Green Shades

Project

290077

Status

Submitted

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NEW EUROPEAN BAUHAUS AWARDS: existing completed examples

Project title

Green Shades

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Description

The Green Shades system is the first awning system that allows vegetation to grow by projecting seeds on its surface. It´s a lightweight structure of tensioned PVC sails that is installed on the façades, providing shade to the street.  The project incorporates a beam that runs along the street, in which a pipe is integrated for water supply, water collection and lighting. The main benefit of this project is that it helps to alleviate the heat island effect of city centres.

What was the geographical scope of your project?

Does your project address mainly urban or rural issues?

Does your project refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations?

Has your project benefited from EU programmes or funds?

Has your project won an EU prize?

Your project is fully completed?

When was your project implemented?

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes ?

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?

Please provide a summary of your project

Green Shades is a unique system developed specifically for the URBAN GreenUP project, funded by the Horizon 2020 program of the European Union.

Our project is part of the creation of a green corridor that runs through the old city center. The main challenge was to design a nature-based solution to be installed in a very narrow and very long street that had no space for any kind of intervention. In this situation, we designed a system that would be suspended in height, and would not interfere with the roadway.

The Green Shades system is the first system worldwide that allows the installation of vegetal canopies. It consists of tensile textile structures, anchored to the facades on both sides of the street, on which vegetation grows. These structures are equipped with irrigation pipes that run at a height of between 7 and 5 meters.  This system opens up a new range of possibilities for urban landscaping and the air conditioning of open spaces. The spaces and projects created reduce the temperature both in their surroundings and under the roof. Thanks to the evapotranspiration produced by the vegetal system, the sails act as vegetal air conditioners with a cooling capacity of 112 frigories/m². In cities, where heat is a problem, Green Shades is an optimal solution in commercial streets, terraces and squares.

Please indicate the main themes of your project with 5 key words

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of sustainability (including circularity) and how these have been met.
Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context

The overall goal of the project is to mitigate the effects of climate change, improve air quality and water management, and increase the sustainability of the city.

The main benefit is that it helps to alleviate the heat island effect in city centres. In the street where the Green Shades are installed, the temperature is reduced both in the surrounding area and under the canopy, thanks, on the one hand, to the shade cast by the sails, which avoids exposure to the sun, and on the other hand, thanks to the evapotranspiration produced by the vegetal system.  As a result, the sails act as plant air conditioners, with a cooling capacity of 112 frigories/m². In addition, the sails reduce noise pollution by absorbing the waves and by reflecting the vegetation.

A second but no less important objective is the improvement of oxygen levels. The composition and the plant species are optimised for the absorption of NOX and CO2, improving the air quality of the environment.

Another objective of the project is to increase the biodiversity in the city centre where walls and buildings proliferate. The plants provide a habitat for birds, butterflies and insects, allowing them to recover in areas where construction was killing them.

And finally, the project has been designed with a water recirculation circuit. The water supply and drainage are integrated in one of the three corners of the sail. The irrigatiom tube is led to the highest side, from where the water falls by gravity soaking all the substrate. This is a hydroponic system that provides fertilizer during the watering, keeping the vegetation in perfect condition. The exeded water is collected at the lowest point.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience beyond functionality and how these have been met.
Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context

The Green Shades are designed to improve people's quality of life by revitalising an area of the city whose commercial activity has been reduced in recent years. The project improves the citizens' experience of the city centre, creating shade for users to enjoy the public space, as well as protecting them from the rain. The city centre now has an improved aesthetic appearance, with abundant vegetation on the canopies and with the added benefit of reducing the temperature in the area. One year after their installation, the street has already come back to life.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of inclusion (equal opportunities, public participation, citizen engagement, co-design, universal design, accessibility, affordability, etc.) and how these have been met.
Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context

Green Shadow is designed for the enjoyment of the city's residents as well as tourists. The project improves the citizens' experience of the city centre, creating shade for users to enjoy the public space, as well as protecting them from the rain. The main challenge of this project is the integration of nature in spaces where it seemed impossible before, the great flexibility and lightness of the system, makes it the perfect solution that can be adopted in any city in the world.

