by Nigel Dunnett and Noël Kingsbury

"Facade greening" is essentially the use of a living — and therefore self-regenerating — cladding system for buildings in which climbing plants, or in some cases trained shrubs, cover the surface of a building.

Climbers can dramatically reduce the maximum temperatures of a building by shading walls from the sun. They can reduce the daily temperature fluctuation by as much as 50 percent, a fact of great importance in warm-summer climate zones.

The practice of greening facades is long established in parts of Europe, largely, but not entirely, for ornamental purposes. It is quite common to see houses covered in Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus tricuspidata), but its supporting structure is often completely inadequate.

Traditionally, self-clinging climbers have been used because they require no supporting network of wires or trellis. Modern facade greening, however, favors the use of climbers supported by steel cables or trellis, holding the plants away from the building surface.   >>>

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An example of a greened facade: a well-managed ivy (Hedera helix) on a four-story building in Zürich, Switzerland. Photo: Nigel Dunnett and Noël Kingsbury A mixture of climbers and wall shrubs is used at the Danish Museum of Modern Art. Annual maintenance keeps growth away from the gutters and eaves. Photo: Nigel Dunnett and Noël Kingsbury   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.