Life on the house facade
Would you like to fill the façade of your building with bustling life? That’s a great idea, as façades as habitat structures play an important role in promoting nature in cities. As “artificial rocks", they can provide unique breeding places and habitats for different types of birds and bats. Sparrows, house martins, common swifts, kestrels or several types of bats are all synanthropic animals, and thus depend on our buildings as habitats in cities.
Another possibility is façade greening. This brings vertical green and flowered areas into the city, which leads to a more enjoyable micro-climate while creating important habitats.
Good to know
- Existing breeding places of birds or bat roosts should be maintained when starting construction.
- By opening existing hollow spaces or by mounting nesting boxes or bat roosts, additional structures can be created.
- Façade greenings act as local "natural air conditionings” and are subsidised by the City of Vienna.
- Starting renovation measures on buildings at the wrong time of year may lead to great damage among the bats and bird that nest on buildings.
What does the City of Vienna do?
The City of Vienna - Environmental Protection department subsidises façade greening up to a maximum of 5,000 euros. You can apply for funding here:
Stadt Wien: Fassadenbegrünung Förderungsantrag (wien.gv.at)
For a while now, Vienna has focused on promoting animals living on buildings. You can find more information on house martins, common swifts, bats etc. here:
Stadt Wien: Arten- und Lebensraumschutz an Gebäuden (wien.gv.at)