Please explain how these three dimensions have been combined in your project.
Please highlight how this approach can be exemplary

The Green Shades have managed to introduce nature into a space where it was not possible before, improving the aesthetics of the area and the experience of the inhabitants.

The main difficulty of this project is that the narrowness and length of the street did not allow any type of action (placement of trees, planters, etc.) because it would cause a problem of accessibility for road traffic.

However, this problem is solved with the Green Shades, as they are installed at a height, on the façades of the buildings, which means that they do not encroach on the road in any way.

The view from the street simulates a kind of small forest suspended in the air, providing pleasant shade for people to walk in, improving the aesthetics of the area and the experience of the inhabitants.

Please give information on the results/impacts achieved by your project in relation to the category you apply for

Green Shades is the first system worldwide that allows the installation of vegetal canopies, opening up a new range of possibilities for urban landscaping and the air conditioning of spaces covered by tensile structures. The spaces and projects created reduce the temperature both in their surroundings and under the canopy. In cities, where heat is a problem, Green Shades is an optimal solution in shopping streets, terraces and squares. The composition and the plant species are optimised for the absorption of NOx and CO₂, contributing to the improvement of air quality in our cities. The lightness and ease of installation allows placement in streets where, due to lack of space or difficulty of intervention, trees or other types of vegetation cannot be placed. It’s a way of introducing nature with the minimum impact of work.

Please explain how citizens and civil society were involved in the in the design and/or implementation of the project.
Please also explain the benefits that derived from their involvement.

The planted canopies project was made possible thanks to the collaboration of Valladolid City Council. The project is part of the creation of a green corridor that crosses the entire old part of the city. But the implementation of the awnings had an added difficulty, as it acted directly on the homes of the residents of the city centre. We needed to install anchors on the façades of their houses to be able to hold the sails, with the noise and annoyance that this can cause. Fortunately, we had the support of the City Council and the local residents, and the project could be carried out thanks to their collaboration.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the project addressed by providing local solutions

The main challenge of this project is the integration of nature in spaces where it seemed impossible before. The project is adapted to the environment, with a selection of local plants that allow them to grow and be maintained efficiently. But the great flexibility of the system, and above all, its lightness, makes it the perfect solution that can be adopted in any city in the world.

Please highlight the innovative character of the project as compared to mainstream practices in the field of the project.

The innovative character of this project is that it allows the integration of vegetation with the minimum impact of construction work, it only needs a support to anchor the sails and allow them to be tensioned.

The Green Shades system allows the introduction of vegetation in urban areas, while keeping the public space free for the use of citizens. In this way, the revitalization of deteriorated or difficult to use urban spaces is achieved.

It is the most sustainable solution at all scales.

Please explain to the potential of transferring the projects’ results or learnings to other interested parties and contexts.
Please provide clear documentation, communication of methodology and principles in this context.

Green Shades is a flexible system that can be adapted to different environments. The project is designed using LeafSkin® technology, a hydroponic system patented by SingularGreen that consists of a waterproof layer, sealant, distribution membrane and substrate sprayed with a mixture of seeds. The main advantage of the system with respect to other types of vertical gardens is that it eliminates the planting phase on site, which simplifies and accelerates its installation, not requiring technical personnel and reducing costs. The lightness of the system is another of its advantages, not exceeding 30 kg/m². The installation process of the sails is as follows:

1. Preparation of the sails by placing the geotextile substrate on the fabric, which already has the tensioned cables and anchors in its structure.

2. Preparation of the achorages on the facades or masts where they will be placed.

3. Anchoring of the three corners to the supports, tensioning the structure completely.

4. Connection of the irrigation system to the water supply intake.

5. Connection of the drainage to the lowest point of the canopy to collect excess water.

6. Projection of the seed mixture over the geotextile, for the subsequent growth of the plant species.

7. After five months the canopy is completely covered.

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