living walls - The Association of Professional Biology

ANDY MATYSIAK RPBio, PEng, GRP
* 3rd C. BCE – 5th C. AD
Romans train grape vines on
garden trellises and on villa
walls
* 10th C.: Grape vines,
climbing roses are symbols
of secret gardens
* 17th C.: Ivy clinging to
stonewalls and brick
buildings. Vine covered
arbors are common in
Western Europe
* 1980s: German cities begin
implementing Green Area
Factor incentives that
incorporate green walls.
* 1994: Indoor Living wall
used for bio-filtration in
Canada Life building in
Toronto
*2002: The MFO Park, a
multi-tiered 100 meters
long and 30 meters high
structure opened in
Zurich
*2007: Seattle
implement the Green
Factor.
* Green Facades – vines and
climbing plants
* Living Walls – biowalls,
‘mur’ vegetal, vertical
gardens, or modular green
walls
* Living Retaining Walls –
engineered living structures
designed to stabilize a
slope
* Aesthetic improvements
* Reduction of the urban
heat island (UHI) effect
* Improved Exterior Air
Quality
* Carbon Sequestration
* Improved ‘livability’ and
urban green space
* Local Job Creation
* Improved energy
efficiency
* Protection of building
structure
* Improved interior air
quality
* Noise Reduction
* Marketability
* Increased biodiversity
* Improved health and wellbeing
* Urban agriculture
* On-site waste water
treatment
* Aesthetic variation through the
year
* Living walls serve to create privacy
* Living walls cause positive
psychological effects
* Living walls has been proven to
reduce stress (CAST 2004)
* Living walls increase property
values
* Living walls reduce patient
recovery time (Ulrich 1983)
* Living walls reduce crime rate (Kuo
2001)
* Vegetation promote the occurrence
of natural cooling processes
(photosynthesis and
evapotranspiration)
* Plants can create enough turbulence
to break vertical airflow (Peck et al.
1999)
* Living walls could mitigate the UHI
effect
* Living walls can be integrated for
microclimate cooling and reduction
of the UHI
* Green corridors draw the cool fresh
air down to flush out the polluted
valleys.
* Plants capturing airborne
pollutants and atmospheric
deposition on leaf surfaces
* Plants filtering noxious
gases
* Plants reducing ambient
temperature
* New fascinating job
opportunities in design,
installation, and
maintenance.
* Increasing demand for
a
local supply of plant
materials, growing media,
greenhouse production and
fabrication of structural
frames.
* Living walls trapping a layer
of air within the plant mass
* Living walls limiting the
movement of heat through
the thick vegetation mass
and growing medium
* Living walls reducing
ambient temperature via
evapotranspiration and
shading
* Living walls creating a
buffer against wind during
the winter months
* Living walls provide and additional
layer of insulation and thereby
limit fluctuation between 5-30⁰C
(Minke 1982)
* Living walls protect exterior
finishes and masonry from UV
radiation, rain and the wear and
tear.
* Living walls can increase seal or
air tightness of doors, windows,
and cladding by decreasing the
effect of wind pressure (Peck et al
1999)
* Living walls remove airborne
pollutants (e.g. toluene, ethyl
benzene, xylene and other
volatile organic compounds
(VOCs) (Orwell et al 2004)
* Living walls improve oxygen
values in indoor environment
* Living walls by improving air
quality have a positive effect
on building occupants
(productivity, satisfaction)
Wargocki et al 2000)
* Living walls will block high
frequency noises
* Living walls constructed
with a substrate or
growing medium support
will block low frequency
noises
* Living walls provide sound
insulation (Peck et al.
1999)
* Living walls increase property
value
* Living walls increase sales
* Living walls increase lease outs
* Living walls lower employee and
tenant turnover (Wilson 2005)
* Living walls presence is easier to
recruit employee
* Living walls increase productivity
(Lohr et al 1996)
* Living walls increase retail
activity
* Living walls stabilize local
ecosystems
* Living walls ensure
the delivery
of ecological goods and services
* Living walls can mitigate negative
effects of urbanization
* Living walls help sustain variety of
plants, pollinators and
invertebrates
* Living walls provide habitat and
nesting space for various bird
species
* Living walls reduce pollution and
increase water quality
* Living walls reduce the demand
on health care system
* Living walls increase social
cohesion and public safety
* Living walls reduce stress levels
* Living walls increase job
satisfaction
* Living walls can improve physical
health
* Living walls reduce environmental
impact of food system
* Living walls improve social
cohesion
* Living walls biodiversity of
domesticated food plants and
propagation of heirloom species
* Living walls reduce household
expenditures
* Living walls increase self-reliance
* Living walls improve physical wellbeing through increased activity
* Plants and growing medium is
acting as natural filter
* Re-used water reduce the
environmental impact on
water consumption
* Used systems have to be
designed in accordance with
regulation, health and safety
requirements
* Biowalls
* Module Living Wall Systems
* Façade Living Wall Systems
* Vertical Gardens
* Terra Living Wall Systems
*
Andy Matysiak
amatysiak@ogopogoconsultants.com
T: 250-306-5345