HeinrichBiCool – Climate-positive cooling and biodiversity through intensive building greening

How effective is building greening in the fight against overheating in summer? The new demonstration project HeinrichBiCool is dedicated to this question – using the example of an existing building at the University of Graz at Heinrichstraße 80, used by the Faculty of Theology.

The building suffers from excessive heating in the summer months, which impairs the well-being and performance of its users. A comprehensive greening concept was therefore developed back in 2022. Targeted tree planting and façade greening on three sides are intended to create a natural cooling system that largely replaces technical air conditioning. As part of the FFG-funded demonstration project, this concept is now being realised and scientifically monitored. The project is being managed by the Directorate for Resources and Planning at the University of Graz, with AEE INTEC taking on the scientific management. The aim is to use comprehensive monitoring to record the influence of greenery on the indoor climate, energy requirements and comfort under real conditions.

As a novelty in greening projects, the eco-team systematically documents the biodiversity on and around the building – before and after greening – in order to also quantitatively analyse the frequently mentioned ecological effects. The landscape architecture firm Studio Boden is developing particularly material- and cost-efficient solutions for façade greening in the project, while the Siegfried Stark technical office is comparing technical alternatives – for example in terms of energy efficiency, carbon footprint and operating costs.

HeinrichBiCool thus provides valuable data for designing future building greening in a targeted, effective and sustainable way – and shows how much “green” cooling can really achieve.