CURATED BY NIKI DE WITT
In Victoria, London, a thirsty 350 square-meter vertical garden covers one side of the Rubens at the Palace Hotel and is actually a sustainable drainage system (SUD). The plants thrive off of the rainwater captured and stored by the wall, which is gradually fed to the plants.
FROM FASTCOMPANY
The walls are alive in Victoria, London, where a new 21-meter-high vertical garden located on the side of a hotel contains 10,000 plants and 16 tons of soil–all in the name of flood protection. Commissioned by the Rubens at the Palace Hotel, the living wall consists of robust pollinating plants and is irrigated by up to 10,000 liters of harvested rainwater that can reduce the risk of surface water flooding in the area. “It’s a 350-square-meter green sponge,” explains David Beamont, environmental and sustainability manager at the Victoria Business Improvement District (BID)
The vertical garden, planted on the road-facing side of the Rubens, was chosen after Victoria BID’s green audit in 2010 identified locations that would most benefit people and wildlife.
According to the wall designer, Gary Grant of Green Roof Consultancy, living walls are frequently abandoned due to cost–typically $600 to $800 per square foot. “There are a limited number of locations where living walls can be retrofitted,” Grant says. “The detailed design process was about six months, although I had been thinking about the wall for two years.” Grant built a similar living wall in Westfield, Shepherd’s Bush in 2008″….Continue Reading
ABOUT THE CURATOR
Niki is currently exploring Asia while working on a children’s book series about travel. As a child, she traveled and moved often for her parents’ jobs. As a result of this, she has always felt most at home when she’s off and away. She is interested in international films, working on building an impressive tea collection, and can often be found with her camera in hand. You can have a look-see at her blog and follow her on Twitter @nikidding.
Photo London vertical garden by Kinchan1
