Innovative urban development: The transformer station with living walls in Blomberg, Germany

Betonbau BBD GmbH’s greened transformer station with living walls and sedum roof is an impressive example of seamless integration of technical buildings into a natural environment. This progressive project, located in Phoenix Contact’s All-Electric-Society-Park in Blomberg, Germany, can serve as a model for urban development. Mobilane is proud to have played a crucial role in this project by providing unique, sustainable greening products.

It is already known that greenery on roofs and facades amplifies the positive effects on the environment. Matthias Westenthanner, Head of innovation, Research and Development at Betonbau, emphasizes that green facades and roofs also contribute to filtering fine particulates, reducing CO2 in the air and they have a sound-absorbing effect. In addition, the greened roof and living walls are less exposed to weather influences and therefore have a longer lifespan. “The insulating properties of the greenery have a cooling effect on the transformer station compared to traditional stations, which becomes a crucial advantage for the technology inside the station with rising temperatures due to climate change,” says Matthias Westenthanner.

Beautiful eye-catcher and at the same time a contribution to biodiversity

The company Gefässerie from Hammelburg was commissioned to green the transformer station. Achim Eilingsfeld, Managing director of Gefässerie, looks back on the green project with satisfaction: “The special thing about this project was the combination of a relatively new type of carbon concrete, with which the transformer station was built, and the possibility to properly attach the system to the thinner concrete wall. This meant that there was a shallower drilling depth available to secure the system, but we solved this very well in the end.” A total of 20 square metres of facade surface was greened with Mobilane’s patented MobiPanel system. This is a modular, fully recyclable, vertical greening system with substrate-filled, replaceable plant cassettes. The dimensions of the panels are 40 x 40 cm. The Betonbau project included planting with grasses, bergenia, campanula and heuchera. The greenery is not only a beautiful eye-catcher, but also a valuable contribution to biodiversity.

The irrigation system for the green facade required careful planning, given that water and electricity do not mix. It was therefore decided to use the nearby engineering building to provide the water connection for the irrigation system. From there, the water is directed to the greening system through pipes.

Easy green roof installation with the MobiRoof ECO system

Achim Eilingsfeld chose Mobilane’s MobiRoof ECO system for the green roof of the transformer station. The ready-to-use green roof system is a circular product and is sustainably and locally produced. The cassettes are made of a reused raw material that is also fully recyclable. The cassettes are pre-cultivated with a variety of plants from Mobilane’s own nursery. The plants are grown in a special substrate that also serves as drainage and water storage. “MobiRoof Eco is an excellent system for greening roofs quickly and easily. It is also very interesting for small areas, because of its efficient logistics, which consists only of transporting the cassettes. No additional transport of loose substrate is required. Moreover, the surface is ready to handover immediately,” says Achim Eilingsfeld.

To enjoy the beautiful greenery on the transformer station for a long time, it will be maintained by the local landscaper. The Gefässerie recommends a full inspection twice a year, carefully checking the system itself, the growth and vitality of the plants.

Technical data

– Project: AES Park Phoenix Contact, Blomberg
– Project management: Betonbau, Waghäusel
– Planning and execution: Gefässerie, Hammelburg, mai 2023