Public targets and funding sources
To deliver quality-assured greening of buildings, clear targets and grants from the public sector as well as industry-generated minimum standards will be helpful. The following overview is continually updated with the latest developments.
Grants for the implementation of green building measures are available across Austria as part of the house building program (bonus points) and also directly from cities’ own funding sources (green measures, urban renewal) for different target groups (Graz, Vienna, Linz, Baden Horn, Mödling, Traun, Eisenstadt)
Grants for street-side green and living walls Vienna (up to 5200€)
Grants for commercial new buildings for businesses and cities – including extensive green roof and green and living walls with up to 150€/m². (KPC, Federal Ministry)
Grants for thermal building renovation for commercial buildings for businesses and cities – including extensive green roof and green and living walls with up to 150€/m². (KPC, Federal Ministry)
Advice on available grants on the topic of greening buildings is also available in several states and cities. They are either for interested companies of private individuals:
Ecological business advice Niederösterreich (for businesses)
Advice for greening buildings Graz (businesses, private individuals, owners of buildings)
Transparenzportal Benefits/subsidies for private individuals
Transparenzportal Benefits/subsidies for businesses
Things you need to know about public sector targets and grants
A range of instruments and targets for the delivery of green buildings exist in Austria. Legislation of the federal states is the legal foundation for local and reginal spatial planning. The delivery of local spatial plans is the responsibility of local parishes according to the national constitution. The respective targets and provisions at the level of the local spatial plan apply. These are governed by local regulations.
The implementation of greening buildings is also embedded in national strategies and policy documents that vary in their reference to local areas, for example:
- Biodiversity Strategy 2020+ (In German), Climate Action, Austria
- Bio-economy strategy 2020+ (In German) Federal Ministries, Austria
- KLIMAAKTIV (In German) Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Austria
- Climate change adaptation strategy (In German) Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Austria
- #mission2030 (In German) Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Austria
- Environmental declaration 2022 (In German) Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Austria
- City Development Plan STEP 2025 (In German), green and open space strategy, City of Vienna
- Urban Heat Island Strategy UHI-STRAT (In German), City of Vienna
Developing standards for greening buildings
In Austria, the Austrian Standards Institute (ASI) is responsible for developing standards. For greening buildings there are already two established standards. They should be considered as a voluntary minimum standard for implementation of green building projects. In some cases, they are a condition for receiving grants.
State of the art technology
Beyond applying the standard, the respective state of the art technology can be applied. The experts take guidance for assessments and damage report using the commonly available supporting guidelines and regulations. For the area of greening buildings the following are recommended:
Swiss Standards Institute (SNV)
- Sia SN 564 312 Dachbegrünung (2013) (for green roofs)
Research Institute for Landscape development and Landscaping (FLL)
- FLL Dachbegrünungsrichtlinie (2018) (green roofs guidelines)
- FLL Fassadenbegrünungsrichtlinie (2018) (green and living walls guidelines)
- FLL Innenraumbegrünungsrichtlinie (2011) (interior green walls guidelines)
City of Vienna
- Green roof guide for the city of Vienna (2021) to be published soon
- Green and living walls guidelines for the City of Vienna (2013), watch out for the new edition!
