The research focuses on the practical aspects of building a vertical greening structure, and looks at case studies of built green walls around the world.

1. Dreer Award 2009
Vertical Greening Systems
Stephanie Gautama

2. inspiration, systems and integration
Vertical Greening Systems
3 Continents, 8 Cities, 70 Sites

3. inspiration, systems and integration
Why study vertical greening systems?
Rise of Vegitecture
Gwanggyo Green Power Center by MVRDV
Proposal for Dreer Award
Planning the Trip

4. What got me into studying vertical greening systems?

5. Rise of Vegitecture
Madison Tower by Daniel Liebskind Chonqing Tower by Ken Yeang
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

6. Karst Mountains, China
‘Gwanggyo Green Power Center’ by MVRDV
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

7. Karst Mountains, China
‘Gwanggyo Green Power Center’ by MVRDV
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

8. Planning the Trip: Visa, flights, accomodation, food, finances, etc.
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

9. inspiration, systems and integration
TYPES OF VERTICAL GREENING
GREEN WALLS The Patrick Blanc Phenomena, Paris
Green Fortune, Stockholm
Grünewand, Germany
Verticalis, Switzerland
The Greenwall Company, Sydney
Fytowall, Melbourne
Modular Green Wall Products - International
GREEN FACADE Hotel Naumi, Singapore
Green Tapestry, Singapore
MFO Park, Zurich
Fünf Höfe, Munich

10. green wall green facade
vs
Planted walls at Quai Branly. Paris Climbing structures at MFO Park, Zurich
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

11. green wall green facade
vs
Planted walls at Quai Branly. Paris Climbing structures at MFO Park, Zurich
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

12. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Parc Floral by Patrick Blanc

13. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Parc Floral by Patrick Blanc

14. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Parc Floral by Patrick Blanc

15. Fabric-thin substrate
Constant drip irrigation = 60 liters/sqm/day*
Water is recycled at the park’s fish pond
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Parc Floral by Patrick Blanc

16. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama BHV Homme, Paris by Patrick Blanc

17. Hotel Pershing

18. Detail from Quai Branly
Detail from Hotel Pershing
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

19. Melbourne Central, November 2008
Melbourne Central, November 2009
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Melbourne Central, July 2009

20. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama A contractor’s attempt at replicating Patrick Blanc in Singapore NParks HQ

21. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Mannheimer Swarthing Plantwall by Green Fortune, Stockholm

22. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

23. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

24. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

25. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Structor Architects Plantwall, Stockholm

26. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Giving the ferns a good shake!

27. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

28. Plantwall installation at Ålingsas Hospital, Sweden
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

29. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Plantwall installation crew

30. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Verticalis : The first green wall I ever saw...

31. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Draping 2-year old Verticalis; the Adiantum ferns starts as a weed!

32. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Verticalis, 150 x 100 cm module

33. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Detail of vericalis with spider plant and different kinds of peperomia sp.

34. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama 1 year old verticalis frame, 120cm x 60 cm

35. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Verticalis has a very thin profile

36. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

37. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

38. Newly planted verticalis at ZHAW Greenhouse
July 2009
Hydroplant Showroom
October 2009
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

39. Grünewand

40. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Grünewand module & irrigation details

41. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Grünewand details

42. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Sydney Accenture HQ by The Greenwall Company

43. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Bromeliad collection and ‘Bromeliad’ wall by The Greenwall Company

44. (top) Biodegradable seedling plug
(right) Ovegrown wall experiment
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

45. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Wall materials by The Greenwall Company

46. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Trial wall of The Greenwall Company

47. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Making the Fytowall Foam

48. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Curing the foam

49. (top) Cutting the foam to panel sizes
(right) Plant roots adapting to growing on foam
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

50. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Vertical Garden Panels of Fytowall intended for Adelaide zoo. It is in pre-growing phase

51. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Greenhouse of Fytowall full of vertical garden panels

52. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

53. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama ANZ Melbourne by HASSEL Architects and FytoGreen

54. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama ANZ Melbourne by HASSEL Architects and FytoGreen

55. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Stellaria holostea at ANZ Fytowall

56. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Junglefy living wall modules for retail sale

57. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Junglefy Living Wall Module

58. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Edible living wall - includes strawberry, sage, lettuce, mint and celery

59. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Ornamental Junglefy Living Wall Module; 3-months old

60. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Elmich green wall modules stacked to form curved surface

61. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Elmich green wall modules stacked to form curved surface and make a collumn!

