Even the most staid of urban buildings can be enhanced and brought to life with the addition of a green wall.
A ‘living wall’ is essentially a type of vertical garden. It can be comprised of plantings in a growing medium along a wall face or be a facade made up of climbing plants on a lattice or column structure.
As well as improving air quality by absorbing pollutants and carbon dioxide, a living wall can attract bird species, be used to grow edible plants, cool the building and generally beautify a space in such a way that people will want to linger in it.
Living walls can be internal as well as external. A vertical garden can green an indoor space more efficiently than plants growing at ground level – especially if space is limited.
Living walls are growing in Australia
So far in Australia, green walls and facades are being incorporated into apartment blocks, shopping malls and other commercial and public buildings. Here are some examples.
- One Central Park Sydney: This green facade project is one of the tallest of its kind in the world, covering three walls and 34 storeys. It has tens of thousands of plants in a hydroponic system and includes a cantilevered garden on the 28th floor. The project is providing a range of benefits for occupants and visitors, including improvements to air quality, a cooling effect and enhanced biodiversity.
- Platinum Tower Melbourne: In this project, a ‘pre-grow’ system was employed, which meant that climbers could be pre-grown offsite prior to installation. This shortened the time required for the installation, and also meant that half of the plant coverage was in place right from the start – providing an instant greening and enlivening effect!
- Westfield Warringah Mall: This installation required a hybrid approach of both green wall and facade techniques, involving plant growth around 17 circular columns inside the mall. This provided for instant greening impact, while allowing for future plant growth as well.
If you are considering a living wall system to breathe some new life into your building, get in contact with our team for a consultation.
