An Architect Reveals: 5 Reasons You Need a Green Wall
Short on space but want to bring a touch of nature into your home? A vertical garden could be the solution
John Lea
18 October 2019
I am a Houzz contributor and principal at Gold Coast architectural practice Lea Design Studio. I have extensive experience gained over 30 years working as an architect, an architect developer, and a developer’s architect. I have been involved in designing and developing many prestige houses and award-winning, multi-residential projects throughout Australasia.
I am a Houzz contributor and principal at Gold Coast architectural practice Lea Design... More
A lush vertical garden takes up minimal floor space and can transform the appearance of your home, both indoors and out. But good looks aren’t all that a green wall has to offer – architects today are increasingly using space-savvy vertical planting in buildings to boost our health and wellbeing, particularly in urban high-rises where our connection with nature is often tenuous at best. Here are five reasons to consider adding one to your own abode.
1. Embrace biophilic principles
Biophilia is defined as a love of life and the living world, and describes our innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life.
Vertical gardens are biophilic designs that integrate natural elements, materials and forms into architecture. Research has shown that including a mix of different plant species within a vertical garden in a home can have a potent biophilic effect, providing measurable physical and physiological benefits to the people who live there.
Biophilia is defined as a love of life and the living world, and describes our innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life.
Vertical gardens are biophilic designs that integrate natural elements, materials and forms into architecture. Research has shown that including a mix of different plant species within a vertical garden in a home can have a potent biophilic effect, providing measurable physical and physiological benefits to the people who live there.
Positive effects include reduced stress levels, enhanced cognitive function and creativity, a deeper sense of happiness and wellbeing, and even the ability to heal faster.
Want help putting in a green wall? Find a local garden expert on Houzz to discuss your options
Want help putting in a green wall? Find a local garden expert on Houzz to discuss your options
2. Improved air quality
For those of us living in urban environments, it’s all too easy to spend most of our lives indoors; we work, relax and socialise in enclosed, air-conditioned environments and rarely venture out into the fresh air.
But spending so much time inside can be dangerous. Some air-conditioned environments typically contain invisible toxins such as formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, carbon monoxide, benzene, toluene and xylene – and these pollutants can have a serious impact on our health.
For those of us living in urban environments, it’s all too easy to spend most of our lives indoors; we work, relax and socialise in enclosed, air-conditioned environments and rarely venture out into the fresh air.
But spending so much time inside can be dangerous. Some air-conditioned environments typically contain invisible toxins such as formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, carbon monoxide, benzene, toluene and xylene – and these pollutants can have a serious impact on our health.
Installing a green wall can help. According to NASA’s Clean Air Study, plants purify the air by filtering out these pollutants as well as carbon dioxide, and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. The increased oxygen levels help keep you awake and alert so you can be more productive both at work and at home.
3. A cooler and more comfortable temperature
The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect occurs when human activity causes a metropolitan area to become significantly warmer than the rural areas surrounding it. Essentially, it is a result of the land and atmosphere being modified to build cities, combined with the energy created by people, transport, and the hard surfaces of buildings absorbing the sun’s heat then emitting it back into the surroundings.
External vertical gardens can mitigate this effect and make our future cities more sustainable by reducing absorption of the thermal energy transmitted through building walls to interior spaces. As a result, you’re less likely to need to flip the air-con switch to stay cool and comfortable inside your home.
The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect occurs when human activity causes a metropolitan area to become significantly warmer than the rural areas surrounding it. Essentially, it is a result of the land and atmosphere being modified to build cities, combined with the energy created by people, transport, and the hard surfaces of buildings absorbing the sun’s heat then emitting it back into the surroundings.
External vertical gardens can mitigate this effect and make our future cities more sustainable by reducing absorption of the thermal energy transmitted through building walls to interior spaces. As a result, you’re less likely to need to flip the air-con switch to stay cool and comfortable inside your home.
Internal vertical gardens featuring a range of lush green plants can also improve the environment by reducing air temperature, balancing humidity levels and increasing airflow.
Green walls can help make your outdoor entertaining area cooler in the warmer months too – and extend the time you and your guests will want to spend out there, effectively increasing your useable floor space.
Green walls can help make your outdoor entertaining area cooler in the warmer months too – and extend the time you and your guests will want to spend out there, effectively increasing your useable floor space.
If noise pollution is an issue in your home, a green wall can help. The leaves of plants reflect and absorb noise energy – and the more greenery you have in your interior or exterior, the more sound it will muffle.
How House Plants Can Improve Your Health
How House Plants Can Improve Your Health
5. Be part of a new global movement
The WELL Building Standard is a new set of guidelines developed by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) – a leader in a global movement that aims to transform our buildings and communities in ways that help people thrive. The WELL Building Standard is the first to focus exclusively on the ways that buildings, and everything in them, can improve our comfort, drive better choices, and generally enhance our health and wellness.
The WELL Building Standard is a new set of guidelines developed by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) – a leader in a global movement that aims to transform our buildings and communities in ways that help people thrive. The WELL Building Standard is the first to focus exclusively on the ways that buildings, and everything in them, can improve our comfort, drive better choices, and generally enhance our health and wellness.
According to the WELL Building Standard, vertical gardens are one of the key design features available to architects to improve the health and wellbeing of a building’s occupants – particularly in compact spaces.
They’re an increasingly common sight in new builds around the world – and will only become more popular as they become easier and more economical to maintain and as the technology around growth, watering and lighting systems improves.
They’re an increasingly common sight in new builds around the world – and will only become more popular as they become easier and more economical to maintain and as the technology around growth, watering and lighting systems improves.
What’s good to know?
Tempted to put in a green wall in your own home? Here are some tips for planting success:
Tempted to put in a green wall in your own home? Here are some tips for planting success:
- Courtyards and balconies are ideal locations for a green wall. However, they can be installed anywhere internally or externally where you have access to enough natural light.
- The plant species you choose will dictate how much sun is required. But generally speaking, walls that receive around four hours of morning or midday sunlight, but are protected from the harsh afternoon sun, are ideal.
- If natural light is insufficient, consider having specialist lighting installed.
- Any plant that can be grown in a small amount of soil can potentially be planted in a vertical garden. Herbs and small plants are ideal.
- Succulents that don’t require a lot of nutrients or water are better suited to low-maintenance vertical gardens, while ornamental plants with lush foliage require a more controlled and well-maintained planting system.
Your turn
Have you planted a vertical garden at home? Share your experiences in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.
More
Want more garden advice? Don’t miss How Do I… Create a Healing Garden?
Have you planted a vertical garden at home? Share your experiences in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.
More
Want more garden advice? Don’t miss How Do I… Create a Healing Garden?
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I love Monty Don, he"s awesome and friendly and very know knowledgeable! And the gardens he gets to visit are amazing! I saw the one your talking about awesome living wall and a very interesting man {Patrick Blanc} and his hair was such a cool green! But his plants and fish were wonderful!
This is a great idea..what kind of plants would do well outside in mod-west kind of weather?
Fantastic examples of green wall gardens , I wish the beautiful plants could have been listed these would allow me to select plants to create small wall displays at home.