62. inspiration, systems and integration
TYPES OF VERTICAL GREENING
GREEN WALLS The Patrick Blanc Phenomena, Paris
Green Fortune, Stockholm
Grünewand, Germany
Verticalis, Switzerland
The Greenwall Company, Sydney
Fytowall, Melbourne
Modular Green Wall Products - International
GREEN FACADE Hotel Naumi, Singapore
Green Tapestry, Singapore
MFO Park, Zurich
Fünf Höfe, Munich

63. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Hotel Naumi Green Facade

64. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Hotel Naumi Planter Elevation

65. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Hotel Naumi Planter section

66. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Skimpy green?

67. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Changi Airport Terminal 3’s “Green Tapestry”

68. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Changi Airport Terminal 3’s “Green Tapestry”

69. GREEN TAPESTRY
300 x 15 meters (986 x 50 ft.)
OVER 10’000 Plants, including:
Vines Argyreia nervosa (Elephant Climber)
Passiflora foetida (Stinking Passionflower)
Clematis aristata (Old Man’s Beard)
Philodendron ‘Emerald Green’
Thunbergia grandiflora (Clock Vine)
Monstera deliciosa (Window Plant)
Clerodendrum thomsoniae (Bleeding Heart Vine)
Petraeovitex wolfei (Wolfe’s Vine)
Telosma cordata (Tonkin Creeper)
Vallaris glabra (Bread Flower)
Epiphytes Epipremnum pinnatum (Dragon-Tail Plant)
Platycerium coronarium (Stag’s Horn Fern)
Bromelaids Guzmania bromeliads
Vriesea hybrid
Vriesea splendens
Orchids Oncidium orchids (Dancing Ladies)
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

70. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama 2 Layers of Stainless Steel climber cables

71. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Green Tapestry maintenance platform

72. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Chinese food with a green view?

73. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama MFO Park

74. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama MFO Park 2009

75. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama MFO Park 2004

76. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama MFO Park 2004

77. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama View from the top of MFO Park

78. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama View from the top of MFO Park

79. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

80. Irrigated planters at the top level
Climbers at the ground level
MFO Park by Burckhardt + Partner and Raderschall Landschaftsarchitekten
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

81. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama View from the top of MFO Park

82. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Residential apartment adjacent to the park!

83. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Funf Hofe by Herzog de Meuron and Indoorlandscaping

84. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

85. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Above the hanging garden

86. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

87. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Fashionable green or waste of energy?

88. inspiration, systems and integration
Plant selection
Lighting
Irrigation
Maintenance
Failed wall
Urban heat island effects
Psychological benefits
LEED
Cost
Pro & Cons

89. Monstera deliciosa Nephrolepis exaltata Streptocarpus caulescens and Begonia sp.
grows so well that you will need to prune is one of the best selection when it comes to are the few flowering plants that thrives in
its roots to avoid it from attacking other ferns. This semi-invasive plant is virtually pest and indoor vertical greening systems that is generally
plants. It has a characteristic large leaves disease free, but will need to be pruned regularly of low light conditions.
that’s a favorite with the office crowds. to avoid it overtaking other plants. Ferns are
generally great to plant on the bottom of green
walls because it tolerates low light environment.
Other ferns to look out for include Asplenium
bulbiforum and Adiantum fragrans.
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama plants to like

90. Soleirolia Solerolii Succulents Strawberries
has fine texture and looks really cute when it are great for green roofs, but not for green walls. and other edible herbs are short lived and
achieves full cover. However it is an ephemeral Because its heavy ‘leaves’ are filled with water, it needs frequent replacement. Above is the
pioneer plant and is frequently found dead tends to droop and sometimes drop at maturity. It ‘Strawberry wall’ for Melbourne Flower
within six months of planting... on client’s walls. is also a favorite food for large pests such as snails Show 2009, at 6 months old. The fruits are
and possums (in Australia). aslo not as sweet as soil grown ones.
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama plants to avoid

