, €60/m² ground-bound, €18/m² roof (municipalities 60 % of these rates). Not as a stand-alone measure. Private: greening bonus with thermal renovation.
umweltfoerderung.at →Street-facing facade greening: up to €100/m², max. €10,000 per property; on private property max. €5,000; roof greening up to €30,000; de-sealing & greening up to €200/m². Not for public bodies; 15-year maintenance obligation; ÖNORM L1136. Exhausted for 2026, applications from early 2027.
wien.gv.at →Facade greening up to 70 % of construction costs, max. €7,000 per building; roof greening up to 50 %, max. €10,000 (existing buildings). The “Grün vor der Haustür” programme is aimed at private applicants.
graz.at →Wall-bound facade greening €550/m², max. 30 % of total costs or €15,000; from 20 m², at least two plant genera, specialist contractor. Ground-bound €150/m² (max. €4,500), roof €15/m² (max. €7,500).
linz.at →Municipal programmes in Mödling and Wieselburg, among others (roof and facade greening). Greening earns eco-points in the Lower Austrian housing subsidy scheme; subsidised ecological business consulting for companies.
Mödling → · Wieselburg →Upper Austria: Traun funds facade greening; GeKAP covers municipal buildings in Climate Alliance municipalities. Vorarlberg: numerous municipalities (Bregenz, Feldkirch, Hohenems, Götzis and others) fund building greening – overview at the Energieinstitut.
energieinstitut.at →Roof and facade greening counts as a bonus or eligible measure in new builds and renovations in Carinthia, Tyrol, Burgenland and Lower Austria; in Vienna via wohnfonds_wien as part of comprehensive renovations.
GRÜNSTATTGRAU overview →No federal funding for facade greening – support is municipal: Hamburg up to 60 % (max. €100,000), Frankfurt 50 % (max. €50,000), Düsseldorf 50 % (max. €25,000), Cologne 50 % (max. €20,000), Bochum, Dortmund, Mannheim, Nuremberg and many more. For municipalities: federal programme “Anpassung urbaner Räume an den Klimawandel” up to 85 %. The Funding Check above covers the most important cities; all others via the funding check of our partner Küster Grün.Stadt.Klima.
Funding check Germany (KGSK) → · BuGG funding list →As of October 2026. Funding amounts and conditions change – please check officially before applying. Sources: City of Vienna (MA 22) · City of Graz · City of Linz · Federal Umweltförderung (KPC, info sheet 07/2026) · BuGG city list (as of 11/2025) · Hamburg BUKEA/IFB · GRÜNSTATTGRAU · DIE UMWELTBERATUNG
Planning, development and operation ask different questions of a green facade. Here you will find the key answers in one place.
Architecture & planning
Project development & property developers
Building owners & operators
Everything you need for concept, detailed design and specification text – in one place.
Standards: ÖNORM L1136 (AT), FLL facade greening guideline (DE), reaction to fire B-s1,d0 according to EN 13501-1. For questions about tenders: technical advice. Request planning documents →
The permanent planting of a building wall. Ground-bound systems use climbing plants rooted in the soil; wall-bound systems such as LivingPANELS carry the plants in a vegetation carrier mounted on the wall – fully green from the start.
A modular, wall-bound system from Austria. The modules (800 × 500 mm, approx. 50 plants/m²) are pre-grown for 8–10 weeks, arrive at the site fully green and are hooked in using a plug & play process.
Facades make up the largest surfaces in the city and – unlike trees or open spaces – do not compete for land or use. They are therefore well suited to greening dense urban areas on a large scale.
Through evapotranspiration and shading. At the Wien Energie Simmering reference site, the HEDWIG project (BOKU/IBO, 2024–2025) measured air up to 5.6 °C cooler behind the greening, and around 2.5 °C on average during the 2025 heatwave. Values depend on location and building.
At the Simmering reference site, 88–90 % less solar radiation was measured behind the greening (June/July 2024), and up to 98 % during the 2025 heatwave. The surface of the greening was 9–16 °C cooler than inert materials such as sheet metal, masonry or window frames (infrared measurement).
The actively irrigated, wall-bound planting evaporates 3–5 litres of water per m² and day in high summer (HEDWIG, MARGRET) – this evapotranspiration draws heat from the surrounding air (equivalent to 2–3 kWh of cooling capacity per m² and day). Over the year, water consumption stays below 1 m³ per m² thanks to sensor-controlled irrigation. Source: HEDWIG project, Simmering reference site, depends on location and building.
The diverse planting of perennials and flowering plants provides food for insects. The plant selection is tailored to location and exposure.
In lightweight construction below 50 kg per m² (fully water-saturated). This usually means no additional structural measures are required; the assessment is carried out for each building.
Yes. The mineral-bound vegetation carrier and a winter-hardy selection of perennials keep the facade green throughout the seasons. Professional maintenance and occasional replanting are part of normal operation.
Water consumption is below 1 m³ per m² and year, sensor-controlled on demand with frost protection and remote monitoring. As a rule, one maintenance visit per year is sufficient.
Classified B-s1,d0 according to EN 13501-1; s1 stands for the lowest smoke production class. For special requirements, the solution is coordinated based on the protection objective.
Yes. The complete system including system terminations is suitable for both and is installed as a rear-ventilated facade using a plug & play process.
In Austria according to ÖNORM L1136, in Germany according to the FLL guideline. Reaction to fire is classified according to EN 13501-1.
Costs depend on area, geometry, substructure and execution. We prepare a binding quotation for each individual building.
Vienna (MA 22): up to €100/m², max. €10,000 per property (currently exhausted, next period ~2027). Graz: up to 70 % of construction costs, max. €7,000. Nationwide: Umweltförderung im Inland (KPC). As of September 2026 – please check officially before applying.
In four steps: planning & plant selection, pre-cultivation (8–10 weeks), plug & play installation, operation with demand-based irrigation and remote maintenance.
The easiest way is via our contact form. We advise on the system, plant selection, funding and implementation.
We are happy to share our knowledge – from funding to technical implementation.