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Greening solutions for industrialised deep retrofit

green leaves in front of house building
Publication
European Countries

Greening solutions for industrialised deep retrofit

This white paper from the H2020 INFINITE project shows that green solutions - green roofs and green façades - can be successfully integrated into serial, modular renovation.

Giulia Leghissa

The document demonstrates that green roofs and green façades can be effectively integrated into serial, modular building renovation when their technical and vegetation requirements are considered from the earliest planning stages. The INFINITE project supports this approach through prefabricated, all-in-one building-envelope kits that reduce energy demand, extend building lifespan, and lower renovation time and costs by using industrialised and digitalised renovation methods (Renovation 4.0). 

As urban areas face increasing challenges from heat waves, heavy rainfall, and sealed surfaces, building greening offers important environmental benefits. Green infrastructure can also improve the performance of energy systems, such as photovoltaic installations.

Testing within the INFINITE project confirmed the feasibility of these solutions. A green façade installed at FlexiLab showed significantly lower surface temperatures than conventional dark cladding. In contrast, a green roof combined with greywater reuse demonstrated the potential for integrating vegetation with decentralised water management systems.

However, several implementation challenges were identified, including weight and thickness constraints, irrigation reliability, dripper clogging, winterisation requirements, supply-chain impacts, and the need for continuous maintenance. The findings highlight that successful implementation depends on careful planning, appropriate plant selection, robust technical design, and clearly defined maintenance responsibilities.

Greening solutions for industrialised deep retrofit.pdf

English (5 MB - PDF)
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Elisabeth Leitner (GRÜNSTATTGRAU), Ainhoa Gaudes (Leitat Technological Center), Martino Gubert (Eurac Research), Ingrid Demanega (Eurac Research)
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