The Belgian real estate developer Immobel has started the vertical greening of its Eden Tower. With a height of almost 100 metres and with 28 floors, the building, located in the Europaviertel [European quarter] of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, is one of Europe’s highest leafy residential towers. Now that the facade structure has been completed, the tower is being adorned with its green attire of plants.

Some 200,000 plants will cover 20% of the facade, which is equivalent to two and a half times the building’s ground floor surface area. It is the first time that the vertical greening of the facade is being carried out. The procedure for greening the facade features 15 different plants, such as heartleaf Bergenia, Japanese sedge and blue bugle.

“With one of the highest green residential facades in Europe, Eden Tower sends a strong signal that cities are progressively moving towards a new paradigm. The greening of the facade will create a positive influence on the microclimate and contribute to the quality of life in the building and its surroundings,” says Muriel Sam, Head of Development at Immobel. “The future residents of the Eden Tower will enjoy a spectacular view from their balconies as well as a wonderful location on an island of nature in the very heart of Frankfurt.”

Rudi op ’t Roodt, Chief Technical Officer at Immobel, explains further: “The innovative concept of the green facade was a major challenge. Given the height of the building, we had to solve several issues such as non-combustibility safety, resistance to wind loads and the sustainability and self-sufficiency of the plants all year long. The launch of the works on the facade of the Eden Tower is today the result of an international sourcing effort which has brought together the best experts who are capable of making our concept a reality.”

Markus Frank, City Councillor and responsible for economic affairs of the City of Frankfurt am Main, is very satisfied with the iconic architecture and the positive climate effect for Frankfurt. “Thanks to the vertical greening, there will be 2,000 square metres of new greenery at a site which previously only had a completely sealed-off ground floor area and a parking place,” he emphasizes. “This project sends a very strong message that our economy is successfully challenging climate changes with innovative solutions.”

The whole concept has had a very positive public and market response. Currently, 60% of the apartments are already sold, with additional reservations for 15%.

One reason for this high demand so early in the marketing process is the political and economic stability and the dynamism of the Rhine-Main region, which is one of the strongest economic regions in Germany. Furthermore, the growth of the Frankfurt residential real estate market and the greening of the facade appear to be key factors. In particular, the planted facade is clearly a major stimulus for potential buyers, as are the urban location and the security of the investments.

The project in a nutshell:

Eden Tower is being constructed at the entrance to Frankfurt's Europaviertel; it offers space for 263 apartments with 1 to 4 rooms. The tower is crowned with a shared rooftop terrace and has a green courtyard, concierge service in a high-end lobby, and a gym —amongst other features. Jones Lang LaSalle and Mattheusser Immobilien are jointly responsible for property marketing. To visit the showcase apartment and showroom, please schedule a meeting with the marketing partners.

• Height: around 98 meters, ground floor plus 27 floors above ground
• Parking: 100 parking spaces, in common underground car park
• Floor space {gross): 19,682 m²
• Residential units: 263 (studio apartment with approx. 29 m², 2-room-apartments with approx. 50 to 63 m², 3-room-apartments with approx. 94 m², penthouse apartment with approx. 50 to 197 m²
• Location: Europaallee 11, 60327 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
• Facade with vertical gardens
• Approx. 2,000 ma of additional greenery, more than 2.5 times Eden Towers plot size
• More than 20 per cent of the fagade is green
• Number of plants: approx. 200,000. A mixture of more than 15 different plant species (colourful plants, such as blue bugle or heartleaf bergenia, and evergreens such as Japanese sedge or Japanese holly fern).
• Shell construction: Ed. Zublin AG
• Project management: cmT - cmT GERMANY
• Marketing: Jones Lang LaSalle and Mattheusser Immobirien
• Website: https://eden-frankfurt.com
• Completion scheduled for year-end 2021, with first occupancy in 2022