LocationsCassette Green Roof – Nature Returns to the City Centre
October 16, 2025
Belgrade, 16 October 2025 – In an era of intense urbanisation and decreasing greenery in our cities, addressing challenges such as rising temperatures and air pollution is becoming increasingly difficult. To provide a solution, Green Decor, a company from Belgrade, and the Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" (IBISS) have developed a cassette green roof system. This system consists of cassettes made from recycled materials and filled with various potted plants. This innovative solution received financial support from the Government of Switzerland through the project "EU for Green Agenda in Serbia."
The plants that grow in the cassette green roof absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, reducing pollution and improving air quality. One functional green roof of 200 m² can produce 260 kg of oxygen annually.
Another advantage of the cassette green roof is that it absorbs atmospheric moisture and slows rainwater runoff. In other words, it provides waterproofing. Also, it protects against noise and serves as sound insulation and provides thermal insulation for buildings by several degrees, both in winter and summer.
Thanks to their modular design, green roof cassettes can be easily installed on all types of roofs, making them more installation-friendly than conventional green roofs and allowing for a wide range of uses.
"Our green roof system is best suited for flat roofs. For example, if installed on the flat roofs of buildings in New Belgrade and Konjarnik, it can improve the quality of life in these urban neighborhoods", says Nikola Petrović from Green Decor.
To determine which plants are most suitable for green roofs, IBISS tested 9 different plant species during one vegetation period. "We have evidence that moss rose, chives, and bird's-foot trefoil are the most resilient to climate change and best adapted to urban conditions", says Dr. Ljiljana Tubić from IBISS.
"By returning nature to urban centers, we create people-friendly cities — sustainable, healthy, and pleasant to live in", says Miroslav Tadić, UNDP Climate Change and Environment Programme Analyst.
The innovative cassette green roof is one of many green transition solutions for the Serbian economy and society supported by the project "EU for Green Agenda in Serbia." This project, with the technical and financial support of the European Union and in partnership with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, is implemented by UNDP in cooperation with Sweden and the European Investment Bank (EIB), with additional funding provided by the governments of Sweden, Switzerland and Serbia.
A video about the cassette green roof is available here:
