In Frankfurt, Germany, the 27-floor EDEN tower boasts an exterior “living wall system”: 186,000 plants that cover about 20 percent of the building’s facade. Chicago-based architecture firm JAHN, which spearheaded the facade concept, collaborated with local design firm Magnus Kaminiarz & Cie on EDEN tower.
The green wall contrasts with the residential tower’s white balconies and can be seen from inside the units. “JAHN developed the vertical green features to be visible from within the apartments, framing views of the city with greenery,” Steven Cook, executive vice president, JAHN, said in a statement. “This creates a sense of well-being within the living units, instilling a feeling that one is connected to nature, despite being 75 meters off the ground.”
The Benefits of The Green Element
This green element will prove especially beneficial as more people are working from home, Cook noted. “Adding planted zones to a building’s facades that can be experienced from within the apartment gives the residents who might now spend much of their time at home a sense of being connected to the living world,” he said.
One of the biggest challenges, according to Cook, involved attaching the plants to the vertical walls’ steel substructure. The team achieved this by using an extremely strong, lightweight, and non-combustible fabric originally developed by NASA. The plants were placed into linear sacks made from this special fabric, and then the pockets were bolted to the steel substructure.
Non-combustibility also was a concern when selecting the types of plants. Certain ivy species could not be used because they contain highly flammable natural compounds. The plant selection did include a large percentage of evergreens, so the green wall won’t lose all its leaves or turn brown during the winter.
Construction on EDEN tower started in 2019 and is expected to reach completion this summer.
Owner-developer: gsp Städtebau GmbH (Frankfurt)
Design architect: JAHN (Chicago USA) and Magnus Kaminiarz & Cie (Frankfurt)
Architect of record: Jaspers-Eyers Architects (Brussels, Belgium)
MEP engineer: ventury GmbH Energieanlagen (Germany)
Structural engineer: EHS (Germany)
General contractor/construction manager: IMMOBEL (Belgium)
Facade contractor: Aluprof SA (Europe)
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Feb 17, 2015
California launches pilot program to finance multifamily retrofits for energy efficiency
The Obama Administration and the state of California are teaming with the Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation on a pilot program whose goal is to unlock Property-Assessed Clean Energy financing for multifamily housing.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 17, 2015
Young Millennials likely to return home
Ninety percent of individuals born between 1980 and 1984 and who hold a Bachelor’s degree left home before they were 27 years hold. However, half of this group later returned to their parents’ home, according to a study by the National Longitudinal Study of Youth.
High-rise Construction | Feb 17, 2015
Work begins on Bjarke Ingels' pixelated tower in Calgary
Construction on Calgary’s newest skyscraper, the 66-story Telus Sky Tower, recently broke ground.
Mixed-Use | Feb 13, 2015
First Look: Sacramento Planning Commission approves mixed-use tower by the new Kings arena
The project, named Downtown Plaza Tower, will have 16 stories and will include a public lobby, retail and office space, 250 hotel rooms, and residences at the top of the tower.
Codes and Standards | Feb 12, 2015
New Appraisal Institute form aids in analysis of green commercial building features
The Institute’s Commercial Green and Energy Efficient Addendum offers a communication tool that lenders can use as part of the scope of work.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 9, 2015
GSEs and their lenders were active on the multifamily front in 2014
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac securitized more than $57 billion for 850,000-plus units.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 6, 2015
Fannie Mae to offer lower interest rates to LEED-certified multifamily properties
For certified properties, Fannie Mae is now granting a 10 basis point reduction in the interest rate of a multifamily refinance, acquisition, or supplemental mortgage loan.
Cultural Facilities | Feb 5, 2015
5 developments selected as 'best in urban placemaking'
Falls Park on the Reedy in Greenville, S.C., and the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Downtown Market are among the finalists for the 2015 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 2, 2015
D.C. developer sees apartment project as catalyst for modeling neighborhood after N.Y.'s popular High Line district
It’s no accident that the word “Highline” is in this project’s name. The goal is for the building to be a kind of gateway into the larger redevelopment of the surrounding neighborhood to resemble New York’s City’s trendy downtown Meatpacking District, through which runs a portion the High Line elevated park.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 31, 2015
5 intriguing trends to track in the multifamily housing game
Demand for rental apartments and condos hasn’t been this strong in years, and our experts think the multifamily sector still has legs. But you have to know what developers, tenants, and buyers are looking for to have any hope of succeeding in this fast-changing market sector.
