London building turns green
20 October 2008
Landscapers have planted the largest green wall in Britain, at the new Leamouth Peninsula development in London's Docklands.
The wall covers more than 820 sq m (984 sq yd) of the building and is the first UK commission for French designer Patrick Blanc, whose pioneering installations in Paris have brought him international acclaim. A botanist by training, Patrick studied plants growing on rock faces and tree trunks in the wild to develop his 'murs végétaux'. He found plants could do without soil and were happy to grow vertically as long as they had a steady supply of water and nutrients.
Plants are rooted in a layer of felt laid onto PVC sheeting, which is then stapled to a metal frame attached to the wall. Water and nutrients are delivered from the top, spreading by capillary action to all the plants on the wall. The idea has caught on all over the world, and Patrick's green walls can now be seen in places as far afield as Delhi, Spain and Japan.
The design for the green wall at Leamouth uses 160 different varieties of plant, from tough shrubs such as Berberis and Buddleja to Patrick's trademark Iris japonica and Corydalis, planted in drifts across the surface of the building. Tracey Rowley, of Pantiles, the landscaping company that carried out the planting, says the design was simply spray painted on to the wall before planting began. “It's the first time we've done anything like this,” she said. “We've enjoyed it.”
Green walls have benefits other than simply looking good. They help keep the building cool in summer, cutting down on air conditioning, and also keep the building warm in winter. They baffle noise and absorb pollution from traffic.
Work on a second green wall in the UK designed by Patrick Blanc, at a nightclub in Kings Cross, is due to begin next year.