Program
Thursday, June 5, 2025
Opening Session Collegiate Building of the University of Basel, Petersplatz 1
The conference presentations will be held in German or English and will be simultaneously translated into English or German, respectively.
8:00
Start of registration and welcome coffee
Collegiate Building of the University of Basel, Petersplatz 1
9:00
Opening and Welcome by the Organizers
Moderation: Tilla Künzli
Dr. Stephan Brenneisen
Research Group Urban Ecology ZHAW Department of Life Sciences and Facility Management
Dr. Diyana Petrova
Deputy Director ZHAW Department of Life Sciences and Facility Management
Raffael Ayé
CEO BirdLife Switzerland
9:10
Welcome by the City of Basel
Esther Keller
Member of the Government, Head of the Department of Construction and Transport of the Canton of Basel-Stadt
9:15
Dr. Hans Romang
Head of the Biodiversity and Landscape Division
Deputy Head of the Directorate for Biological Diversity
9:20
Welcome by Sponsoring Organizations
Erich Steiner
Swiss Association for Building Greening (SFG)
Vera Enzi-Zechner
Vice President, European Federation of Green Roof and Green Wall Associations – EFB
Prof. Dr. Manfred Köhler
World Green Infrastructure Network (WGIN)
Steven Peck
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities
9:30
Keynote
“Pathways of transformation of Mexico City to a green and eco city”
Tanya Müller Garcia
Minister of the Environment of Mexico City 2012-2018 and Ambassador of the C-40 Cities Network against the Climate Crisis and for Livable Cities
10:10
Keynote
«Greening Buildings in Singapore: Looking Back with an Eye for the Future»
Prof. Tan Puay Yok (PhD)
Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore Chief Science and Technology Officer, National Parks Board, Singapore
10:45
11:15
Auditorium
Moderation: David Brasfield
City Strategies and Support Programs
11:15 – Ten Years of Implementing the Hamburg Strategy for Green Roofs and Walls
Dr. Hanna Bornholdt
Authority for Environment, Hamburg, Germany
11:45 – Above the Roofs of Basel – Paths to a Greener City
Dr. Monika Schaub
Green Planning, City Gardening Office Basel, Switzerland
Lecture Hall 120
Moderation: Julian Briz
Architecture and Practical Examples
11:15 – Elevated Engagement: The Boston Medical Center Rooftop Farms and Their Role Fostering Heath and Wellbeing at Boston’s Largest Safety Net Hospital
Pete Ellis
Boston, USA & London, UK
11:45 – Orto fra i cortili – Roof Garden based on a modular system combining aesthetics, functionality and low cost
Miguel Pallares Lopez
Piuarch, Architects, Milan, Italy
Lecture Hall 118
Moderation: Leila Tolderlund
Building Greening Technology
11:15 – Measurement and Modeling of the Influence of Building Greening on the Indoor Temperature of Buildings
Matthias Wörlein
Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences, Weidenbach, Germany
11:45 – Temperature Measurements on a Scaffold Facade Greening
Laura Germann
Amstein + Walthert, Zurich, Switzerland
12:15
13:30
Auditorium
Moderation: Marco Schmidt
Green Roofs: Biodiversity and Ecology
13:30 – Biodiversity at High Altitudes – Ecofaunistic Potential of Green Roofs
Dr. Stephan Brenneisen & Lieve Dierckx
Research Group Urban Ecology, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Wädenswil, Switzerland
14:00 – Six years monitoring moss Flora on green roofs in Geneva
Julie Steffen
Haute école du Paysage d’ingénierie et d’architecture Genève (HEPIA), Switzerland
14:30 – Insects of Urbania: Towards Consistent Characterisation of Soil Invertebrate Populations on Green Roofs
Cassidy Winter
Green Infrastructure Research Labs, School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
Lecture Hall 120
Moderation: Yi-Jiung Lin
Sponge City and Rainwater Management
13:30 – Towards the Development of a Canadian Standardized Approach for Testing Nature-Based Solutions for Commercial Roofs
Mirza Mohammed Abdul Basith Baig & Dr. Sudhakar Molleti
PhD Student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa &Team Leader, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa,Canada
14:00 – Designing Resilient Green Roofs for Climate-Adaptive Sponge Cities: A Decision Support Tool for Zero Emission Compliance
Dr. Pierre-Antoine Versini & Lionel Sindt
HM&Co, Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chausse Champs-sur-Marne, France &
Technical Manager at Soprema
14:30 – A Decade of Blue-Green Roof Research – Findings and Research Gaps
Dr. Michael Richter
Environmentally Friendly Urban and Infrastructure Planning, HafenCity University Hamburg, Germany
Lecture Hall 118
Moderation: Christine Thüring
Combination of Building Greening and Use of Solar Energy
13:30 – Solar panels and green roofs: lessons from the Planete study (energy, biodiversity and microclimate)
Patrice Prunier
Haute école du Paysage d’ingénierie et d’architecture Genève (HEPIA), Switzerland
14:00 – Genèvoltaïque: bringing biodiversity and energy transition together on Geneva’s rooftops
Gilles Desthieux
University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (HES-SO), Geneva, Switzerland
14:30 – Development and Comparative Testing of a Comprehensive Package for Bifacial PV Systems on Green Roofs
Andreas Dreisiebner
GrowSolutions, Seuzach, Switzerland
15:00
15:30
Thematic sessions
Auditorium
Moderation: Benedict Essuman-Quainoo
City Strategies and Support Programs
15:30 – Renaturation of the City in the Cost Trap?
