developed a reputation for being difficult to install and maintain, and there were many cases of high-profile failure. These were largely due to systems at the time being overly complex. However, a quarter of a century later these problems have been addressed. Lessons have been learned and the modern modular living wall system is simpler, more flexible, and much easier to install and maintain.
[ 62
The latest modular living wall systems offer benefits of design flexibility and ease of installation and management
and it is even easy to change the plants used, depending on mood, environment or the season. This modular approach supports instal- lations of any size, from small decorative instal- lations through to expansive installations that cover entire walls. The best modern systems consist of panels
] Flexibility has been key to their growth. No
two installations are the same, and the environ- ment, the building, the wall itself; all have a bearing. The latest modular systems have been designed to offer design flexibility and ease of installation and management. They can be cut to fit around windows, doors and extrusions,
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stacked onto the face of a building or wall and secured by an aluminium frame. These panels hold modules of removable cassettes that feature a specially developed substrate into which plants are added and which has been designed to enable the plants to establish and thrive. The feeding of the plants with water and nutrients is ensured by an integrated irrigation and drainage system. Installation is simple and the systems are lightweight, even when plants are included and completely filled with water. Smaller installations can be manually watered and fed, but for larger installations it is advisable to install an automated irrigation unit. The simplicity of this modular cassette
approach has lent itself to other innovative plant- ing solutions for interior and exterior use. For instance, living ‘pictures’ are now available,
which are essentially wall-hung aluminium picture frames that hold cassettes into which plants are added. Featuring an integrated watering system with a reservoir to ensure that the plants are provided with water for four to six weeks, these living pictures are a stunning addi- tion to any home. Again, they are extremely easy to maintain (as easy as the humble potted plant), and plants can be changed depending on the mood or the season. While cultivating plants on walls and in pic-
ture frames is clever and innovative, the question that must be asked is: why bother? Surely potted plants achieve the same aesthetic, environmen- tal and wellbeing benefits around the home? Yes they do, however, potted plants take up valu- able space and can be messy, especially when it comes to watering. They also lack the ‘wow’ factor of living walls or living pictures, and it would take a lot of potted plants to deliver the same level of benefits that a living wall provides. For the self-builder keen to maximise space
but still introduce plants into their home environ- ment, living walls and living pictures offer a range of compelling advantages.
Enq. 164
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