According to a United Nations forecast seventy percent of the world population will be living in cities by 2050. Such a major shift away from rural and naturally vegetated areas to the polluted, noisy, and crowded concrete jungle of modern cities is and will continue to be profound. We must find new and innovative ways to better integrate nature into our ever expanding cities. Green roofs and parks are one way to do this but there are substantial amounts of vertical space that for the most part have been underutilized. Green walls not only bring nature back into city life, they do so in a way that is accessible to everyone. Currently green walls are at the cutting edge of interior and architectural design trends but they are also being integrated into sustainable building design for their numerous environmental benefits.
Green Walls can be broken down into two main categories: Hydroponic systems and modular boxes.Hydroponic Systems (French botanist Patrick Blanc found that certain textiles could provide similar properties to moss or algae because they gave structural support, held moisture, and allowed the roots to move freely throughout. There are two main variations of the modular box technology, outlined below.The first is the true box system, utilizing an empty square container made of plastic, metal, or some other material. The second variation uses plastic or metal trays containing multiple slanted cells. These are filled,usually with soil, and then planted. The slanted cells help to keep the plants in place and facilitate irrigation. The water drips through the back of the panels. This technique is slightly more complex than hanging potted plants on a wall as each cell can be thought of as a small pot. These systems usually can be placed side by side and stacked to add height.
CONCLUSION: From Weinmaster’s article, it shows lots of the benefits, such as protection of building, air quality improvement, microecological system and so on.while I’m also concerned about the cost, especially for the hydroponic systems, delicate management and energy costing may also exists. For sure, the green wall will provide mor sustainability with people, while if it also consumes the energy which may cost more unsustainable resources, is it still worth to do so?
Sometimes, the “green” has already been just used as a better appearance.
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