Dr. Ulrike Pitha
Institute of Soil Bioengineering and Landscape Construction
Boku University, Wien, Austria
16:00 – Innovative Policies and Programs That Support Green Roofs And Walls From Across North America
Steven W. Peck
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities – North America Inc. Toronto, Canada
16:30 – From Niche to Mainstream? The Vorarlberg Path to More Ecologically Effective Green Roofs
Katrin Löning
Pulswerk GmbH & Department of Environmental and Climate Protection, Office of the Vorarlberg State Government, Bregenz, Austria
Lecture Hall 120
Moderation: Marta Weber
Building Greening, Ecology
15:30 – Carbon Exchange Between Extensive Green Roofs and the Atmosphere – Comparison of Two Sites
Niklas Markolf & Prof. Dr. Stephan Weber
Technical University of Braunschweig, Institute of Geoecology, Germany
16:00 – F&E-Project MARGRET – Can the effects of greening be calculated?
Elisabeth Leitner
Competence center GRÜNSTATTGRAU, Vienna, Austria
16:30 – Efficiency and Effectiveness Redefined: Building Integrated Vegetation in Urban Ecosystems
Dr. Andreas Theodoridis
New York Institute of Technology, New York, USA
Lecture Hall 118
Moderation: Hema Kumar
Combination of Building Greening and Use of Solar Energy
15:30 – Green Facades Plus – Added Value of Building and Solar Technology through Combinations with Vertical Plants
Roland Krippner
Nuremberg Institute of Technology, Georg Simon Ohm, Faculty of Architecture, Research Professorship “Construction and Technology, Building Envelope Technology”, Germany
16:00 – GreenPV ‒Lösungsansätze zur optimalen Fassadengestaltung mit PV und Begrünung im Hinblick auf den Klimawandel
Livio Keiser
Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – Engineering & Architecture, Horw, Switzerland
16:30 – SMARTRoofs – Effects of Combined Solar Energy Use and Green Roof Systems on Biodiversity
Dr. Franziska Opitz
Research Group Urban Ecology, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Wädenswil, Switzerland
17.15
Takes place in the Auditorium
Keynote
«GROWING ARCHITECTURE – Designing and Building with Trees»
Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Ludwig
Architect and Professor for Green Technologies in Landscape Architecture at the Technical University of Munich
17:50
Presentation of “Solar Green Rood Guide”
Sophie Rousset-Rouveire, Adivet
Steven Peck, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities
18:00
19:30
Congress Dinner in the courtyard of the Collegiate Building, of the University of Basel, Petersplatz 1
Friday, June 6, 2025
Collegiate Building of the University of Basel, Petersplatz 1
8:30
Collegiate Building of the University of Basel
Auditorium
Moderation: Zoe Avery
City Strategies and Support Programs
8:30 – Potential and Feasibility Study for Facade Greening on Cantonal Properties
Sara Rickenbacher & Markus Fierz
City Gardening Office, Basel & raderschallpartner ag, Meilen, Switzerland
9:00 – Pros and Cons of Living Walls – Human Attitudes and Expectations
Dr. Petra Thorpert
Department of Landscape Architecture, Planning and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Alnarp, Lomma, Sweden
9:30 – Guidelines for Incorporating Green Roofs into Urban Planning Documents
Manon Laine
Adivet, the Association for the Greening of Built-up Areas and Infrastructure, Paris, France
Lecture Hall 120
Moderation: Gabriel Pérez
Architecture and Practical Examples
8:30 – 2025 Top 10 List of Hot Trends in Living Green Architecture: Ecological Design for Biodiversity
Linda S. Velasquez
Greenroofs.com, Longboat Key, USA
9:00 – Challenges of Green Roof Implementation in Nordic climate: The Case Study of
Innusirvik Community Wellness Center’s Green Roof in Iqaluit, Nunavut.
