Wesst Corporation living wall

According to Studio Southwest Architects and the LEED Consultant Halcom Consulting, key points cited in the submittal were live plant’s ability to filter VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds), uptake carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, and release fresh oxygen into the atmosphere. The Plant type and percentage of the installation along with VOC removal characteristics with milligram per hour removal properties for formaldehyde, Xylene and ammonia were cited within the LEED submittal. Green Plants For Green Buildings (GPGB.Org) extensive library of resources back up the research and findings in the submittal. The 420 Sq Ft bio-filtration wall measures 17 ft by 24 feet high and was installed by NedLaw of Canada. The “Bio” wall is fully integrated into the buildings air handling system.

The credit award supports the argument that human beings need to feel connected to the natural environment in order to enjoy a sense of psychological, physical and social wellbeing.  Biophilia directly confronts the issue of aesthetics and our evolved sense of beauty. The patterns, forms, textures and colors of nature provide abundant models that can be used in building and product design to enhance their aesthetic appeal, not just their functionality and efficiency. Incorporating this natural sense of beauty into a building makes them not only greener in the environmental sense, but also greener in a human sense.

Biofilter Greenwall

Unlike Australia’s ‘Green Star’ green building rating system, the current USGBC LEED system does not yet offer a specified direct credit for the inclusion of live plant applications. Within the current LEED section titled “Innovation in Design” it is possible for plants to be part of a specially developed use. For more information on the many health and environmental benefits of using living plants indoors visit www.gpgb.org or contact Joe Zazzera at  joe@Plantsolutions.com

From Studioswarch, the architects who designed the wall:

It is widely recognized that plants in the workplace offer more than just aesthetic value.  In fact, research science and studies have shown that in addition to improving indoor air quality they help reduce stress, enhance employee attitudes, and increase productivity.

Shary Adams, a principal at Studio Southwest who is the architect for the WESST incubator, explained, “This is the first installation of this kind of wall outside of the Northeastern United States.  In addition to being better for the environment in the building, the wall could potentially create energy savings because it will reduce the amount of air that needs to be cooled in the summer by more traditional means.”

Called the Naturaire living wall, it measures 17 feet wide by 24 feel tall and resembles a decorative vertical plantscape that contains a wide range of foliage and flowering plants specifically selected for Albuquerque’s climate and the building.  Actually however, the plant wall is an integrated part of the air handling system for the building.  Air is actively drawn through the wall of plants, then highly specialized biological components degrade pollutants such as formaldehyde and benzene into harmless constituents of water and carbon dioxide.  The clean air is then distributed throughout the space by a mechanical system.

“The Naturaire living wall is the result of more than 14 years of research and is truly a model for blending art and science to deal with real problems of indoor air quality in an attractive and sustainable way,” Adams said.

Andrea bio filter

Living Air Filter

The same effect takes place where we live. Many products in our home – carpets, wall paint, plastic products, cleaners, etc can emit VOC’s – volatile organic compounds.  A wooden table will have an off gas of pentachlorophenol from its’ fungicides while paint emits trichlorethylene from its from its binders (listed N 2 in the carcinogenic substances). Formaldehyde (listed as a “defniite carcinogenic” by the World Health Organization) comes from fumes from plastic furniture, glues, insulating materials, cleaning products, etc.

Air purification test in lab study

Andrea - by Matthieu Lehanneur in collaboration with David Edwards from Harard University – is one potential solution. Andrea won Best Invention Award from Popular Science in the US. by acting as a living air filter or bio filter. It doesn’t just take the polluted air and send it outside. It actually absorbs the pollutants from the air through its leaves as well as the microbes on its roots. The plants in Andrea are selected due to their ability to absorb the toxic compounds. It uses Philodendron, spathiphyllum, gerbera, pothos and chlorophytum.

According to a recent study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif., indoor air can be up to 10 times more polluted than the air outside. A separate NASA study found interior plants can reduce airborne molds that cause sickness by as much as 50 percent. Through interiorscaping, Joe is actively helping remove VOC’s from the air in the homes and offices of his clients.

Terrascreen

Joe worked with Tournesol Siteworks to make a vertical garden from their TerraScreen product. Joe installed two of the 4′ by 4′ panels in Plant Solutions’ conference room to show prospective clients.

Terrascreen

This is how it works:

All modules are made of black powder-coated galvanized steel wire, with integral brackets to fasten the panel to the wall. Panels may be mounted adjacent to one another to create larger coverage areas.

