Are green walls about to cover every ‘ugly’ building that was built post 1950? This vertical gardening thing is catching and it seems that it may be rolled out as the panacea to all things that Prince Charles would probably deem as inappropriate architecture.
Landscaping is often used to ‘soften’ buildings or ‘screen’ a building. Of course it is always better to get the building looking and functioning without the need to hide it with a massive ball of nondescript green stuff. But alas ‘greenery’ is frequently tacked on at the end of a building project to produce a visual screen. Up until recently the ugly tall bits have usually been left to litter the skyline.
Not now.
The green screening phenomena is being carried straight up the building façade. The landscape has morphed with the building and has becoming the facade. Green is the new black and Rock’n'Roll vertical gardening is sure to keep evolving. All we need now is a living building that expands and contracts with the rythmn of all our collective breaths.
Living walls at such dizzying heights requires consideration. It is not easy to whack a living wall over an 18 storey building and hope it will survive. One only has to look at Paradise Park’s living ‘dead’ wall to know that installing a garden at 90 degrees requires design PLUS maintenance PLUS good horticultural knowledge PLUS maintenance PLUS maintenance.
For more information on an easier more domestic scale type of green wall system go to the Vertical Garden section of Garden Beet’s chic garden accessories home page and check out Woolly Wally Pockets.
Vertical garden concept is good but, I dont think the design is totally practical.