Living wall installation

Interior living walls have roughly been around since 1994 and are getting more popular every day. We are BIG fans of living walls! And we have so much fun designing them to fit our clients needs!

This living wall that we just installed has a very organic feel to it. We used beautiful pops of yellows and many different shades of green to really give the wall a textured and earthy feel.  Knowing the right variety of plants for living walls can be a bit of a challenge because you have to take into consideration plants light and water needs. In this wall we used: pothos, aglaonemas, pleomele, philodendron, and marginatas.  

Not only are green walls a stunning statement piece and a great way to bring in greenery when you have little floor space, but they provide great benefits to building and tenants alike. Plant Connection Inc. put together a great list of the amazing benefits of Living Walls:

• Reduces urban heat island effect and smog
• Cleans interior air space by removing VOCs and other harmful toxins like benzene and formaldehyde
• Acts as a sound proofing barrier
• Soil and plants are a natural filter that can clean the water that flows through the wall
• Insulates and cools the building envelope, as well as protecting it from the elements
• Creates habitats for birds and beneficial insects, increasing biodiversity
• Can be used for growing food in urban settings, creating sustainable and local control of food sources
• Increases real estate value
• Increases foot traffic in retail spaces
• Speeds recovery time for patients through biophilia
• Helps children with ADHD focus better in school
• Reduces absenteeism in the workplace and boosts employee morale
• Qualifies for LEED certification points from USGBC

                                                -Plant Connection Inc.

Living Walls: Vertical Garden Design

In honor of Earth Day today, I would like to chat quickly about LIVING WALLS!! These works of art are always so impressive to me! Their design, texture, color, but what gets me the most is their immense size! Doing a bunch of research on living walls has lead me to seeing all sorts of wonderful companies who specialize in vertical walls, among my favorite is Vertical Garden Design (they do some seriously AMAZING work)

Here's a little bit about them: "VERTICAL GARDEN DESIGN IS A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PRACTICE SPECIALIZING IN VERTICAL GARDENS. WITH OVER 10 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, OUR VERTICAL GARDENS CAN BE FOUND ACROSS THE GLOBE, IN HOTELS, RESTAURANTS, OFFICES, FACADES AS FAR AFIELD AS BEIJING, BARCELONA, DUBAI, ABU DHABI, LISBON, STOCKHOLM, AND OSLO. THE COMPANY WAS FOUNDED BY SWEDISH LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT MICHAEL HELLGREN."

Here's just a small sample of the stunning work that they do! Make sure to check out their site for more of their projects!

What do you think?! How much do you love their work? We are hoping that the Boston and surrounding greater Boston area will start to transform into a much greener city with sustainable goals that include more green walls, roof gardens, urban farming, wild flower roof tops, etc..

Living Art Inspiration

We think that green walls are a more recent innovation, but the first hint of green walls can be found in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, though they have have been more roof gardens than green walls. Our favorite designer of green walls, French botanist, Patrick Blanc, is credited for the 'modern' green walls as we know them. These walls have a full hydroponic system and a wide collection of exotic plants. 

Green walls are already very popular in Europe and Asia (especially Singapore), but they are starting to gain traction here in the USA! And we couldn't be more excited. We love everything about green walls; the beauty they add to the space, their air filtration, their patterns, and they fact that they are always growing and slightly changing. Here are a few living art/green walls that have really inspired us! Check out our Green Walls board for more inspiration.