Greening solutions for industrialised deep retrofit

This document shows that green solutions (green roofs and green façades) can be successfully integrated into serial, modular renovation. For a successful integration, the green solutions with their technical implementation and vegetation requirements need to be included in the planning process from the beginning. The INFINITE project develops prefabricated all-in-one envelope kits to reduce energy demand, extend building service life, and shorten renovation time and cost through industrialisation and digitalisation (Renovation 4.0 concept). LCA/LCC integration supports transparent decisions on environmental and economic performance, while the IDR Observatory enables knowledge transfer for scaling.
Urban climate pressures (heat waves, heavy rainfall, sealed surfaces) increase the relevance of building greening as a viable mitigation strategy. Greened façades and roofs contribute to shading, evapotranspiration cooling, rainwater retention, biodiversity, and air/pollutant filtration. Where combined with energy systems, greenery can also support overall performance (e.g., microclimatic benefits around PV). (Enzi-Zechner et al., 2025).
INFINITE mock-ups confirmed feasibility and highlighted boundary conditions. At FlexiLab (Aug 2022 – Aug 2024), the wall-bound green façade (GREEN) produced clearly lower surface temperatures than a dark reference cladding (Building integrated solar thermal system (BIST)), consistent with evaporative cooling and shading. The green roof greywater mock-up (Mar 2024 – Mar 2025) demonstrated the technical potential of combining modular roof vegetation with decentralised water management, provided that the treatment/disinfection of the greywater and maintenance of the greening are reliable.
Key implementation barriers were identified: strict weight/thickness limits, irrigation sensitivity in small substrate compartments, dripper clogging, winterisation needs, supply-chain distance and the requirement for year-round maintenance. These findings underline that success depends on quality of planning, plant selection, resilient detailing and clear operational responsibilities.