Plants are placed in their 6″ grow pot directly into the black no-hole cachepot. The hanger system keeps the plants in place. Replacement is simple – just remove the plant from its cachepot, put another in its place.

A pressurized tank-based irrigation system is also available for the TerraScreen system. Ask your Tournesol Siteworks salesperson for details.

• Panel system stands 4-5/8” from wall, but requires minimum of 18” from wall for plants
• All TerraScreen™ systems should include a catch basin mounted below
• TerraScreen™ systems work best if wall behind panels is waterproofed and painted black.
• Approx. panel load – 170lbs. for 48”h, 250lbs. for 72”h TerraScreen™

From Joe:

The wall was easily installed with no excess engineering or parts. We mounted like-painted 1×2s first, and then mounted the panels to them. When we first put the wall in, we used it without the additional watering system. This has required a lot of maintenance time, so when we had the opportunity we retrofitted the wall with the watering system and now have to dedicate much less time to maintenance.
We show this wall to our clients, mostly law offices, that have fresh flower budgets in place. We can lease them this wall with a plant rotation for about the same price they are paying for their weekly or twice-weekly flower rotations. It’s much more of a conversation piece, everyone comments on how cools and hip it is – they cannot help it!
The plants in this wall are pothos along with Neorgilia “Medusa” for color from Olive Hill nurseries. The Neorgilia variety seems to hold up longer than other varieties, thereby providing a better return on investment – and the clients love them.

Interiorscaping

Tournesol Siteworks has a few more interesting vertical garden products out there that you may want to check out.

If you’re a vertical garden installer, please feel free to add yourself to the directory on this site – it’s free.  Also, if you have questions or design ideas, or projects, you can post them to the forum. This is a great spot to connect with others that are looking to build or install greenwalls. If you’re interested in our website traffic stats (I’m a stats junky myself) you can see greentopsites.com. If you have created a living wall that you’d like to see featured here, let me know!

Biowall

A 24-square meter plant wall – more specifically a “biowall” – was built in the Robertson Building. The biowall was planted with a variety of exotic and native indoor flowering plants. Each plant has its own pocket in a special planting material (they don’t tell you the exact fabric they use). Water filters through the material to the plants’ roots and fresh air is continually pumped into the room via the living biowall.

The biowall purifies and cleans the air. The plants were chosen for their ability to tolerate indoor lighting conditions and their ability to improve indoor air quality. Some of the common contaminants come from traffic outdoors as well as off-gassing from furniture, paints, drywall, photocopiers, and human fragrances in the building.

The biowall helps filter Volatile Organic Compounds or VOC’s. VOC’s are actually a group of pollutants indoors and out. While small concentrations of these chemicals aren’t dangerous, over time they can contribute to “sick building syndrome,” which can include eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, and dizziness.

The biowall only needs typical plant maintenance including occasional dusting and removal of wilting foliage. Two 1000 watt lights provide supplemental lighting.

Living Biowall

A separate biowall was installed in the IL Centre. It’s 3 stories high and is aesthetically pleasing as well as acting as a biofilter which removes the VOCs and CO2 from the air.

Plants are easily swapped if they don’t thrive. The plants that work on the wall will vary depending on its requirements. Leafy ferns do better than Hibiscus, and orchids have done very well. Here’s a rundown of the plants used in the biowall:

• Aglaonema (Algaomema commutatum) & Spathiphyllum spp. (mixed aroids)
• Spider plant (Chlorophytum)
• Croton (Codiaeum)
• Cordyline
• Dragon Plant (Dracaena)
• Ficus (verigated)
• Rubber Plant (Ficus Elastica)
• Ivy (Hedera)
• Palms (Dypsis, Howea, or Chamaedorea spp.)
• Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum)
• Philodendron (several species)
• Snake plant (Sansevieria)
• Purple Heart (Setcreasea pallida, similar to the common Tradescantia)
• Umbrella Plant (Schlefera)

Diagram of basic biowall setup

Two layers of a porous material make up the fabric attached to the concrete wall. It’s 1 inch thick and is made of loosely woven plastic screwed to the wall in pieces. The top layer has slits cut into it where the plants are placed. The roots hold the plants in place and grow between the layers. The plants chosen don’t spread pollen and the constantly running water and fresh air prevent mold. A vapour barrier was installed in front of the concrete and behind the drywall to prevent moisture from spreading. What makes this vertical garden into a biowall are the fans that draw the air from each of the three floors to circulate through the building. You can see an informative flash image at queensu.