91. Why green wall planting designs tend to streak vertically?
- plants, especially ferns, propagates downward
- when plants are attacked by pests, the pest would need to
‘jump’ several species of plant before it spreads
- so that when large plants are used, onle a narrow portion
of smaller plants below gets overshadowed.
Planting design by Patrick Blanc
planting plan
Planting design by myself, for Fytogreen
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama

92. - Outdoor light level is 20,000 -80,000 lux
- Indoor office light level is 300 - 500 lux
- Preferable indoor light level is 3000-10,000 lux
- Absolute minimum 1000 lux (for ferns)
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama lighting

93. How much water does it take to run the vertical greens?
- Backyard gardens need 12 liters/sqm/day (0.3 gallon/sq ft/day)
- In summer outdoor greenwalls evaporate up to 4-6 liters/sqm/day (0.15 gallon/sq ft/day)
- Indoor greenealls evaporate up to 2-4 liters/sqm/day
- If green wall runs with constant irrigation, like Patrick Blanc’s, it will need 60 liters/sqm/day. Let’s
hope they recycle the water! (1 gallon/sq ft/day)
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama irrigation

94. mealy bugs
scales
Indoor conditions are ideal for pests because
it has warm room temperature and low air
circulation. Frequent check and maintenance by
cleaning out yellowing/rotting leaves is essential
to keep the green walls healthy.
maintenance
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama + pest management

95. vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama £100,000 dead wall

96. Shimizu studies states that their Parabienta
green wall system can reduce UHI from 40
to 30 Celcius (104 to 86 Farenheit)
But with exposed substrate and constant
drip irrigation, the Shimizu system is
virtually an evaporating sponge of water!
Photo from Hortpark’s vertical greening
experiment in Singapore
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama urban heat island ?

97. RESEARCH STATISTICS
Plants can...
...Reduce stress by absorbing, diffracting, or reflecting background
noise, and increase attentiveness (up to 12%)
... Creates ideal humidity levels (30-60%)
... Reduce symptoms that lead to absenteeism reduced by 23%.
Presence of green area reduces complaints of colds and flu from
dry air, and correlates with 8.5% fewer days in hospital
... Cleanses the air of emissions from office equipment by
efficiently removing toxic volatile organic compound (VOC) such
as benzene, toluene, TCE, and a-pinene. This result in reduction of
headaches and eye irritation in the workplace
...Positive place/brand identity
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Plants make you happy

98. Vertical Greeneries can qualify for LEED credit for:
- Non-roof heat island reduction (1pt)
- Stormwater quantity control (1pt)
Positively affects LEED category of:
- Water effecient landscaping
- Energy effecient performance
- Reduction of particulates in air distribution
- Occupant comfort
- Innovation in operations
AUSTRALIA : Green Star rating
SINGAPORE : Annual award recognizing new buildings with
‘Skyrise Greeneries’
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama LEED

99. Estimated Average Cost:
- USD 1500 - 2000/sqm* (10.7 sq ft)
- Maintenance contract (usually at 8-10% of construction cost, per year)
Other consideration:
- 9-24 months lead time to pre-grow the plants
- Additional +100kg/sqm live load to building structure.
- If indoors: increase in electricity cost to power metal hallide lamps
*Pre-tax. Usually excludes plumbing, lighting and electricity work which
is done by the contractor.
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama $$$

100. Expensive Aesthetically pleasing
High-maintenance Does not take a lot of space
High electricity usage Psychologically beneficial
High water usage Reduce UHI
Not sustainable Gives ‘green’ image
vertical greening systems | stephanie gautama Is it worth it?

