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VERTICAL GARDEN

The vertical garden, or green wall is the new application of landscape architecture, in this case with a new way of growing plants without soil or horizontal substrate. Noting the ability of roots to grow along a vertical surface, the French botanist Patrick Blanc patented his invention in 1988 calling it "mur végétal. This concept, which to some extent recalls the ancient Hanging Gardens of Babylon, has been developed in many works, more than a hundred operations worldwide, also designed the first vertical garden in Spain in the building of the Swiss Caixa Forum Madrid Herzog & De Meuron. It also has collaborated with such architects in the transformation of the Plaza of Spain in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on the walls of the halls. This "green architecture" can be implemented in both exterior and interior spaces and in any climatic environment, selecting most appropriate plants for the conditions of the climate.

Caixa Forum, Madrid. Photo: sallylondon, Flickr

Pavilion Plaza of Spain, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Photo: Mataparda, Flickr

As explained Blanc: "Plants do not need land because land is not more than half. Only water and the many nutrients dissolved in it, along with light and carbon dioxide carbon, are essential for plants. Wherever the water is never lacking, as in tropical forests, the plants are spread on the trunks of trees, the rocks of the cliffs ... For example, some 2,500 of the 8,000 known species of plants grow without soil in Malaysia. "

The Vertical Garden is composed of three main elements: metal, plastic sheeting and a layer of nylon felt. In the case of Caixa Forum Madrid, has a height of 24 meters, a thickness of about three feet and a length of 19 meters. is placed slightly away from the façade of the existing building, in order not to transmit any effort. The resulting plant surface extends Over 460 square meters. It consists of 15,000 plants of 250 different species.

The elements that make up this type of intervention are:

• Structure Metal: is a self-supporting vertical structure, 24 meters high and is the basis on which rest the supporting structure and all elements of the vertical garden. This consists of six main towers and tubular system. A layer of air that acts as a heat and sound insulation very efficient.

• Support Panel : It consists of a PVC foam panel subjected to the metal structure. This layer provides rigidity to the whole structure and makes it waterproof.

• Layer irrigation: Formed by a double blanket of synthetic fibers and a plastic sheet on her face interior, is fixed by clamps to the support panel. It is the base of support throughout the plantation. Felt is special, so it does not rot, and its huge capillarity allows a homogeneous distribution of water. The plants were distributed throughout this layer of felt (the density is about 30 plants per square meter) and the roots grow along it.

• Plantation: is done by inserting the roots of plants without soil, between the two layers of the blanket using staples and fix them.

• supply water and nutrients and water harvesting: A network of pipes, nozzles and drip fed by a water pump and nutrients, is fixed on the blanket of rooting. Irrigation water enriched with nutrients, is from the top of the structure, and automatic. The water seeps through the wall is collected by a gutter attached to the bottom of the vertical garden. This will solve the problem that could generate extra runoff.


This type of garden can be developed on any wall, regardless of size or height. Thanks to its thermal insulating effect, reduces energy consumption (in winter, insulate the cold, in summer, acts as a natural cooling system) and clean the air (particles pollution are lured by the wick, which slowly decompose and remineralizing, thus becoming fertilizer for plants).

Guelph-Humber University. Photo: Inside Urban Green

Shop BHV Homme, Paris. Photo: Flickr

any city in the world or a blank wall can become a Vertical Garden by becoming a valuable refuge for biodiversity, bringing nature into the daily lives of citizens.

Brinks Lock Forgot Combination

"Wind-it." New ideas in energy generation.

This year the magazine Design and Architecture Metropolis has spent the last edition of his award "Next Generation" the challenge for the new generation of clean energy production. The young French architects Nicola Delon, Julien Ménard Raphaël Choppin and have won the first prize with his interesting project, "Wind-it", which involves inserting vertical axis wind turbines on electricity pylons. The most characteristic of wind power are often places its distance from power consumption and the environmental and landscape impact they have on their surroundings. This idea is get a system to be linked more efficient energy source with the transmission line, and in turn impact minoraría landscape by combining both systems into a single element.

Inspired by the French rural landscape seen from the TGV high speed train which numerous erect pylons and some electric turbines thought why not combine them?. Thus headed to consolidate its initial idea, considering various possibilities for this energy mix. On the one hand wind turbines could be inserted into existing electrical towers mainly those that are obsolete or require replacement. It also build new models that combine both energies, with three different sizes of vertical axis turbines by location.

different proposals of pylons + wind turbines, depending on size.

These initiatives are not the first to come to light since the 2006 edition of the same award one participant, Mark Oberholzer, raised vertical axis wind turbines integrated into the barriers dividing traffic in the state of New Jersey highway. Or the proposal to replace the information panels of the motorways vertical axis wind turbines, made by a student of architecture at Arizona. Companies such as Urban Green Energy have implemented ideas how are you, by installing wind turbines on mobile phone antennas on the roofs of buildings. In this way you could introduce this type of energy in urban environments preventing the transmission of it over long distances where you lose efficiency.

medium wind turbine proposal (Mark Oberholzer)

Wind Project-it despite being clever and original initiative with great potential, would require major economic and technical efforts for its implementation . For example, the common electrical towers should be strengthened to accommodate this type of elements, besides the added cost of vertical axis turbines less expensive than conventional. Another aspect is the management of such facilities as it would have to coordinate with the utilities with wind turbines. Nevertheless it is a project under development that allows ample room for improvement.

Windmills in Teno, Tenerife. Photo: Luis Roca Arencibia, Flickr