http://www.greenroofconsultancy.com
Gary Grant
Living Walls
Manchester
14 October 2010
Benefits of living walls….
….include most of those associated with green infrastructure in
general, namely:
- Dust suppression
- Noise abatement
- Wildlife habitat
- Evaporative cooling
-  Shade
Manchester
14 October 2010
Example of benefit:
Thermal
Ambient temperature = 30 C
Road and walls = 46 C
Roof = 77 C
Vegetation = 30 C
Manchester
14 October 2010
Types of Living Wall
•  Self-established
•  Moss gardens/mats
•  Climbers
•  Hydroponic
•  Modules/ cells
Manchester
14 October 2010
Self-established
Pros
Cons
No irrigation
No planting
Little maintenance
Relatively inexpensive
Slow to establish
Sunny, dry locations may not vegetate
Manchester
14 October 2010
Moss Mats/ Moss Gardening
Pros
Cons
Can be pre-grown
Little maintenance
Lightweight
Low/no water consumption
Slow to establish
Patchiness common
Sunny, dry locations may not vegetate
Manchester
14 October 2010
Climbers (Traditional, on trellises or planter box/screen combination)
Pros
Cons
Can be pre-grown
Thick cover can be achieved
Uniform appearance
Relatively inexpensive
Robust
Low water consumption
May be slow to establish
Low diversity
Uniform appearance
Some climbers may require control
Manchester
14 October 2010
Hydroponic (geotextile and rockwool cages)
Pros
Cons
Spectacular effect can be achieved
Usually diverse
Flexibility of form
High water consumption
Expensive
Requires specialists to plant and
maintain
Manchester
14 October 2010
Hydroponic wall:
Sedum on drip-irrigated
pumice-filled mattress by
Vegetorpin, Orleans, France
Irrigated sedum mat
Vegetorpin
Manchester
14 October 2010
Modular/cellular
Pros
Cons
Can be pre-grown
Low-moderate water consumption
Spectacular effect can be achieved
Can be diverse
Easily repaired/replaced/replanted
Expensive
May require specialists to plant
Low flexibility of form
Manchester
14 October 2010
Living Wall at Westfield Shopping Centre, Shepherd’s
Bush, West London
- Part of the emerging White City
district
- Opened October 2008
- Cost of £1.6 billion
- Retail floor area of 150,000m!
- Pre-let to 270 stores
- Third largest shopping centre in the
UK
- Largest shopping centre in London
Image: Daily Telegraph
Manchester
14 October 2010
Westfield Shopping Centre, Shepherd’s Bush, London
•  Part of the emerging White City
district
Opened October 2008
Cost of £1.6 billion
Retail floor area of 150,000m!
Pre-let to 270 stores
Third largest shopping centre in the
UK
Largest shopping centre in London
•  AECOM team responsible for design
of public realm
Manchester
14 October 2010
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14 October 2010
Brief and Response
•  170m x 4.5m noise and visual barrier required between busy
pedestrian access and adjacent existing residential properties.
•  Barrier to be turned into an attractive feature rather than an eyesore
•  AECOM team proposes living wall
Manchester
14 October 2010
Yellow line shows alignment of living wall
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14 October 2010
Why a living wall at Westfield?
•  An attractive covering of what would be a large ugly feature
•  A way of greening a narrow space
•  Innovative/ novelty value
Manchester
14 October 2010
Living Wall Concept
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14 October 2010
Colour and texture
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14 October 2010
Westfield Requirements
•  Instant impact (must be pre-grown)
•  Diversity of texture, colour and form
•  Fast-track erection
•  Low maintenance/ robust
Manchester
14 October 2010
ELT Easy Green
modular system
chosen
500mm x 500mm x
65mm
Add substrate and
vegetate as
appropriate
The module (manufactured by ELT Inc)
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14 October 2010
Planting
North Facing
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14 October 2010
Planting
South Facing
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14 October 2010
Planting
•  Total number of panels used: 5000
•  Total area covered: 1,250 m2
•  Number of planting mixes: 9
•  Typical number of species per panel: 4 or 5
•  Total number of plants: 200,000
Manchester
14 October 2010
The planted modules at the nursery
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14 October 2010
Irrigation and maintenance
•  3 litres of water per application to each panel
•  154 applications per annum
•  Monthly inspection of water distribution
•  Twice yearly light prune
•  Liquid feed twice yearly – early spring, late summer
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Issues with living walls
- Usually require irrigation
- May need expensive structure
- Maintenance can be difficult (eg access issues) or
expensive
Manchester
14 October 2010
Future
•  Development of various styles of planting
•  Attention to biodiversity and locally appropriate planting
•  Low or no irrigation options (‘brown walls?’)
•  Where irrigated, recycled grey water used
•  A tool in reducing temperatures/ adapting to climate
change
•  Integration with building services/ more emphasis on
functionality
Manchester
14 October 2010