In the Green Room
We've heard about green roofs: their eco-credentials and energy efficiency. But what about green walls?
'Living Walls' (aka bio-walls, vertical gardens) are either freestanding, or part of a building, and covered with greenery. Examples of living walls can be admired from Tokyo to Toronto and London to LA. Some have been devised for pure aesthetics, as in the case of Jeff Koon's 'Puppy' guarding the Bilbao Guggenheim, or Lloyd Godman's Bromeliad installations in Australia.
But not only do many living walls look beautiful - as an added bonus they may also help insulate the building, clean the air and enhance property value. And importantly, living walls cool through evaporation during summer, and humidify in winter - increasing the overall energy efficiency of the building and reducing the need for air conditioning.
Living walls are usually divided into modular panels - filled with polypropylene containers, geo-textiles (for soil retention and drainage), irrigation systems, a growing medium and of course, plants. Epiphytic plants such as orchids can do particularly well, as they need little or no soil to grow.
Living walls can be 'active' or 'passive'. 'Active' living walls are integrated into a building's air circulation system, where fans draw air into the roots and beneficial microbes actively degrade pollutants before returning fresh air to the space. They are becoming more popular due to their potential to clean internal air in workplaces. 'Passive' living walls, on the other hand, can't aerate the root system where most breaking down of pollutants happens.
Modern buildings are relatively airtight, so indoor air quality largely depends on heating and ventilation systems. Poor indoor air quality has been linked to sick building syndrome and loss of productivity. So the costs of installing living walls can be offset by improved staff morale and performance.
The presence of plants also has a positive effect on emotional wellbeing regardless of their effects on air purification: workers who share their office with plenty of greenery are likely to be more productive, feel less stress and recover faster from trauma. Building living walls into new workplaces can also enhance a company's brand.
If the interest shown around the world is any indication, living walls are likely to become an element of future urban development and greenscaping in New Zealand too. If this article inspires you to get an ingenious living wall project - literally - off the ground, talk to us at The Building Intelligence Group. And watch this (green) space.
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