1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Frankfurt am Main
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Frankfurt airport indoor green walls
Short description of the intervention
At the Frankfurt Airport, the departures hall of Terminal 2 features green walls measuring about 135 square meters and covered with live plants. The walls also provide oxygen from photosynthesis, improve acoustics, and reduce carbon dioxide concentrations and dust in the air (1).
The plants grow in special mats without soil and are automatically irrigated with the aid of a drainage system. Frankfurt Airport now sports various types of ferns, climbing plants, and spider plants. Flamingo flowers add dashes of red to the green sea. The hanging gardens are located in Concourses D and E. (1)
Address

Terminal 2
60549 Frankfurt
Germany

Location
Point location, which indicates where the NBS takes place
Total area
135.00m²
NBS area
135.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Building
Website of the intervention
http://www.airport-world.com/news/general-news/6051-ever-green-frankfurt-airpor…
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2016
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2017
End date of the intervention
2017
Present stage of the intervention
Completed
Goals of the intervention
1. Create an additional attraction and "atmosphere of tranquillity" for the airport visitors (1);
2. Provide oxygen from photosynthesis (1);
3. Improve acoustics (2);
4. Reduce carbon dioxide concentrations and dust in the air (1, 3).
Quantitative targets
Unknown
Monitoring indicators defined
1. Amount of CO2 reduced (1)
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Environmental quality
Air quality improvement
Implementation activities
Installation of hanging gardens in the departure lounges and waiting areas of both terminals of the airport (3).
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Nature in buildings (indoor)
Green walls and ceilings
Vegetation Type
Other
Amenities offered by the NBS
Unknown
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Regulating services
Air quality regulation
Noise reduction
Carbon storage/sequestration
Cultural services
Aesthetic appreciation
Scale
Spatial scale
Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Private sector/Corporate/Company
Other
Please specify "other primary beneficiary"
Airport passengers
Governance
Governance arrangements
Led by non-government actors
Non-government actors
Private sector/Corporate/Business
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
A Frankfurt-based company that manages the operation of the Frankfurt airport transport terminals has commissioned the project (3).
Key actors - initiating organization
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Land owners
Private sector or company
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Land owners
Private sector or company
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Dissemination of information and education
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
No
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
No
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
No
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Voluntary (spontaneous)
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Please specify other vegetation type
Unknown
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
No
Co-finance for NBS
Unknown
Co-financing governance arrangements
Unknown
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
Unknown
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
Unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
Unknown
Please specify cost savings
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
Private Foundation/Trust
Type of fund(s) used
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
No
Business models
None of these
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Private for-profit actor (e.g. firm, insurer)
Type of innovation
Technological
Product innovation
Please specify technological innovation
The process of integrating plants in walls is known as 'vertical greening' or 'vertical gardens' and is based on hydroculture techniques.
The plants grow in special mats without soil and are automatically irrigated with the aid of a drainage system (1). The plants grow in special mats without soil and are automatically irrigated with the aid of a drainage system (3).
Novelty level of the innovation
The innovation is copied/derived from previous initiative(s) with substantial adaptation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
Airports, in such cities as Singapore, Detroit, Edmonton, and Heathrow (1) have integrated such NBS to relax its passengers. Fraport, the company that manages the air terminal in Frankfurt, followed this example.
Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Environmental quality
Improved air quality
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Description of environmental benefits
- With the 135 m2 of the green wall, the size of indoor greenery increased significantly.
- Regarding environmental quality improvements, such as noise reduction and air purification there are no records of any quantitative improvements just only expected benefits.
Economic impacts
Unknown
Description of economic benefits
Unknown
Social and cultural impacts
Health and wellbeing
Improved mental health
Description of social and cultural benefits
Regarding social benefits such as increased tranquility of passangers, there are no records of any improvements only the expected benefits.
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts
Achieved impacts
Indicators
1. Square meters of new greenery introduced (1)
2. Amount of CO2 reduced (1)
Environmental, social and economic impacts
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Environmental quality
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
No information available
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
Unknown as of September 2020
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
No evidence in public records
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Unknown
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
No
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
No
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
No
References
Web links relevant to the intervention
Frankfirt airport news 1
Heathrow airport green wall
Frankfirt airport news 2
Masterplan 100 % Klimaschutz Frankfurt am Main
List of references
1. Frankfurt Airport’s Green Walls. (2017). PASSENGER SELF SERVICE. Accessed on September 24 2020, http://www.passengerselfservice.com/2017/02/frankfurt-airports-green-walls/.
2. Cosgrove, S. (2016). Heathrow Airport Introduces Green Walls to Relax Passengers. Accessed on September 24, 2020, http://www.hortweek.com/article/1411661.
3. Bates, J. (2017). Ever ‘Green’ Frankfurt Airport Unveils New Hanging Garden - Airport World Magazine. Accessed June 27, 2017, Website unavailable September 2020
4. Masterplan 100% Klimaschutz: : Stadt Frankfurt Am Main (2017). Dezernat Umwelt Und Gesundheit | Umweltamt. Website unavailable September 2020
Additional comments
Still waiting for the info from the managing company on sections 4 and 6, wrote additional e-mail on the 1st of August.
Comments and notes
Pictures of the NBS
/sites/default/files/nbs/images/frankfurt_airport_green_wall.jpg
Public Images
Green wall
Green wall
Source: http://www.airport-world.com/news/general-news/6051-ever-green-frankfurt-airport-unveils-new-hanging-garden.html