The Largest Continuous Vertical Garden in the Czech Republic: A Unique Scientific Project Shows New Ways to Tackle Urban Heat Islands

At CTPark Prague North, the largest continuous vertical garden in the Czech Republic (approx. 1,300 m²) — and one of the largest of its kind in the world — has been completed. The garden hosts more than 45,000 plants of various species, carefully selected by researchers from the Czech University of Life Sciences (CZU) for research purposes. This unique experiment focuses on reducing heat load and mitigating the urban heat island effect created by industrial sites. Early results indicate that, on hot summer days, the surface temperature of the green wall can be up to 15 °C lower than that of a conventional façade.

The project is part of scientific research carried out under the OP TAK programme. Within this project, Němec s.r.o. received a grant and joined forces with CZU and CTP. The result is an atypical collaboration between the academic community and two private companies with the goal of understanding how vertical gardens in industrial parks can improve the local microclimate. The heart of the installation is the innovative Cascade Garden® façade system, for which Němec s.r.o. holds a patent; it is expected to function as a natural air conditioner that helps regulate temperatures both inside and around the building.

“Our aim is not to create a decorative feature on the hall, but a functional living system. We observe how different plant species respond to changing weather. We are interested in which species can survive long term without intensive maintenance and how their vitality changes throughout the seasons. A crucial phase of the research is beginning right now, as the plants will have to cope with frost and snow without any assistance,” explains RNDr. Oldřich Vacek, CSc., the project’s scientific lead.

The façade is equipped with an irrigation system based on planters from which water cascades to lower levels, minimizing consumption and ensuring even watering. The CZU research team monitors how the plants handle extreme conditions such as direct sun, drought, wind, and winter weather. The plants are not protected or treated during winter, which allows their natural resilience to be tested.

“We are truly pleased to have implemented the largest continuous vertical garden in the Czech Republic. This project was not only a technical challenge for us, but also an opportunity to demonstrate how nature-based solutions can work in an industrial environment. I believe the successful completion of this wall can inspire future developments of similar ecological solutions around the world,” says Josef Němec, owner of Němec s.r.o.

“In the Czech Republic, vertical gardens are usually applied to office or public buildings, but at CTP we believe their potential is much broader. This project is the first of its kind to test their functionality on an industrial hall in real operation. Our goal is to determine whether such solutions can not only improve microclimates within our parks, but also help reduce energy demand and heat loads. If this system proves to work, it could be a breakthrough that paves the way for integrating vertical gardens as a standard element of industrial development, not only here but globally,” says Jakub Kodr, Managing Director for the Czech Republic at CTP.

The project will continue until the end of 2026, after which the research results will be analysed and made available for wider use in architecture and sustainability. The findings will serve as a basis for further deployment of vertical gardens in industrial parks.

Funding and registration note: The project is supported by a grant from the Ministry of Industry and Trade under the OP TAK – Applications I: Research and Development of Large-Format Vertical Gardens for Industrial Buildings (OPTAK I Aplikace Němec), registration no. CZ.01.01.01/01/22_002/0000323. The project is co-financed by the European Union.