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Green in the city with a difference: The “Green Tower” in Fulda was inaugurated on Friday. The pilot project relies on vertical greening – a solution for inner cities where there is often a lack of space for plants.
Fulda – The six meter high tower is immediately noticeable when you walk along Bahnhofstrasse. Instead of growing in width, the green goes up here: on a footprint of less than two square meters, the “Green Tower” offers around 20 square meters of plant space.
In times of sealed inner cities, those responsible for the project see this as an approach that could become more important in the future. At the inauguration on Friday afternoon, numerous participants and interested parties gathered in front of the unusual building that was developed by a start-up from Böckels.
This six meter high plant tower makes Fulda greener
Technically, the tower functions as its own small system. An integrated tank supplies the plants with water that circulates within the structure. Depending on the weather, one filling is enough for several weeks. The plants used are also winter-hardy. There was no solid anchoring in the ground. Instead, a heavy foundation ensures that the structure is stable. The Green Tower could therefore be dismantled again without any problems.
The project emerged from an interdisciplinary collaboration of several actors: the Business Improvement District (BID) Fulda, Alpaka Innovation, the wall greening company Gefässerie, the Fulda University of Applied Sciences and the Fulda Region Economic Development Agency. The idea came from architect Pia Groß, who also coordinated the project. She consciously wanted to initiate a project that would have an impact beyond Fulda and show new ways of dealing with climate adaptation in cities.
“Why don't we deal with climate change? And why don't we start a pilot project here in Fulda?”, says Groß, formulating the initial idea. The aim was to create greenery even where traditional planting is hardly possible – for example by stacking plants on top of each other. The tower should not only reduce fine dust, improve the microclimate, provide a habitat for insects and provide shade. It is also intended to improve the quality of stay and create a place where people can stay in touch with nature, even in a heavily built-up environment.
Groß also addressed a central problem of inner-city planning: most areas have already been planned, for example for traffic, access roads or emergency routes. “Even if it looks like a lot of space, there is often hardly any space left that can be used for other purposes,” she says.
The Green Tower is still a prototype. Whether the concept will prove successful in the long term will only become clear in the coming months. However, Groß hopes that it can have an impact beyond Fulda: “I would like many people to become aware of it and for other cities to also benefit from the idea.” It is already ready for series production.
