Research into the VertiKKA green façade receives award
Berlin, March 2026 – The inaugural Tilia Awards marked the successful launch of a new initiative celebrating outstanding plant-based projects. On 20 March, to mark the start of spring, around 200 experts, creatives and innovators from a wide range of disciplines gathered at Quadriga University in Berlin to present solutions to the key challenges of our time – with plants at the heart of the initiative.
A total of 59 projects were presented across 24 categories during Pitch Day. The range of projects spanned urban climate adaptation, community gardening initiatives and artistic approaches. Over 150 submissions received in the run-up to the event underscore the high relevance and innovative strength of the green sector. In each of the 24 categories, one project was awarded a prize, demonstrating the diversity of plant-based solutions being developed today. In the ‘Academic Work and Research’ category, the winning project was ‘GrayToGreen’, which involves the operation, monitoring and further development of the Vertical Climate Purification System – VertiKKA. The project impressed the judges with its interdisciplinary approaches, ranging from greywater treatment using recycled substrates to energy savings, microclimate influences and the enhancement of biodiversity.
This is possible because the chairs of Building Physics, Urban Water Management and Technologies for Urban Material Flow Utilization at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar as well as the IAB-Institut Weimar, work closely together.
Winning the Tilia Award 2026 highlights the importance of innovative solutions for the sustainable transformation of urban spaces. Special thanks go to the distinguished and interdisciplinary jury, as well as to Quadriga University, which acted as the academic partner and host venue.
More information can be found under the following links:
https://www.tilia-awards.com/
https://www.uni-weimar.de/de/bau-und-umwelt/professuren/bauphysik/forschung/labor-und-versuchseinrichtungen/reallabor-vertikka/
https://www.instagram.com/vertikka_fassade/
The ‘GrayToGreen’ project is funded by the State of Thuringia using funds from the European Social Fund Plus. The ‘Reallabor VertiKKA’ was established during the BMBF-funded ‘VertiKKA2’ project as part of the Resource-Efficient Urban Neighbourhoods (RES:Z) funding initiative, grant reference number 033W108GN.
