1. General information
2. Objectives of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
The goals of the intervention were to [1]:
- provide sun cover in the summer to help keep the car park cool.
- reduce exposure to harsh temperatures due to climate change and lower indoor temperature and provide insulation.
- give an additional layer of insulation during the winter.
- give a level of sound insulation for the busy car park.
- be an effective deterrent to graffiti.
- provide sun cover in the summer to help keep the car park cool.
- reduce exposure to harsh temperatures due to climate change and lower indoor temperature and provide insulation.
- give an additional layer of insulation during the winter.
- give a level of sound insulation for the busy car park.
- be an effective deterrent to graffiti.
Quantitative targets
unknown
Monitoring indicators defined
unknown
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Climate change adaptation: What were the goals of the NBS?
Please specify other climate change adaptation goal
Reduce the exposure to harsh temperature due to climate change
Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Implementation activities
The eastern facade of the parking garage, with a capacity of 850 cars, was equipped with a green wall planned by Jakob AG. Jakob designed the training systems in cooperation with planners from Raderschall, a Meilen-based landscape architecture firm, and implemented this facade greening task as a subcontractor. The scope of delivery included the planning and supply of the training systems but also their installation on site by experienced Jakob technicians. The relatively wide-meshed training structure, formed by vertical and horizontal ropes of various thicknesses, is suspended at a distance of 70 cm in front of the eight-story high sectional-glass lined eastern facade of the parking facility. This spacing was designed in order to provide sufficient growing space for the plants. [1]
Type of NBS project
3. NBS domains, ES and scale
4. Governance and financing
5. Innovation
Type of innovation
Please specify technological innovation
With a height of 23 meters and a width of 25.5 meters, the green wall of the parking facility at Sihl City represents a category of facade greening projects whose sheer size and resulting loads made it impossible to apply standard solutions.The Green Wall is suspended some 70 cm in front of the façade in order to provide sufficient growing space for the plants (in this case a combination of Chinese wisteria and birthworts was selected). The relatively wide-meshed system is formed by a combination of vertical and horizontal stainless steel ropes which are connected to the supporting structure of the building by purpose-designed steel spacers, ensuring permanent anchorage of the ropes. The spacers are mounted to the slabs of the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth floors, their distribution following a clear-cut grid pattern in keeping with overall building design concept. The result is a striking, living wall which delivers an elegant aesthetic solution to the car park façade. [1][2]
Novelty level of the innovation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
Aside from the green living facade in the car park, the entire Sihlcity complex is also covered in extensive green roofs. It is however, unclear, which was built first and whether the creation of one inspired the owners of Sihlcity to create more green structures around the complex. [1]
Replicability/Transferability
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
The installer of the green wall, Jakob rope systems, is a manufacturer and supplier of architectural ropes of stainless steel as well as of a comprehensive product range in the area of rope and hoisting technology. One of their specializations is the installation of green walls and facades. While not impossible, it is ambiguous whether or not the particular type and sheer size of the green facade built for Sihlcity was replicated elsewhere. [3]
