Living Walls Breathe New Life into
Everyday Spaces
There’s a lot of talk about building walls these days so we want to add our two cents. But we prefer to talk about green walls also known as living walls.
It’s a wonderful experience walking into an office lobby and breathing in the fresh air produced by plants ascending towards the heavens. Imagine a world where this is the norm, not the exception. This greenery provides more than just decor, it offers us numerous benefits.
Living Walls for Function AND Style
Aesthetics
Livening up a disregarded space or a mundane area, green walls can bring nature to the concrete jungle. Studies have linked the presence of nature in workspaces with increased job satisfaction and productivity. Being in the vicinity of a living wall each day can have a positive impact on human health.
Better Air Quality
Green walls can lower the amount of particulate matter in the air. They also help do battle against climate change by removing carbon while producing oxygen. With all of us spending so much time inside buildings, greenery can help circulate much needed fresh air indoors.
Energy Efficiency
The process of photosynthesis cools the air around plants. Living walls help regulate the temperature of indoor environments and reduce the energy burden of air conditioning systems in the summer months.
Noise Reduction
Green walls can live outdoors as well; they come in various shapes and sizes such as “green facades” that cover existing outdoor walls and “retaining living walls” that stabilize loose soil and sloping grounds. Providing insulation from noise, these living walls are excellent for loud areas including busy streets.
Make Your Wall Come Alive
Now that you know the benefits, why not bring some greenery into your home or place of work?
Here’s some inspiration for your own living wall:
Images below: Freshome
ACT ON CLIMATE
You can learn much more about living walls from Green Roofs for Healthy Cities whose mission is to “develop and protect the market by increasing the awareness of the economic, social, and environmental benefits of green roofs, green walls, and other forms of living architecture through education, advocacy, professional development, and celebrations of excellence.”
