Going up!
Green walls, Living walls or Vertical Gardens, what ever you’d like to call them, they are currently experiencing a huge upward trend. With green spaces becoming evermore important at home as well as at the workplace, there are many ways to install plants vertically. Living walls are visually stunning and their calming and even cooling effect in a workplace should not be underestimated.
Living walls can be free standing or can attach to an existing wall or structure. A vital part of Living walls is the growing media of which the plants require to grow in. There are 3 main media used, Loose media, Mat media and Structural media. Loose media is basically a loose planting mix in a pot or bag, Mat media consists of a fibre matting and Structural is a combination of both Loose and Mat. As well as the growing media, irrigation is also vital to most Greenwall applications.
Why install a Greenwall?
- Aesthetic stimulation – THEY LOOK GOOD!
- Promotes natural cooling by shading walls and absorbing heat. Can reduce the temperature of a wall by 10-60 degrees!
- Reduce turbulence by slowing wind flow
- Improve air quality whether inside or outdoor
- Thermal insulation reducing power use
- Noise reduction
- Marketing potential. Join the Green Building movement and have that competitive edge
- Increase biodiversity providing habitat for pollinators and insects
- Positive human impact. Studies indicate Greenwall’s increase job satisfaction and productivity!
- Urban agriculture. Start growing you own vegetables and herbs
- Water management. Use grey water to irrigate.
- IT’S FUN.
What are the options for Greenwall systems?
SKALE
The Skale Greenwall system by Greenwall Australia is great product if you are looking for a simple and effective Greenwall that is easy to install, easy to maintain and has the benefit of being able to easily swap over plants should you want to change the appearance of the wall or should plants fail without effecting the rest of the wall. The system involves individual pots which simply hang on to a Skale wall plate or a stainless steel or galvanised steel mesh. The pots perfectly accommodate drip irrigation which run along the top of each pot. Each pot has a geo textile pad which covers drainage holes at the bottom of the pot. Each pot drains into the one below.
Check out the site at – www.skalegreenwall.com
ELMICH VGM GREENWALL
A robust, modular system, the Elmich VGM Greenwall system also easy to install and can provide an instant ‘Green’ result if desired. This system consists of Recycled plastic planting modules which are attached to the wall. Inside each module is a geo-textile bag which holds predominantly inorganic planting media. This inorganic material provides a light weight and slum resistant alternative to an organic blend. This system involves drip irrigation which is also easy to install, although a little more complex compared to the Skale system. The Elmich product is a simple and durable product that can handle winds up to 110km per hour.
www.elmich.com.au/products/vgm-greenwall/
If you are interested in Greenwall’s then get interested in this guy, Patric Blanc. A world leader in Greenwall’s, I could not start to explain how good he is and the impact he has had on the industry. Do yourself a favour and check out the photo of his office below. (Note the fish tank beneath the glass floor!) Now google him and put aside at least an hour to go through some of his work. A true master, a crazy one at that!
Click here to see Kyora’s Greenwall installations.
Written by Nick Mason – Residential Construction
