external fixtures Greening the urban environment
Sean Farrell of Mobilane looks at the growing market for living walls and explains their benefits in helping to green the urban environment.
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A living wall in Monaco F
ew external cladding systems can match the potential to fundamentally change a building’s appearance that living walls
deliver. Traditional mechanical cladding systems, such as metal, glass and bricks, are supplied in an endless range of colours and finishes to offer the architect a broad palette with which to be creative. However, a living system changes a building from something that is inanimate to something that lives and breathes, changing with the seasons, constantly growing and even moving with the weather.
Kendal College
to-install, sustainable green screen boundary systems, which are delivered pre-grown and adhere to boundary Building Regulations, while an increasing number of garden designers are using green screens on high end commercial developments. Local authorities are also using living walls and green screens as a deterrent against anti-social behaviour such as graffiti. Living walls can also be used as temporary
stand-alone barriers. An example can be found at the O2 in London. The site owner had a need for a barrier to shield visitors from construction work on a nearby housing development. A simple living wall system was installed on an open steel struc- ture. The 150-metre long, 8-metre high wall took just over a week to install and requires minimal maintenance. Four years after installation the wall is impressively verdant.
‘Sustainable green screen boundary systems’
Living walls deliver a range of benefits beyond
the obvious stunning aesthetic. Some benefits need little explanation, such as the ability of foliage to remove carbon dioxide from the air and to exhale oxygen via photosynthesis. However, foliage also improves air quality by removing par- ticulates, and unlike trees, foliage on walls does not impact drastically on footprint or restrict air flow and so helps to reduce ambient temperature. Living walls and green screens offer a sur-
prising range of uses in the private, public and commercial spheres. Schools and other public buildings are increasingly using living walls and green screen systems, while many local housing authorities are realising the benefits of easy-
A wide range of plants can be selected with O2 London Living wall technology continues to develop
and modern living wall systems offer designers an incredible range of design option and plant mixes. A living wall system consists of individual sec- tions, which are fixed to the wall or building using
the client’s requirements and local environmental conditions in mind. The system is low mainte- nance and features a fully automated irrigation system. It is also easy to fit around doors and windows and can be extended to roof areas. Living walls and green screens are becoming
an increasingly familiar site. Some examples are difficult to spot due to the fact they integrate into the urban environment so well, but others such as the wall at the O2, hint at a more impressive and adventurous use of plants as architects and developers start to realise the potential and the wide variety of uses.
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a lightweight aluminium frame. These sections can be cut to virtually any shape or size, making them extremely flexible and suited to a wide range of applications. The specially developed and patented system
has within it a substrate specifically developed for living wall applications into which the plants can easily take root. The substrate also allows water and nutrients to be added easily to ensure the plants remain well fed and watered and so ensuring the long-term sustainability of the living wall system.
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