Exterior living wall
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Equinix Data Centre FR10
More than 50,000 plants with a range of environmental benefits helped this Frankfurt data centre secure planning — and a premium tenant.
BACKGROUND
Greening a Frankfurt data centre
Frankfurt is one of Europe’s leading data centre markets. To limit the environmental impact of new facilities, the city often requires new developments to integrate sustainable elements in line with frameworks like LEED and Germany’s DGNB. For this reason, many new data centres in Frankfurt are planned with green roofs or façades.
This development was a new hyperscale facility within a larger data centre campus. To prevent this concentrated region from creating a “hot spot,” the local authority specifically requested greening for each new data centre on the campus to support:
- Biodiversity
- Air quality
- Natural cooling
The project was planned with a green roof. However, roof space for vegetation was minimal after ventilation was considered, which meant that the data centre would need an alternative solution to the green roof: a green façade.
Our clients weren’t new to green walls. They tried multiple hydroponic living wall systems on other data centres and watched the plants wither and fail within three years. They sought to partner with a German green façade contractor with data centre experience and long-lasting results. Viritopia GmbH, our German branch, was the perfect fit to deliver.
STRATEGY
How we solved a design challenge
When Viritopia joined the project, construction had already begun on the building’s façade — and the chosen material wasn’t suitable for a living wall. Our data centre greening consultants quickly came up with a solution to avoid wasted time and materials.
Rather than affixing the four planned green walls directly to the façade, we sourced and attached our modules to a freestanding steel frame. Viritopia’s living wall system can work with a variety of build-ups, which allows us to pivot if a project requires a workaround.
We grew the plants offsite in our nursery for 6-12 weeks to acclimatise before installation. This meant that once the steel frame was built, we were ready to install the modules. The plants provided full coverage the day of installation.
Our plant palettes involved 12 key species. We chose several species with medium to high potential for particulate matter capture and CO2 absorption, as well as species to support biodiversity. These included:
- Armeria maritima: An excellent pollinator for bees, butterflies, moths, flies, and beetles
- Carex "evergold": Provides shade and shelter for wildlife year-round
- Hedera helix "shamrock": Provides shade, shelter, and berries for birds, and supports various insects
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Short on time? We’ll help you plan ahead
We can help streamline your green data centre build programme by planning the correct materials from the start to avoid additional steps (like this project’s steel frame). Early conversations with our consultants keep green façade construction efficient in time, cost, and carbon.
IMPACT
Long-lasting quality with immediate ROI
With instant coverage, impressive appearance throughout winter, and lasting results, our clients are sufficiently pleased with the façade. Now that they’ve discovered what works, they’re excited to use Viritopia’s living wall system on future data centre builds in Germany and across Europe.
Moreover, the green wall has already proven to be an asset, as Amazon moved into the green data centre on completion. Viritopia partners with Amazon to maintain the façade.
- Biodiversity increase
We chose plant species to support pollinators and provide shelter for insects - Improved air quality
The data centre’s palettes optimise CO₂ absorption and particulate matter capture. - Premium tenant
Climate-adaptive design was a selling point for this Frankfurt data centre. - Heat mitigation
Foliage naturally cools the area around the data centre, reducing the heat given off - Long-lasting aesthetics
Rooted in soil, Viritopia’s living wall system supports plant (and product) longevity. - Year-round benefits
Evergreen plants offer lush foliage and climate benefits across every season.
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Equinix Data Centre FR10
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Frankfurt, Germany
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