Lisbon, Lisboa (FUA), Portugal
City population: 2679729
Duration: 2020 – 2020
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Project area: 250 m2
Type of area: Building
Last updated: September 2024

The Bosque Vertical do Centro Cultural de Belém (CCB) in Lisbon (Vertical Forest at CCB), designed by Francisco Caldeira Cabral, is an innovative vertical garden inaugurated in 2020. Spanning two 17-meter-high walls with 7,524 plant pots, it enhances urban biodiversity by attracting birds and insects (Ref 3). This project offers recreational and aesthetic benefits, making the entrance of the cultural centre into a green space (Ref 4). The garden helps reduce air pollution by absorbing pollutants and producing oxygen. It uses a drop-by-drop irrigation system made from recycled PVC, ensuring efficient water usage and retention (Ref 1). Furthermore, the garden improves air quality, aims to mitigate urban heat island effects, and conserves water (Ref 2, Ref 5).

Picture shows the entrance of the BCC, alongside the Bosque Vertical
Bosque Vertical
Photographer: Inês Gomes Lourenço, https://www.nit.pt/fora-de-casa/na-cidade/lisboa-tem-um-novo-e-incrivel-jardim-vertical

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Nature on buildings (external)
  • Green walls or facades

Key challenges

  • Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
  • Climate change adaptation
  • Environmental quality
  • Air quality improvement
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Habitat and biodiversity restoration

Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)

  • Climate-Related Hazards
  • Heat stress & Extreme temperatures
  • Environmental Degradation
  • Biodiversity loss
  • Air pollution

Key priorities

Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Creation of green roofs and walls

Project objectives

- Enhance urban biodiversity: Attract birds and insects to create a natural ecosystem (Ref 3). - Improve air quality: Reduce air pollution and produce oxygen (Ref 1). - Reduce heat island effect through local greenery in built environment (Ref 1). - Water conservation: Utilize a drop-by-drop irrigation system for efficient water use (Ref 1). - Recreational and aesthetic value: Provide a visually appealing and recreational green space for the public (Ref 4). - Environmental awareness: Raise awareness about environmental sustainability and the benefits of green spaces (Ref 5).

Implementation activities

The main activity is the installation of the vertical garden, which spans two 17-meter-high walls with 7,524 plant pots (Ref 3, Ref 4). This includes the implementation of a drop-by-drop irrigation system made from recycled PVC for efficient water usage and retention (Ref 1). It addresses existing problems as follows: The vertical garden absorbs pollutants, improving air quality (Ref 1). Greenery helps mitigate urban heat, promoting a cooler environment while at the same time attracting birds and insects and promoting biodiversity (Ref 5). Furthermore, the efficient irrigation system conserves water, addresses scarcity issues and provides an aesthetically pleasing recreational space, enhancing urban life (Ref 1, 4).

Climate-focused activities

Climate change adaptation:

  • Increase urban vegetation cover to reduce urban heat island effect
  • Implement green walls or roofs to lower indoor temperature and provide insulation

Main beneficiaries

  • Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

  • Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality
  • Public sector institution

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • The project didn't involve any form of stakeholder participatory activities

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The Bosque Vertical do CCB project is managed and overseen by the Centro Cultural de Belém (CCB) in collaboration with the Lisbon City Council. (Ref 6)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (The Bosque Vertical do CCB was implemented in alignment with the Lisbon European Green Capital 2020 initiative, which is a regional strategy aimed at enhancing urban sustainability and addressing environmental challenges. (Ref 1))

Type of enablers

Support from transitional governance actors

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

  • EU funds
  • Private Foundation/Trust

Type of funding

  • Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

No

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Climate change
  • Lowered local temperature
  • Expected lowered local temperature
  • Environmental quality
  • Improved air quality
  • Expected improved air quality
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Achieved increased green space area
  • Increased number of species present
  • Achieved increased number of species present
  • Enhanced support of pollination
  • Expected enhanced support of pollination

Economic impacts

  • Unknown

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Health and wellbeing
  • Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
  • Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise
  • Education
  • Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
  • Expected increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
  • Other

Type of reported 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

Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs

Unknown

References

1.
CCB (n.d.). Jardins Arbertos. Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
2.
CCB (19.06.2020). Bosque Vertical do CCB. [Source link];
3.
Valter, L. (23.06.2020). Belém Cultural Center presents a new vertical garden. Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Dias da Silva, R (02.03.2020). CCB gains vertical garden and will inaugurate it with a Spring party. Lisbon: Time Out, Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Naves, P (22.06.2020). Lisbon has an incredible new vertical garden. nit, Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
6.
CCB (n.d.). Activity Information. Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
naturescapes bannerInformation about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.