Innovation project: green façade at CEG

A green façade will be installed on the west-facing wall of the Civil Engineering and Geosciences (CEG) faculty building. This green façade is the main body of a research project by Marc Ottelé (CEG) and Henri van Bennekom (Architecture and the Built Environment).

Why this research?

Green façades—walls covered with plants—can play an important role in making cities and buildings more future-proof. They have the potential to play an important role in making our cities and buildings more future-proof by providing cooling and insulation.

In this project, researchers will test various types of green façade systems in real-life conditions to gain scientifically grounded insights into their performance and impact.

The outcome will be a collection of valuable data, which will be used (by the researchers) to determine what the effect and contribution of green facades is to the energy balance of a building and other eco-services. This will be published in a catalogue for different types of mainly existing buildings.

Facts & figures

Location: West façade of building 23
Systems being tested:
- Climbing plants on cables or mesh
- Living wall with planter boxes and irrigation
- Combination of both systems
Effects being measured:
- Insulating properties of the greenery (energy savings)
- Temperature reduction on the façade
- Air quality and water management
- Biodiversity
- Impact on health and well-being
Living lab equipped with advanced sensors
Results: Open database with measurement data, design tools, educational materials, and upscaling recommendations

Planning

Installation of green façades June 2025
Data collection July 2025 – end of 2027
Evaluation and publication of results Q1 2028
+ translation into broader applications: