If you’re considering a green facade for your next project, there are several types to choose from. These include ground-based facades, facade bound systems and mixed systems.
Let’s take a look at the differences between the green facade types.
Ground-based facades
This is a system where the greenery is grown upwards from ground level – either from the soil, pots or planter boxes.
Ground systems typically use self-clinging plants (such as ivy) or a support structure such as a steel trellis for climbing plants. Support structure options include vertical steel rope for twining plants, crosshatch structures for leaf-stem climbers and horizontal ropes or mesh for low scrambling plants.
Eve Apartments in Erskineville is an example of a ground-based system. The climbing plants grow upwards from the courtyard, attaching to vertical steel columns installed alongside balconies. The result is a set of green barriers that separate the apartments and improve privacy – on top of simply adding beauty to the site.
Facade bound systems
Systems of this type involve growing plants at different levels along the wall face rather than from the ground. They allow for fast impact and denser coverage.
A planter box installation is a typical example. It usually consists of a series of boxes made from steel or fibreglass containing the growing medium. The containers are bracket-fixed to the wall or a steel support frame at different levels.
One Central Park Sydney uses this approach. Planter boxes are interspersed throughout the 34-storey installation, and they are fed from a hydroponic system at the base. This approach allows for more coverage than climbing plants alone could provide.
Mixed systems
Mixed system facades are often more complex than ground-based ones. They combine features of both facades and living walls – such as climbing plants, planter boxes and green wall panels.
An example is the hybrid green facade / green wall system at Westfield Warringah. This installation consists of stainless-steel mesh for climbing plants and steel wire rope for the pre-grown green wall panels, all positioned around 17 columns in the centre. The panels are suspended from the wire rope, which means they can be easily removed for maintenance.
To find out more on the different types of green facades to suit shopping malls, apartment blocks, car parks or other sites, get in touch for a consultation.
