What the German Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale impressively demonstrates under the title ‘Stress Test’ is already a reality in many places: urban spaces are heating up – with noticeable consequences for health, everyday life, infrastructure and quality of life.

The pavilion asks a simple but fundamental question: why are we not taking action, even though we have long known what needs to be done? The exhibition shows that it is not a lack of solutions that is the problem, but rather a failure to apply them consistently. Greening, shading, ventilation, unsealing: the principles of climate-adapted urban design are well known. But traditional planning processes, sectoral thinking and outdated priorities are delaying implementation. The ‘stress test’ therefore serves as a wake-up call to all those who help shape the city: architects, landscape planners, administrators, politicians – and society as a whole. Not as an accusation, but as an invitation to shared responsibility. We at zillerplus share this attitude.

As friends and supporters of the German Pavilion, we wholeheartedly endorse the contribution, because it highlights what also determines our daily practice: thinking about architecture and landscape together, providing concrete answers to heat stress and creating spaces that not only withstand climate change, but actively counteract it.

Our projects demonstrate how greenery can be used in buildings in a targeted manner – not as a decorative addition, but as an integral part of a climate-resilient building stock. Green façades, communal roof gardens and climate-active courtyards are not just for show, but are functional building blocks for a more liveable city. Because the decisions about tomorrow's urban climate are being made today. Every decision in favour of greenery is also a decision in favour of quality of life, health and collective resilience.

At Heimatmole in Baakenhafen, we combine ground-level and façade-level greening to create a spacious green façade with climbing vines, herbs, productive greenery and outdoor spaces close to the apartments. These provide shade, evaporation and quality of life. The communal roof terrace with plant beds, photovoltaic system and view complements the concept, as do the green courtyard and the Heimatclub as a ground-floor meeting place.

In Mainzer Straße in Munich, too, the inner courtyard is more than just an access point: it is a lounge, garden and climate control room all in one – with green facades on the lift shafts and communal raised beds.

Other projects demonstrate how building greenery, energy supply and architectural structure can be effectively combined – in very different ways depending on the context.

‘Smart is green’, a new building on a greenfield site as part of the IBA Hamburg, was created in 2013 as part of the Smart Material Houses. The project combines green facades with photovoltaic modules, solar thermal energy, variable floor plans and robust materials. Here, energy is not only generated, but also made visible, comprehensible and maintainable.

The ‘Gelber Block’, on the other hand, is an inner-city redensification project and proof that existing structures can also be successfully adapted to climate change. With a green lift tower façade, targeted upgrading of the spaces in between and well-thought-out measures for open space design, the project shows that climate adaptation is not a question of the year of construction, but of attitude.

What all these examples have in common is that they do not create utopian images, but functioning and liveable spaces – for today, not just for tomorrow.