This is a picture of a living wall in Paris. Aside from being beautiful, this wall is environmentally friendly and functional.
The plants covering the wall are grasses, vines, and other climbing plants with strong roots. The roots are mounted in between two sheets of polyamide felt that is attached to a rigid PVC sheet which is hung on a metal tube scaffolding that is attached to the exterior wall. Some of these walls have built-in irrigation systems where water can be harvested at the bottom of the wall and redirected to the top.
A recent study of these walls found that they can rid the air of significant amounts of nitrogen dioxide and particulates that can be harmful to humans. The use of these green walls goes beyond the reduction of pollutants. When placed in a "street canyon" the walls can cool the air. In the summer, when sunlight hits the area between two tall buildings, the concrete simply reflects the energy as heat. When a green wall is used, the plants absorb the sunlight's energy and releases water vapor. These walls also help reduce cooling costs of the buildings they are placed on.
I really liked this topic because green walls are a solution to a problem I did not realize existed. I never noticed how hot the cement got or how many dust particles were in the air. The walls are functional art and I would love to see one around Lincoln.
These walls are also in Spain and Germany.
Here is the article if you'd like to take a look.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/03/pictures/130325-green-walls-environment-cities-science-pollution/#/green-walls-could-save-energy-museum-paris_65557_600x450.jpg
This is very innovative! I wonder how much caretaking the plants need. If they easily die, I don't know if the effort to care for them would even out with their benefits. Nonetheless, maybe this is an idea to propose in Lincoln. It would really set an example for sustainability.
ReplyDeleteThis is really cool. I don't think the plants would require too much effort to care for that it would be an issue, since there is a built-in irrigation system and as long as the right plants are used. The wall provides a lot of benefits and it's beautiful to look at. This would definitely bring something new to the city and it's a great way to really go green.
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a good idea in terms of pollution, but how much water does it take? Yes, plants and such are good insulation (sod houses proved that) but how practical would this be in an area like Lincoln? We tend to have water supply problems. I'm not trying to sound negative, but everything has a downside of some sort. Still, very cool
ReplyDeleteCan I get this for my house!? In Lincoln they are starting to use vines and what not. The parking garages around campus have the set up for idea. They advertised that it will create shade in the garages and cool it down just like this article states. They are getting more than what they signed up for too with the fact that they can take out harmful particulates and gases.
ReplyDeleteThe first step in reducing energy usage, is insulation or other technologies that reduce the need for excess energy input. These green walls provide both insulation to keep the buildings temperature stable, and they also help cool the building and surrounding air by using the solar energy instead of reflecting or absorbing it. I bet if green walls made up 20% of building surfaces below the third story,in large cities, the temperature in the city would be reduced by a few degrees. This alone would save millions in cooling costs every year.
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