Ferrovial Services, Madrid City Council and Fundación Capacis developed a green roof on the Cibeles city hall building — a way to fight climate change while supporting social inclusion.
Ferrovial Services, Madrid City Council and Fundación Capacis have installed a green roof on the Cibeles Palace, Madrid’s City Hall. The project makes it possible to create green areas in the heart of the city, and to provide work for people at risk of social exclusion.
Luis Cueto, General Coordinator of Madrid City Council, says that the project entails “launching a very moving public-private partnership. Green roofs help fight the heat island effect and climate change and they promote efficient water use.” Diario de Madrid has published the following extensive report on the project titled “Green Roof, a solidarity project committed to social integration and the environment.”
The Cibeles Centre Green Roof, measuring 130 square meters, with more than 4,000 plants from a range of species, and based on sustainable architecture, is located on one of the towers of the city hall building. It was installed by a team including 9 differently-abled young persons from Fundación Capacis, under the technical management of the Sylvestris group. This organisation helps with the social and labor inclusion of persons with mental disabilities. Once the garden was installed, one of the young workers was hired to take charge of maintaining it.
Green roofs are a unique opportunity to create green areas in the centre of cities. Madrid, whose buildings are topped by flat roofs (and not gable roofs, as in other European cities), is the perfect location for roof gardens. These green spaces support biodiversity, capture and reduce emissions of CO2, save energy and reduce the greenhouse effect.
Consult more information about the project:
- Article published in Diario Madrid: Green Roof, a solidarity project committed to social integration and the environment
- Video report on YouTube: Green Roof in Madrid City Hall