101. The Greener kind of Green

102. GREEN WALL SUPPLIERS AROUND THE WORLD
Other names: Living wall, Bio Wall, Vertical Gardens, Vertical greenery
System Name Developed by Website
Bioecture BioTecture, Sussex, UK http://www.biotecture.uk.com/index.html
Consis Consis Engineering, Singapore N/A*
Edible wall project Green Living Technologies, USA http://www.urbanfarming.org/foodchain2.htm
VGM Green Wall Elmich, Australia www.kdb-fassaden.de
ELT Living walls Elevated Landscape Technologies http://www.eltlivingwalls.com/
Fytowall Fytowall, Somerville, Australia http://www.fytogreen.com.au/Fytowall/default.htm
G-Sky G-Sky, Vancouver, Canada http://www.g-sky.com/GreenWallPanels.aspx
Green Fortune Green Fortune AB, Stockholm, SE http://greenfortune.com/
Green Living Walls Green Living Technologies, USA http://www.agreenroof.com/
Greenwall Greenwall company, Sydney, Australia http://www.greenwall.com.au/Default.aspx
Greenwall Australia Green wall Australia, Sydney, Australia http://www.greenwallaustralia.com.au/
Grunewand l company http://www.indoorlandscaping.de/
Junglefy Junglefy, Sydney, AUS http://www.junglefy.com/
Livewall (retention wall) Hercules Engineering, Missouri, USA http://www.hortech.com/live_wall.php
Living Walls University of Guelph, Canada http://www.naturaire.com/index.php
Midorie Suntory Midorie, Japan http://www.suntorymidorie.com/ , http://tokyogreenspace.wordpress.com/2009/08/1
Mur Vegetal Patrick Blanc http://www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com/
Naturewall Naturewall, Bologna, Italy http://www.naturewall.eu/ENG/E_index.htm
Nparks CUGE, National Parks, Singapore N/A*
Quadrovivo Quadrovivo, Sao Paulo, Brazil http://www.quadrovivo.com/
Reviwall Reviplant, Moncalieri, Italy http://www.reviplant.it/prod_inn.php
Shimizu Parabienta Shimizu Corporation, Japan comm
Takenaka (Unamed) Takenaka, Japan http://www.takenaka.co.jp/takenaka_e/news_e/pr0908/m0908_01.html
Verde 360 Verde 360, Mexico http://www.verde360.net/
Verde Verticale Poliflor, Faenza, Italy http://www.takenaka.co.jp/takenaka_e/news_e/pr0908/m0908_01.html
Vertical Gardens Vertical Garden Design, Stockholm, SE http://www.verticalgardendesign.com/flashtrue.php?w=1440&h=900
Verticalis Zurich University of Applied Sciences http://www.iunr.zhaw.ch/de/science/iunr/fe-dienstleistungen/verticalis.html
Wonderwall Copjin, Utrecht, Netherlands http://www.copijn.nl/index.php?page=wonderwall
Zinco Vertigreenz Zinco Singapore N/A*
*Website cannot be found; prototype of this system can be seen at http://research.cuge.com.sg/images/stories/Papers/vgs.pdf

103. note
This pdf is a compressed version of the “Vertical Greening Systems” Dreer Award 2009-10
presentation that was given on 5th April 2010 in Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, for
distribution in the Cornell community. Almost all of the drawing and photographs shown
here are of my own, with some exeption which are press-release images of the relevant
companies. You are welcome to use it for studio (class) projects, but please let me know
if you want to use them for commercial projects or proposal.
Added to this document is a useful contact list of vertical greening (in particular, green
wall) suppliers and their websites. If you have more questions or want to learn more,
you’re most welcome to contact me at: sg356@cornell.edu
Stephanie Gautama

104. thank you!
Ithaca, NY, USA : DREER COMMITTEE : Nina Bassuk, Jeremy Foster, and Marvin Pritts
Ithaca, NY, USA : CORNELL UNIVERSITY : Peter Trowbridge, Kathy Gleason, Dept. of Landscape Architecture
Wädenswil, Zurich, Switzerland : ZHAW : Philipp Stauffer, Wanda Keller and Simone Gruber
Stockholm, Sweden : GREEN FORTUNE : Johan Svenson, Hans Andersson, Louise Dahl and Anna Karlin
Munich, Germany : INDOORLANDSCAPING : Andreas Schmidt and Simone Egger
Sydney, Australia : THE GREENWALL COMPANY : Mark Paul and Carolyn Hurst
Sydney, Australia : JUNGLEFY : Alistair Scott -Young
Melbourne, Australia : FYTOWALL : Geoff Heard, Jane Heard, Matthew Hazenwinkel, Erik van Zuilekom and Daisy
Melbourne, Australia : AECOM : Blake Sandborn, Simone Bussier, and Michaela Prescott
Singapore : NParks : Kelly Chiang
... and most of all, thank you to my family and friends who has supported me throughout the journey!