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Living Walls: Welcoming a new era of green urban design

29th April 2015. Car Park, Warwick.

With 92% of people expected to live in UK cities by 2030[1], alongside a growth in urban construction to accommodate an expanding population, green areas are rapidly being exploited to cope with the demand for much-needed space. With an estimated 58% of forests, gardens and farmland lost to development each year[2], planners, local authorities and architects are now taking on the role of ‘green gatekeepers’ as public pressure rises for more sustainable urban design solutions.

Space is not the only issue, with urbanisation having a detrimental affect on the public’s general health, with dangerous levels of air pollution now found in more than 300 UK cities[3]. With populations continuing to grow and to facilitate the reintroduction of green space, environmental architecture practices are becoming crucial in controlling the social, environmental and economic costs of increased development.

29th April 2015.
Car Park, Warwick.

As one of the biggest challenges facing the industry this century, urban greening is emerging as a fundamental part of the planning and design process, utilising plants to maximise every inch of space to create greener and cleaner urban environments. Having the power to transform even the ugliest of urban eyesores into a green oasis, Steve McIntyre, Urban Environment Consultant, ANS Global outlines why the power of plants should not be underestimated.

Urban Forests

Living walls and green roofs are fast emerging as effective solutions in reducing the negative impact of infrastructure and development within dense cities. Now becoming a common, and welcome, sight at street level and within planning applications, external living installations can go a long way in getting the seal of approval from urban planners and authorities, with cities such as London now pioneering their adoption within the early stages of the design and development process.

A biophilic solution to today’s development challenges, living walls harness the power of plants to reintroduce green space within highly populated urban areas to improve the quality of life for local communities, while injecting sustainable, natural resources back into the built environment. Signalling a new era of greener architecture practices, the benefits of living walls are numerous and range from improving general health and well-being, to supporting biodiversity and increasing a building’s eco footprint.

Providing urban communities with an accessible connection to nature, living installations reinvent wasted space by transforming surfaces and skylines into living, breathing urban forests, capable of filtering out up to 95% of air pollutants generated by vehicles[4]. Benefits also extend beyond the environmental, with green space having proven positive effects on the physical health and well-being of city dwellers by drawing on the inherent human need to be connected to the natural environment.

Granta Park

Plant Tapestry

With an increase in regulations, such as London’s Urban Green Factor (UGF), that are forcing designers to think green, living walls are an effective option for encouraging planners to look favourably on applications. Applicable to almost any style of build, from new developments and retrofits, to regeneration projects, living installations can be applied almost anywhere, turning vertical wasteland into a thriving design feature.

Towering industrial boxes and common urban eyesores, even the humble multi-storey car park can get a green makeover. Often a source of contention for local communities and local authorities alike, car parks are a major contributor to toxic air pollution, with exposure to these harmful pollutants having the potential to cause serious health and respiratory illnesses. However, with the addition of a living wall, the man-made structure can be transformed into a vertical urban garden which not only camouflages its concrete exterior, but also purifies the air which surrounds it, while providing wildlife, such as birds and insects, with a place to thrive.

Creating stunning designs in the most unlikely of places, an example of plants in action can be seen at National Grid’s Warwick HQ car park, with its living wall incorporating 97,000 plants, spanning 20 different species. With planning demanding that the design focus on more than just aesthetics, every plant was required to have a sustainable purpose, while also delivering proven ecological values, such as air purification and biodiversity.

Elevating a construction project into an architectural masterpiece, living installations offer major rewards long after completion, from protecting a building’s exterior and regulating internal temperatures, to acting as natural insulation layer and a barrier to noise. In addition, they can also have a positive effect on property value, in some cases even increasing prices by 20%.

Green Gatekeepers

Working with a living installation specialist is strongly advised to ensure that a living installation integrates with the surrounding environment, climate, space and structural requirements, as well as the overall design brief. These elements will also dictate the type of plants used, with the right combination and balance ensuring the living feature has the ideal environment to thrive for the long term.

Whether its retrofitting, applying to an existing wall or building into a structure at the start of the planning process, they will also be able to advise on the type of installation required, to ensure a structure’s integrity is not compromised. Making the process as efficient as possible, plants are often pre-grown offsite until fully established and delivered as individual modules, as well as being installed alongside a fully automated irrigation system; helping to keep occupant maintenance to a minimum.

Boasting rewards for the environment, client, building occupants and communities, living installations offer long term sustainable value and are helping to drive forward a new era of green design. More than a planning tick box, designers have a critical role to play in creating a sustainable future within the built environment and are now responsible for injecting green space back into towns and cities across the country. With space set to only become more limited, buildings can no longer be static structures with a singular purpose, and instead can become living, breathing architectural features capable of changing the lives of those which surround it for the better.

[1] Guardian

[2] CPRE, 2018

[3] WHO, 2018

[4] Green Facades Explained: From Benefits to Installation

Tensile design & construct