Sunday, 7 December 2025
CTP has installed what it describes as the largest continuous vertical garden in the Czech Republic at CTPark Prague North, as part of a research project conducted in cooperation with the Czech University of Life Sciences (CZU) and vertical-garden specialist Němec.
The installation covers roughly 1,300 sqm and includes more than 45,000 plants selected by CZU researchers. According to initial measurements, the green façade can reach surface temperatures up to 15°C lower on summer days compared with a standard exterior wall. The project examines whether such systems can reduce heat accumulation at industrial sites and contribute to improving microclimatic conditions.
The research forms part of an EU-supported program under OP TAK, which granted funding to Němec for the development of its vertical-garden system. The collaboration aims to assess how plant species behave under real operating conditions and whether they can provide long-term functional benefits. The Cascade Garden® system used for the installation is designed to moderate temperatures on and around the building.
“Our goal is not to create an aesthetic decoration for the building, but a functional living system. We are monitoring how different plant species react to changes in the weather. Additionally, we are interested in which species are able to survive in the long term without intensive care and how their vitality changes throughout the seasons. A crucial stage of research is coming now, when the plants will have to cope with frost and snow without help,” said Oldřich Vacek of CZU’s Department of Garden and Landscape Architecture.
The façade incorporates an irrigation system intended to minimise water use and distribute moisture evenly. The research team is studying how the plants respond to high heat, drought, wind and winter conditions. No protective measures are used during colder seasons in order to evaluate natural resilience.
“We are very pleased that we have managed to create the continuous vertical garden in Czechia. This project was not only a technical challenge for us, but also an opportunity to show how natural solutions can work in an industrial environment. I believe that the successful implementation of this wall can serve as inspiration for the future construction of similar ecological solutions around the world,” said Josef Němec, owner of Němec s.r.o.
Jakub Kodr, Managing Director of CTP in the Czech Republic, noted the potential implications for industrial real estate. “Vertical gardens are usually applied to office or public buildings in Czechia, but at CTP we believe that their potential can be much broader. This project is one of the first of its kind to test the functionality of a vertical garden on an industrial building in operation. Our goal is to find out whether similar solutions can not only improve the microclimate at our parks but also help reduce energy consumption and heat load. If this system proves to work, it could be a breakthrough that paves the way for the integration of vertical gardens as a standard part of industrial development, not only in our country, but also on a global scale.”
The research will continue through 2026, with findings expected to contribute to future architectural and sustainability applications and inform the potential wider use of vertical gardens in industrial settings.
