In cities, green space is often scarce and municipalities are increasingly cutting back on urban green space. This leads to problems such as flooding, heat stress, poor air quality and reduced biodiversity. Leafy offers a solution with their green facade panels, which offer numerous benefits. The panels are biobased, modular and lightweight thanks to hydroponic gardening, which eliminates the need for soil. They are easy to install and instantly green.

During the Bevrijdingsfestival Utrecht, Leafy tested the impact of their green facade panels on people’s well-being. Participants were invited to play games at picnic tables in two different environments: one with green facade panels and one with brick walls. The results were impressive. Participants felt 4% happier in the green environment and 52% found the green space more beautiful. They also experienced a 10% stronger sense of community and felt 7% safer in the green environment.

Interviews revealed that participants considered climate adaptive panels more important than aesthetics. In non-green neighborhoods, people wanted more green space, but sometimes associated it with insecurity. Still, all participants agreed that greenery has a positive effect on their well-being. Leafy will work on these results in the near future to further improve their product and convince potential customers of the benefits of greening in urban environments.