The Guide "Leitfaden Fassadenbegrünung"
Instructional guideline for supporting façade greening
The guideline for façade greening was prepared by the Austrian Association for Building Construction and by the University for Soil Culture on behalf of ÖkoKauf Wien, the program for the ecological procurement of the city of Vienna. The guide was presented in February 2013 within the framework of a conference in the Vienna University of Technology. It offers valuable specialist information to architects, planners, developers, public institutions, as well as interested citizens and serves as a decision-making aid when choosing the ideal type of greenery for different facades. Contents include general information (e.g. target groups, scope, definitions, advantages of a green façade), as well as information on various facade greening systems, their ecological and technical functions and design possibilities. A system overview, funding options and a checklist serve to help users prepare and plan façade greening by examining the necessary conditions and prerequisites. Finally, the guideline highlights best practice examples from the Vienna area and further references to literature and regulations.
It was necessary to draw on the various facets of appropriate knowledge to develop the guide, including e.g. engineers and an association for greening buildings. Financial resources for the content creation, print and publication were planned in the annual project budget from the environmental department – MA22. There were no additional funds. The drafting of the guide was politically desired and was integrated into the political program.
There was a high demand for the guide - the first edition (3000 copies) was already out of print within the first year after publication. A new edition will be published in early 2017, which will be complemented with additional shorter information brochures (folders, leaflets, etc.).