Roxanne Miller
SOPREMA – SOPRANATURE, Canada
9:30 – Reclaiming the Climate Narrative: the “Green Bunker St. Pauli” in Hamburg
Marco Schmidt
Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR), Institute of Architecture, Technical University of Berlin, Germany
Lecture Hall 118
Moderation: Katrin Löning
Facade Greening Technology
8:30 – Wind Forces on Green Facades – Wind Tunnel Tests on Ten Climbing Plants
Kilian Arnold
Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Institute of Civil Engineering, Horw, Switzerland
9:00 – Wind Forces on Vegetated Cable Facades – Development of a Comprehensive Design Concept Using CDF Simulation
Philipp Lustenberger
Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Institute of Civil Engineering, Horw, Switzerland
9:30 – Regulation of Microclimate, Energy Balance, and Well-being in GLASS Structures through Technically Integrated Vertical GREEN
Prof. Dr. Rosemarie Stangl
Institute of Soil Bioengineering and Landscape Construction, BOKU University Vienna, Austria
10:30
Auditorium
Moderation: Vera Enzi-Zechner
Green Roofs: Biodiversity and Ecology
10:30 – Potential of Building Greening in Switzerland
Dr. Claudia Moll
Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU), Bern, Switzerland
11:00 – Existing Building Green (BeGG) – Retrofitting Green Roofs and Facades on Existing Buildings
Rebecca Landwehr
German Association of Building Greening (BuGG), Berlin, Germany
11:30 – Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity Enhancement: A Cross-City Comparative Analysis
Dr. Deepshi Kaushal
EBP Schweiz AG, Zurich, Switzerland
Lecture Hall 120
Moderation: Patrice Prunier
Biodiversity Planning and Biomonitoring of Green Roofs
10:30 – Indigenous Seeds for Green Roofs: A Future-Oriented Solution to Promote Local Biodiversity
Daniel Slodowicz & Maya Bosshard
O + L GmbH / HoloSem, Oberwil-Lieli, Switzerland, SWO | FOUNDATION FOR ECONOMY AND ECOLOGY and Green Roof Association Region Basel, Switzerland
11:00 – Ecofaunistic and Botanical Monitoring of Topsoil Roofs in Vorarlberg
Daniel Reidl & Jascha Van Gogh
Pulswerk GmbH, Bregenz, Austria and Reasearch Group Urban Ecology, ZHAW Wädenswil, Switzerland
11:30 – Potential of green roofs in the maintenance and conservation of Biodiversity. A case study in Mexico-City
Julyo Espinoza
Comparative Plant Development Laboratory. Sciences Faculty, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico-City
Lecture Hall 118
Moderation: Julià Coma
Rainwatermanagement
10:30 – BIG4LIFE project. Refurbishments of 3 green roofs.
Laura Herrera
Innovative Technologies for Sustainability (IT4S) Research Group, University of Lleida, Spain
11:00 – BIG4LIFE project. Collaborative Strategies for the Maintenance and Impact’s Monitoring & Evaluation of Building-Integrated Greenery systems (BIG)
Dr. Gabriel Pérez
Innovative Technologies for Sustainability (IT4S) Research Group, University of Lleida, Spain
11:30 – Understanding the Behavior of Fire in Green Roofs.
