Cladding a building with live vegetation requires careful planning, use of the correct plant material and an awareness of the maintenance and access requirements post installation.
A living wall system can be a pre-established or site planted module, a screen, barrier or a wire system planted at the base and trained over time to cover the building façade.
Living Wall Modules
A living wall system can provide some key benefits
- Aesthetic and environmental performance
- Biophilic exchanges both internally and externally
- Improves air quality
- Reduces the incidence of HAPs, PM10s and VOCs
- Absorbs and traps carbon and re oxygenates the local and internal environment
- Increases productivity, wellbeing and performance
- Increases local bio-diversity, ecology and sustainability
Pre established green wall modules
- Pre grown for 6-8 months
- Lightweight < 45kg/sqm
- Fitted directly to wall support frame
- 30-40 plants per sqm
- 20-30 species in pre agreed design
- Hydroponic system
- Built in irrigation, fertigation and monitoring system
- 95% coverage installed
- 500mmx500mm module, 50mm thick
- Annual maintenance essential to maintain system integrity
Planted on site module
- Fabric planter system
- Planted on site in compost
- Substrate system that will evolve to hydroponic
- Lightweight < 45kg/sqm
- Fitted to wood or metal frame attached to wall substrate
- 40-45 12cm – 0.5 L plants per sqm
- 20-30 species
- 95% coverage installed
- 500 x 500mm module x 65mm thick
- Annual maintenance strongly recommended
Green Screens / Acoustic Barriers
- Pre established system
- Produced on a wire and wooden grid 2.8 x 2m
- Ground planted or planter compatible
- Ivy, Beech, single species frames with evergreen and deciduous options
- 95% coverage installed
- Maximum height of pre grown panels 2.8m
- Double sided and free standing
- Temporary up and permanent applications
- Annual maintenance recommended
Wire trained systems
- High tensile wire system
- Horizontal and vertical wires tied to substrate connected eye bolts
- Ground planted with 3-4ft specimens planted at 3/lm density
- Climbing species in a pre agreed design, evergreen and deciduous
- <10% coverage installed, full establishment dependent on plant type, density and structure
- Annual maintenance to train and prune essential
Bio-Diverse Walls
- Generally a domestic product for garden building external walls
- To encourage the development of bee, insect, bird and bat species
- Grid system to encapsulate a range of materials including,stone, plastic, glass and a range of recycled, reused materials positioned to form an aesthetic and ecologically functioning façade
- Weight dependent on selected materials
- No maintenance requirement
