Building Integrated Greenery systems from the New European Bauhaus perspective

Department of Architecture and Design, University of Genoa, 16128, Genoa, Italy

^* Corresponding author: giulia.mazzucco@edu.unige.it

Abstract

Building Integrated Greenery systems (BIGs), such as green roofs and walls, present valuable solutions to the environmental challenges that we are facing today. These systems provide numerous environmental benefits enhancing biodiversity, controlling the Urban Heat Island phenomenon, improving air quality and water management, decreasing energy consumption by improving roof insulation. Recently, academic researchers have predominantly centred on the environmental sustainability and economic issues, often neglecting other socio-cultural aspects. However, since the definition of the Triple Bottom Line in the late 1990s, the complexity of sustainability and its various facets, including the social dimension, have been recognized. Nevertheless, the social dimension has frequently been overlooked due to its complexity and perceived lack of immediate relevance. The needed green transition has yielded significant economic growth, but it has also diverted attention from social indicators such as shared governance, community involvement, and affordability. Initiatives like the New European Bauhaus (NEB), promoted by the European Commission, illustrate a comprehensive approach to sustainability including good design practices and strategies aimed at fostering a sustainable, inclusive, and aesthetically pleasing future. The paper aims at identifying aspects for BIGs design and evaluation considering the NEB approach, emphasizing not only environmental dynamics but also other issues related to socio-economic and cultural consequences.