Finland's largest outdoor green wall is being built in Turku Science Park, using only stormwater for irrigation. The over 400-square-meter green wall utilizes brand new irrigation technology. This outdoor green wall, which utilizes stormwater, represents a new type of urban design aimed at increasing the area's comfort and finding sustainable solutions for managing increasing stormwater.
Designed and built by InnoGreen, known for their green walls, the outdoor green wall will be erected in Turku Science Park at ICT-City, owned by Turun Teknologiakiinteistöt, with construction beginning in the spring of 2025. The outdoor green wall uses only the plaza's stormwater for irrigation. Finland's largest green wall is constructed of wood and is approximately 34 meters wide and about 16 meters high at its tallest point. The surface area of the green wall is over 400 square meters. The completed wall can be seen for the first time at SHIFT Business Festival on May 22, 2025.
Utilizing stormwater for irrigation reduces the burden on the sewer network, prevents environmentally harmful substances collected in stormwater from ending up in water bodies, and saves potable water that would otherwise be used for irrigation.
The green wall utilizes new technology
Turun Tiedepuistoon Jussinaukiolle toteutettava viherseinä on Suomen ensimmäinen suuren kokoluokan ulkoviherseinä, joka kastellaan pelkästään sade- ja sulamisvedellä, eli hulevedellä. Uutta nyt rakennettavassa viherseinässä on massiivisen koon lisäksi myös se, että se yhdistetään terassialueeseen, johon rakennetaan vehreitä työskentelypisteitä kaupunkilaisille. Lisäksi viherseinään lisätään parveketilaa kiinteäksi osaksi viherseinää.
– Responsibility and innovation are at the core of Turun Teknologiakiinteistöt's values, so we are interested in ecologically sustainable solutions for revitalizing urban space and increasing the value of buildings. We develop not only properties but the entire city district, so scalable and ecological solutions bring added value to the development of the area, says Turun Teknologiakiinteistöt's Real Estate Director Olli Rosenberg.
In the new green wall, InnoGreen is testing for the first time its recently developed irrigation technology, for which the company has applied for a patent. The green wall will utilize the stormwater collected at Jussinaukio, which is gathered into an irrigation tank located under the deck structures. In the new technology, the irrigation system circulates water to the plants according to their needs. For winter, the system is drained and meltwater is collected in the tank for the next season, even while the plants are still overwintering.
In addition to InnoGreen and Turun Teknologiakiinteistöt, the project includes architect Joonas Parviainen and Studio MANA, structural engineer Asko Keronen, HVAC designer Tero Lind, and Rakennustoimisto Lundén Oy.
The green wall is being studied as part of a new type of urban design
The green walls built by InnoGreen represent a new type of urban design, where greenery is integrated into existing buildings and structures. The ecosystem services provided by the green walls will be studied, for example, in terms of comfort, urban biodiversity, stormwater management, and the cooling effect on urban space.
In previous studies, green structures have already been found to be a potential solution for managing and purifying stormwater. InnoGreen, for example, has studied the ability of green walls to remove microplastics from stormwater.
– The possibilities of using stormwater for irrigating green walls have not yet been widely studied. At InnoGreen, we see that from the perspective of sustainable urban development, it is sensible to utilize existing resources for plant irrigation. In addition, green walls also provide a platform for delaying stormwater in a city filled with hard surfaces, says InnoGreen's CEO Mikko Sonninen.
Additional information:
Nora Tåg
Communications, InnoGreen
nora.tag@innogreen.fi
Olli Rosenberg
Real Estate Director, Turun Teknologiakiinteistöt Oy
olli.rosenberg@teknologiakiinteistot.fi
Tel. +358 400 288 725
InnoGreen
InnoGreen (Green House Effect Oy) is a green services company founded in 2010. Nature values and responsibility have strongly guided InnoGreen's operations and product development since its inception. InnoGreen is constantly developing new sustainable green products for the urban environment.
