Plant walls, also known as green walls or living walls, are vertical gardens that integrate vegetation into architectural structures. They provide numerous benefits, including improved air quality, thermal regulation, and aesthetic enhancement. Patrick Blanc, a French botanist and artist, is often credited with popularizing the concept of modern plant walls. However, the invention of the recycled plastic fabric system specifically for plant walls is attributed to the company 'Planted Design.' Their innovative use of recycled plastic fabric produced from shredded bottles makes the entire system take the aspect of 'green' to a higher level. Plants want uniform distribution of water, and an expansive elastic membrane to bury roots into. These systems replicate the rainforest floor, with water and microbes and an entire root level ecology all supported on a thin inert membrane that can be expanded in any direction.
(Photo of a thriving Studio North Homes plant wall installation)
This technology stands as a hallmark of modern design due to its multifaceted advantages. Recycled plastic fabric systems offer versatility in design, allowing green walls to be installed indoors or outdoors, in various climates and settings. They promote sustainability by repurposing materials and contributing to energy efficiency in buildings. Additionally, these walls serve as living art pieces, merging nature with architecture, and creating visually stunning and environmentally beneficial spaces. The fusion of technology, sustainability, and design makes recycled plastic fabric systems for plant walls a standout innovation in contemporary architecture and landscaping.
(Photo of a thriving Studio North Homes plant wall installation)
One of our favorite places to incorporate interior plant walls is in solariums and indoor pools. Plant walls favor indirect and diffused light, This project in New York offers a refreshing retreat from the highly developed public elements of the city. You can feel the air quality change as you approach it.
Another few of our favorite Studio North Homes plant walls:
(Plant wall feature in mid-century modern home remodel by Studio North Homes)
(Plant wall installation by Studio North Homes ascending with modern open riser stairs and modern vertical wood partition in Stowe, Vermont)
Some plant wall works by the famous Patrick Blanc for different use types that we love:
(Photo of the Drew School, wall by Patrick Blanc) see more
What we love about this project is the use of exterior plant walls with a facade with glass bays. This is truly embracing depth, and the way we seek scale and variation in our places. Whether it's a bright sunny bay that you want to sit in and gaze from, or a plant wall with varied depth that you can get lost in the branches in leaves as they twist in the breeze. Our belief is that people evolved under canopy and around plants. The absence of strong ecological spaces from our living areas can be stressful. Plant walls like this piece help us strike a delicate balance.
(Photo of the Foundation of the Carolinas project, wall by Patrick Blanc) see more
What we love about this project is the juxtaposition of a space where life is thriving bright and beautifully next to an inert but mechanically magnificent skyscraper. Plant walls offer relief from cities, which can often feel overdeveloped and 'lifeless' in the sense of plants and ecology.
Comments