Roxanne Miller
SOPREMA – SOPRANATURE, Canada
12:00
Lunch Break, Tradeshow, and Poster Exhibition
13:00
Auditorium
Moderation: Olyssa Starry
City Strategies and Support Programs
13:00 – Green Roofs In The Wild West: Challenges And Opportunities
Dr. Christine Thüring, Dr. Olyssa Starry
Green Roof Infrastructure Network of British Columbia (GRIN), Burnaby BC, Canada, Sustainable Technology Program, Bucknell University, Lewisburg PA, USA
13:30 – Leveraging Decision Science for Urban Quality Indicators of a City: A Hypothetical Framework for Green Infrastructure Implementation in Zurich
Mayank Kaushal
Architecture and Building Process, ITA Institute for Technology in Architecture, Department of Architecture, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
14:00 – Specialized Planning for Heat Reduction in the City of Zurich – A Planning Basis for Effective Collaboration
Dr. Heidi Mittelbach
Environmental and Health Protection, City of Zurich, Switzerland
Lecture Hall 120
Moderation: Vera Enzi-Zechner
Architecture and Practical Examples
13:00 – Torre Guinigi (City of Lucca, Italy): Management of the Historic Roof Garden
Dr. Alessandra Sani & Dr. Fabrizio Cinelli
Comune di Lucca, Orto botanico di Lucca & Department of Energy, Systems, Territory and Constructions Engineering, University of Pisa, Italy
13:30 – Building Greening on Historical Monuments: Guidelines for Greening in a Historical Context
Marc Pfister & Dr. Sophie von Schwerin
Department of Construction and Transport Basel-Stadt, Urban Planning & Architecture, Basel & Institute for Landscape and Open Space, Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, Rapperswil, Switzerland
14:00 – Tactical Solutions For Sloped Roofs: A Climate Adaptation Strategy For Paris
Tim Cousin
ROOFSCAPES STUDIO Paris, France
Lecture Hall 118
Moderation: Daniela Dietsche
Facade Greening: Technology and Promotion
13:00 – How moss could be the key to silencing our cities
Max Veeger
Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Department of Materials, Mechanics & Design, Materials and Environment Section, Delft, the Netherlands
13:30 – Responsible Rainwater Management Integration With A Living Wall
Dr. Katherine Dunster
Urban Ecosystems Program Faculty of Science, School of Horticulture, Kwantlen Polytechnic University Surrey BC, Canada
14:00 – Enhancing Urban Resilience Through Implementation Of Green Walls
Dr. Andrea Mortensen & Maria Gaardsted Kamper
Research Centre for Built Environment, Climate and Water Technology, VIA University College, Horsens, Denmark
14:30
15:00
Auditorium
Moderation: Lisa Lee Benjamin
Greywater Usage, Biochar Applications and Accelerating awareness
15:00 – The effects of Design and operational parameters on Greywater treatment using Pilot-Scale Wetland Green roof Systems
Sarya Derado
Department Molecular Environmental Biotechnology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany
15:30 – Biochar And Vegetation Effects on Discharge Water Quality from Organic-Substrate Green Roofs
Dr. Jennifer Drake
Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada
16:00 – GoNaturePositive! Accelerating awareness and transformative action towards a nature-positive economy among stakeholders of the Green Building Sector
Vera Enzi-Zechner
Vice President, European Federation of Green Roof and Green Wall Associations – EFB
Lecture Hall 120
Moderation: Laura Herrera
Planning and Maintenance of Green Roofs
15:00 – Construction and maintenance costs of different green roof typologies and their effects on plant performance in Melbourne, Australia
Zahra Saraeian
School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Australia
15:30 – TED21 project. Advanced smart green roof system according to xerophytic criteria suitable for Mediterranean and Semi-Arid Climates
Julià Coma
Innovative Technologies for Sustainability Research Group, University of Lleida, Spain
16:00 – Promotion of native orchids on green roofs
Rafael Schneider
Research Group Urban Ecology, Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW, Wädenswil, Switzerland
Lecture Hall 118
Moderation: N.N.
Rainwater Management
15:00 – Sustainable Cities through Smart Rainwater Management
Timon Lauber
Paul Bauder GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart, Germany
15:30 – Improving Vertical Green Screen Façade Model by a Comprehensive Calibration Process
Camila Da Rocha
Diseño y Estudios Urbanos / Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Estudios
Urbanos, PontiNicia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
16:00 – Multitalent Green Roof – Heavy Rain Protection, Heat Shielding, and Energy Production Combined
Werner Venter
ZinCo GmbH, Nürtingen, Germany
16:30
Goodbye in the auditorium
Announcement of the next World Green Infrastructure Network (WGIN) Congress