Climate protection Darmstadt: Where green roofs and areas are possible

Word has probably gotten around that gravel in front yards is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also problematic for the climate and the environment.

With its climate protection goals, the city of Darmstadt goes far beyond avoiding such trends to the detriment of the environment.

She wants to encourage the citizenry to play an active role in improving the climate in the city and beyond.

The new green roof and unsealing cadastre, which is accessible online, is also intended to serve this purpose.

This was presented by the Head of the Environment and Climate Protection Department, Michael Kolmer (Die Grünen), on Friday together with Martina Klarle, entrepreneur and previously Professor of Land Management at the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences.

Jochen Remert

Airport editor and correspondent Rhein-Main-Süd.

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The program is aimed at owners of residential buildings, but also business people. With the help of the digital offer for every address in Darmstadt, you can all find out what possibilities there are to do something for the climate with the help of green roofs. For each building, a different color is used to indicate whether it is “very good” or “good” for green roofs, whether the roof in question is “still suitable” or only “possibly” suitable for green roofs. Above all, the last stage indicates that an individual assessment of the building in question is required before more concrete statements can be made about the possibility of a green roof.

The "Unsealing" function can also be selected on the aerial image-based displays.

Then the areas surrounding the respective building are displayed according to the options for unsealing them.

The different colored levels range from a "very high" unsealing potential to a "very low".

Photovoltaic systems benefit from greening

However, the practical benefit for citizens is not limited to the notification that unsealing or roof planting is possible.

Rather, they receive a wealth of information in the legend, not only about why unsealing and greening are important for protecting the climate, but also about where they may receive which funding and what costs can be saved.

The digitally prepared register is available online at

to find. The practically usable information goes so far that it is also possible to find out to what extent, for example, paving stones with different water permeability benefit at the end of the water storage in the ground and thus a lower heating of the respective area in summer. This immediately retrievable information about the possibilities of unsealing is only possible because the wealth of data available in the respective municipal offices was processed accordingly beforehand. The Klarle – Society for Land Management and Environment mbH has specialized in this digital usability of municipal data. Martina Klarle assumes that green roofs are possible in 80 percent of private residential buildings. In the case of commercial hall construction, the rate tends to be lower,because they are often built less massively for cost reasons.

Klarle pointed out that a green roof is also an ideal city location for a photovoltaic system.

The vegetation ensures a lower temperature, which is beneficial to the performance of solar systems.

Climate protection officer Kolmer said that citizens who would become active on the basis of the new roof greening and unsealing cadastre not only created added value for the city climate and biological diversity.

On the contrary, it could also be economically worthwhile for them in the long term.

Because green roofs usually last longer, and reduced sealing also lowers water charges.

The Darmstadt Office for Climate Protection will answer further questions about the green roof and unsealing cadastre by telephone on 06151/134904 or by e-mail at klimaschutz@darmstadt.de