Point location, which indicates where the NBS takes place

An indoor vertical garden by a French botanist Patrick Blanc installed at the Headquarters office of the InternetSupport company in Bielefeld. The garden cleans the air and serves the aesthetic function of being an interior decoration (1).

In 2002, the facilities of the Bielefeld Botanic Garden was expanded with a small apiary for local bees. The apiary was opened on the 90th anniversary of the Botanical Garden and since then in its 5 beehives accommodate the bees living in the garden. The facility is a place for breeding of bees to support their pollination activities and thus their role in food production while the apiary also offers visitors the chance to get an insight into the life and work of a beehive. Through various environmental educational programs, visitors and school children can learn about the importance of bees and the process of honey making. Beekeeping stations were also installed in other surrounding areas such as cemeteries, old dumps, fenced rainwater retention basins. (1,2,3,4)

The initiative aims to ensure open access to the river Regalica for the local community and to create a multifunctional recreational area there. Given current spatial development plans, the chosen location is the only feasible solution to facilitate public access to the river. The project will address multiple NBS domains as its plans include: building new water stand, fishing place, and an observation deck, developing an ecological and educational path along the riverside, developing recreational spaces for the community including outdoor and cultural activities. The project relates to the long-term brand strategy of the city: ‘Szczecin floating garden 2050’[1]. The architectural plan was accepted and put forward for the implementation in 2019; currently, in July 2020, the project is still in the planning phase [4].

The Green Bridge at the D2 motorway in Moravian Svätý Ján (Dúbrava locality) is a project under the Alpine Carpathian Corridor Project (ERDF). The project deals with biodiversity and is focused on building a safe and efficient passage for migrating animals over the D2 motorway connecting Bratislava and Brno (Czech Republic). The mountain ranges of the Alps and the Carpathians, which straddle the border of Austria and Slovakia, are the largest sources of biodiversity in Central Europe. The Corridor’s structure has created a forum for the managers of these regions to share ideas and develop solutions that can be applied within the entire region, instead of only per protected area. To ensure long-term continuity, key stakeholders are party to a Memorandum of Understanding that can contribute to sustainability in their area of responsibility. (1, 5, 6)

This project was implemented on the rooftop of a ten-floor building with a floor space of 1.4 hectares, with the implementation of a green roof of 650m2. The motivation behind this was to study the thermodynamic impact of a green roof in hot Athens. Results concluded that the greenroof significantly affected the thermal performance of the building. Energy savings of 50% were observed for air conditioning on the floor directly below the installation. In addition to the energy-saving benefits, the study also found increased biodiversity in the area. A plethora of birds and beneficial insects were observed on the roof, ranging from robin redbreasts, yellowhammers, yellow tits, coal tits, and sparrows to kestrels hovering high above eyeing up the smaller birds. Other species such as honey bees, tiger swallowtail, monarch butterflies, dragonflies and ladybugs were also seen (Ref 1). The study suggested in improved micro-climate and biodiversity of the constitution square (Ref 1, 6, 7).

The waste management company BiR built a new terminal with underground waste collection using suction techniques. In connection with this new establishment, a green wall and a green roof were installed by the landscaping company Wikholm. In 2015, the plant wall at Jekteviken Terminal was the largest green wall in Norway, covering 350m2 with its 17 000 plants. (Ref. 1) In addition to providing aesthetic value, the wall also insulates the building, cleanses the air, and binds dust. (Ref. 6) Irrigation of the wall is automatic, as the wall collects and stores rainwater and use it when needed. (Ref. 1)

The Street Office (Gatukontoret) and VA Syd rebuilt Fjärilsparken (The butterfly park) in Bunkeflostrand (Malmö). For the shallow stream that runs through the park the slopes of the dikes have been made flat, meadow vegetation and wetland-plants planted in the wetlands. An area east of the park was built with houses and stormwater was managed in new ways (ref. 1). Opening the park up to the sea, flower beds were planted for richer plant and wildlife, butterfly-attracting plants were planted, lighting for safety was installed and areas with benches and bridges were created (ref. 1).

Metrodom Panorama is a private investment containing four 17-storey residential buildings. Following the model of Bosco Verticale of Milan, the facades of the buildings will be created as vertical forests. In the balconies of the buildings 3 to 6 meter high trees are planned to be planted. The construction was finished and the buildings were opened for residents in 2020. As the building is still very new, the green elements of the building are not fully grown in their size, but in 3-4 years the buildings of Metrodom Panorama will be covered with especially lush vegetation. (Reference 9)

The Green Kindergarten aims to build a pre-school educational establishment in responding to the city’s social, cultural and educational, and ecological needs. The building will include a vegetated roof, which will not only fulfil an aesthetic aspect, but also other important ecological and environmental features and functions related to the operation and maintenance of the building. (8, 12)

The rooftop garden of Nádor 15 was implemented as part of the sustainable campus development strategy of the Central European University. It contains a community garden that is managed by the CEU community, intensive green roofs and green walls as well. The rooftop garden also collects water for it's automatic irrigation system and supports biodiversity with bat shelters, bee hotels and birdhouses. (Reference 1)