An unusual greening measure has been implemented at the new site of IT service provider Bechtle in Neu-Ulm: the external walls of the multi-storey car park have been fitted with real moss across an area of 1,600 square metres. The scheme was designed by architect and KREOR-Südwest Managing Director Bernd Dollmann from Neckarsulm. The backdrop to the measure included the building permit for the car park, which had been granted subject to a green facade design.
Functionality and building physics properties
Saxon manufacturer MoosMoos is responsible for the execution. As Raphael Marquardt from planning firm KREOR Südwest GmbH explains, the primary focus during conception was ensuring that the construction remains entirely maintenance-free for years. For this purpose, the organic material is prepared beforehand, mounted onto aluminium panels using special adhesive, and then inserted into steel elements. Prior to deployment on commercial buildings, stress tests were carried out in a private garden, in Hochkössen at an altitude of 1,300 metres, and on a rooftop in Mallorca.
The building physics values offer functional advantages for the surroundings of the property: moss can bind up to eight litres of water per square metre and release it through delayed evaporation, generating a natural cooling effect. In addition, the surface serves as an acoustic barrier, absorbs solar radiation, and regenerates autonomously. The company provides a guarantee of at least six years for outdoor surfaces, whilst indoor installations carry a lifetime guarantee.
Manufacturer structure and further sites in Bavaria
MoosMoos Managing Director Andreas Bergermann transformed the business from a post-reunification enterprise making grave arrangements into a provider of moss wall panels, which has operated as market leader in this segment since 2021. Today, the company employs around 70 staff across Germany and Latvia. The raw material is gathered in Latvia, Poland, Ukraine, and Scandinavia, and processed in Oppach, Saxony. Around 80 per cent of buyers originate from the DACH region.
Alongside the installation in Neu-Ulm, Bavaria is home to another reference project: a 160-square-metre moss wall was realised at the EDEKA store run by Christos Didis in Kürnach near Würzburg. Sven Schemann, Regional Head of Expansion and Real Estate Management at EDEKA Unternehmensgruppe Nordbayern-Sachsen-Thüringen, adapted the architectural plans accordingly. René Wohlfart, Mayor of Kürnach, also highlighted how the supermarket integrates into the urban landscape and its agricultural setting.
- —1,600 square metres of moss facade on the Bechtle multi-storey car park in Neu-Ulm
- —Water retention capacity of up to eight litres per square metre with evaporative cooling
- —Manufacturer guarantee of at least six years for outdoor use with no ongoing maintenance requirements
- —Further reference project spanning 160 square metres at the EDEKA store in Kürnach
