“This creates a complete, ready to install product that is easy to maintain and built to last.”
What you need to know
Nature is returning to Serbia’s cities — on rooftops and walls
Why this matters
Cities across Europe face rising temperatures, pollution and energy costs. So green infrastructure is becoming essential. Rooftop gardens and green façades reduce heat, cut electricity use, and make dense urban areas healthier and more liveable.
A single 200 square metre green roof can produce up to 260 kg of oxygen per year.
Green rooftops that cool cities
After struggling to find work as a young landscape architect, Dejan Lazić set out to combine nature, technology and sustainability into practical solutions for cities. In 2001, he founded Green Decor, a Serbian company specialising in green roofs and walls.
Starting a business was risky. Lazić invested his entire savings — €8 000 — without a single guaranteed contract. What set his company apart was speed, technical reliability and an early focus on modular solutions that could be installed quickly on public and private buildings.
“Our goal was to bring nature back into cities through technically reliable, energy‑efficient and long‑lasting solutions,” says Lazić.
Green Decor was the first company in Serbia to introduce hydroseeding on hard‑to‑reach terrain, such as steep roadside slopes. Building on that experience, it developed modular green roof and wall systems tailored to local climate conditions.
What makes the system work
- Pre‑grown plant cassettes adapted to local weather
- Minimal construction work required
- Fast installation and low maintenance
- Improved insulation, air quality and biodiversity
EU backing for green innovation
Green Decor’s solution received support under the EU for Green Agenda in Serbia initiative, which helps businesses turn climate‑friendly ideas into bankable projects. The initiative is supported by the European Union, with additional funding from Sweden and Switzerland and Serbia, and implemented by the UN Development Programme in cooperation with the Serbian Ministry of Environmental Protection.
Public finance plays a key role because many green innovations face high upfront costs and long repayment periods — barriers that can discourage private investment without targeted support. Since 2022, the initiative has backed projects worth €52 million.
Why public support matters
- Green innovation often lacks early financing
- Climate benefits extend beyond individual investors
- Technical assistance helps ideas reach market scale
Expert insight: Why green roofs make a difference now
Kristina Kanapinskaite is a head of division at EIB Global, covering the Western Balkans and Türkiye.
Q: How can we finance this new trend?
A: We bring commercial banks and companies together to shape green ideas, and to turn them into bankable projects. That makes a meaningful contribution to Serbia’s green transition.
Key trends
- Growing demand for energy‑efficient buildings
- Nature‑based solutions integrated into urban planning
- Blended finance models for green projects
What’s next
Green infrastructure standards are likely to become mandatory in many cities.
From apartment terraces to public parks
Today, Green Decor employs 15 people, including engineers, technicians and retrained gardeners. Its solutions range from a 15-square metre private terrace in central Belgrade to a 6 500 square metre green roof in Košutnjak Park — the largest of its kind in the region.
The company’s modular green roof system is registered as an original Serbian product with the Intellectual Property Office and is designed to reduce the urban heat‑island effect, to slow rainwater runoff, and to improve air quality.
What people get wrong: Common myths about green roofs
- “They are expensive.”
In reality, Green Decor’s solutions cost around €50 per square metre — less than many alternatives. - “They are hard to maintain.”
Plants are selected for local resilience and require only seasonal maintenance.
Key facts: Green rooftops in Serbia at a glance
- Up to 30% electricity savings for cooling
- 260 kg of oxygen per year from a 200 m² roof
- 94 green projects supported since 2022 under the initiative
