Statement on Facade Greening of the MA48

Vienna. The green facade of the MA48 is broken. These were the headlines of the past days. The showcase project of MA48 was taken over by the irrigation experts of Prochaska | TORO already in 2010 with regard to the implementation of functional irrigation.

In the first step, the system was adapted exactly to the needs of the green wall following a precise hydraulic calculation. After only 3 to 4 weeks, the first automatically controlled facade irrigation system in Vienna could be put into operation. Since the new construction in 2010, the irrigation system has been working for years without any problems and almost maintenance-free. Some time ago, the TORO control unit was replaced by that of another supplier. According to reports, in mid-August of this year a control unit of this new system broke down and led to a drastic undersupply of water to the plants during a heat wave.

“On August 16, one of the irrigation systems control elements broke. The defect lasted for three days and was then repaired immediately”, MA-48 spokeswoman Ulrike Volk explained to wien.ORF.at”.

Due to the short-term failure of the irrigation system, only the plant parts on the surface were damaged. Since the roots are intact, the green façade will recover quickly.
Regular checks and the use of modern sensor technology in conjunction with an SMS warning system can indicate such a defect early on and thus protect plantations. It is also important that there is no doubt that we need more green in the city.

Long-term measurements have proven that the use of plants on and around buildings with a well thought-out care and irrigation concept has a number of advantages. For example, greening and its natural climatic effects can reduce the temperature we humans feel by up to 13°C. In addition, green areas always provide more well-being.

The irrigation team around Othmar Wukitsevits, Prochaska I TORO, will be happy to advise you. The planning of your individual irrigation system is free of charge.

Picture: Orf.at