Budapest, Hungary
City population: 1728868
Duration: 2013 – 2014
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Project area: 53 m2
Type of area: Building
Last updated: October 2021

The 53 square meters large green wall can be found in an office building in the center of Budapest. (Reference 9) It helps to balance the humidity indoors, cleans the air and provides a comfortable work environment. The project includes rainwater collection for the irrigation of the green wall. (Reference 6) The building itself was the first one in Central-Eastern Europe to gain the double environmental certification of BREEAM Very Good and LEED Gold. (Reference 9) The focus of the NBS are the indoor green walls, but the building itself also features vegetation on multiple terraces and sun collectors. (Reference 10)

Green Wall: Eiffel Palace Office Building
Green Wall: Eiffel Palace Office Building
Photographer: Kadar V. (2014), retrieved 07/19/2018 from Ildikó Rezmuves

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Nature in buildings
  • Green walls and ceilings
  • Atriums/Courtyards

Key challenges

  • Environmental quality
  • Air quality improvement
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Improving mental health

Focus

Creation of new green areas

Project objectives

The goal of implementing the green walls was to balance humidity inside the building and to produce oxygen, thus creating a comfortable atmosphere to work in. (Reference 1)

Implementation activities

As part of the development of the office building, two 12 m wide and 3,5 m high green walls were implemented that overall size is 53 square meter. The investors planted tropical plant species that are common in Hungary in indoor areas and species with a high degree of air purification effect. (Reference 1) The green walls are watered automatically with greywater that is collected to irrigate the green walls and to manage stormwater.

Main beneficiaries

  • Private sector/Corporate/Company
  • Other

Governance

Management set-up

  • Led by non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Private sector/corporate actor/company

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Unknown

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

Two companies worked together for the refurbishment of the building. The development was carried out by Horizon Development, the construction work was carried out by DVM Group. (Reference 6)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Yes (- Étv. (Építési törvény - Building Code): 1997. évi LXXVIII. tv. 62. - OTÉK (Országos Településrendezési és Építési Követelmények - National Building Regulations): 253/1997. (XII. 20.) Kormány rendelet)
... a local policy or strategy? Unknown

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

  • Corporate investment

Type of funding

  • Direct funding or subsidy

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Environmental quality
  • Improved air quality
  • Water management and blue areas
  • Improved stormwater management

Economic impacts

  • Attraction of business and investment

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Unknown

Type of reported impacts

Expected impacts, Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Unknown

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No evidence in public records

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

1. DVM Design Kft. (2014). Az év zöldfala pályázat: Eiffel Palace Irodaház. [image] Available at: Source link. [Accessed: 19.06.2020].
2. Gelesz, A. (2014). Az Eiffel Palace irodaház. Építészfórum. [online] Available at: Source link [Accessed: 19.06.2020].
3. Source link. (2017). BREEAM. [online] Available at: Source link [Accessed: 19.06.2020].
4. Source link. (2017). LEED V4. [online] Available at: Source link [Accessed: 19.06.2020].
5. Source link. (2014). Eiffel Palace Irodaház: Az Év Legzöldebb Projektje 2014 - I. helyezett. [online] Available from: Source link [Accessed: 19.06.2020].
6. Source link., (2017). Eiffel Palace's Official Website: The Building. [online] Available at: Source link. Accessed: 19.06.2020].
7. Source link., (2017). Eiffel Palace's Official Website: Gallery. [image] Available at: Source link. [Accessed: 19.06.2020].
8. Source link. (2017). The Official Website of Green Fortune. [online] Available at: Source link. [Website unavailable in 2020].
9. Source link. (2014) Eiffel Palace, Budapest. [online]. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 14.07.2020]
10. Source link. (year unknown). Sustainability. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 14.07.2020]
Green Wall: Eiffel Palace Office Building
Green Wall: Eiffel Palace Office Building (2014)
Photographer: Kadar V. (2014), retrieved 07/19/2018 From Ildikó Rezmuves