“A lot of actors I had known for years told me that revegetation was great but they didn’t want it on their buildings” abounds Stéphane Boudrandi, co-founder of Greenskin. “Too many restrictions” they said. Until then, revegetation had its limits, particularly in relation to land use. Heavy weight, which may require structural reinforcement, root development that can cause infiltration, regular maintenance and high water consumption, all of which hinder a serene and profitable use.
Faced with this observation, the Greenskin company has developed a new generation building greening system. This time without the need for a floor, the Greenskin technology now makes its lightness a real advantage. “Our process weighs less than 20 kg per m2 and is fully modular with 1.25 m2 panels, so it can be adapted to any type of building” explains Stephane Boudrandi. “Today, we can create entire sections of buildings that could not be planted with soil, such as pitched roofs or steeply sloping walls.”. 100% root-resistant, this system is made up of recycled PVC walls on which felt is stapled, in turn made of recycled material. This significantly reduces water consumption as the concept is equipped with a loop irrigation system that recovers unused water and rainwater. The complex is controlled by a connected system developed by Greenskin, which constantly monitors irrigation to optimize water resources.
Finally, a selection of slow-growing plants limits maintenance to one or two passes per year.
An economic model rooted in the territories
The energy efficiency of this type of facility offers incredible performance. In addition to doubling the useful life of a standard roof and providing acoustic insulation, this innovation reduces the temperature of the building by an average of 7.5 degrees and stores CO2 in the order of 6 kg/m2. Essential components to be able to respond to current environmental challenges.
Very attached to increasing the dynamism of the territories, Greenskin works mainly with materials and plants that come from local productions.
Developed in 2019 after several years of research and development within the Réunion regional incubator, Greenskin now wishes to develop its concept in mainland France and find partners capable of manufacturing and installing this solution. The company was also recently recognized by winning the second national prize at the Pro Groupama Trophies, an event that aims to promote innovative and sustainable initiatives.
This content was produced in association with OpenMedias. The BFM Business editorial team was not involved in the production of this content.
Source: BFM TV
