Living Wall Air Purification 2

Following up on the previous post related to living walls, the creative minds at Urbanarbolismo have also dreamed up their own air purifying system of interior living wall that also has some really cool graphics. The system: "...is simple, the air is recirculated through the ventilation system and devulve the room through the front passing through the plant substrate and vegetation planted."




:: images via Urbanarbolismo

Based on the concept of bioregulation: "Since this is a system based on water evaporation and evapotranspiration of vegetation the amount of cooling that produces self-regulating function of temperature in the enclosure, ie plants evaporate more water when it is warmer, the This way of constant temperature and the temperature of the surrounding environment. This method of temperature regulation is much more beneficial for users of building a traditional air conditioning system."

Suitcase Garden

It's always interesting to see the ways we re-purpose materials for landscape receptacles.


:: image via Inhabitat

The latest are these cool suitcase gardens, via Inhabitat: "Gionata Gatto, an Italian designer based in the Netherlands, has soiled and seeded suitcases and such for gardening on the go. Designed as a graduation project, UrbanBuds enlivens luggage to grow up to 36 different food plants, either as still life or meals on wheels. Get a handle on your personal baggage and turn any place into a sustainable space simply by showing up and showing off some cultivation."




:: image via Inhabitat

Ebbw Vale Vertical Gardens

Ebbw Vale Vertical Gardens: Green Chimneys & Elevated Allotments is a project that takes a former steelworks and transforms it into "...a "vertical" garden in time for the 2010 National Eisteddfod. The concept will see the 4m (13ft) deep bunker filled with elevated allotments, seed nurseries, and "green chimneys" using reclaimed steel. Architects Lianne Russ and Philip Henshaw have been chosen to complete the design."


:: image via RussHenshaw Design

Philip was kind enough to send me some text and photos. First, the existing site imagery shows some of the post-industrial remnant landscape.






:: image via RussHenshaw Design

The remaining information from the designers is interspersed with some of the imagery below in full. All images and text from RussHenshaw Design:

"The new Vertical Garden for Ebbw Vale is a contemporary reinterpretation of the town’s powerful industrial history through the bold and dynamic elevation of nature, ecology and the definition of place. The key principles inherent throughout the scheme reflect those of the Works Masterplan and are firmly rooted in aspirations for community participation and ‘low-tech’ sustainability. In fact, inspiration for the scheme emerged from a tour of the Works Masterplan, where we were captivated by stories of the local school children’s ‘hand’s-on’ involvement with various aspects of the site. Consequently, our intentions are to further promote community interaction by making participation an overriding theme in the project.



The concept for the green chimneys and elevated allotments originate from the desire to question traditional perceptions of conventional park and garden design by providing routes for nature to grow vertically out of the basement. This objective, merged with the dramatic imagery of Ebbw Vales steel production heritage from the early 20th century, has led to the development of the iconic green chimneys and the mass of vertical allotments that appropriate the existing concrete columns. The verticality of the garden is also a direct response to the existing condition of the basement in the local urbanity. Instead of cloaking the basement with a green surface we believe it is imperative to maintain its original roughness and memory by ensuring that all green elements rise from the scarred foundations.

The main elements of the Vertical Gardens can be summarised as follows:

Green Wall - The green-wall creates a long tapered face that provides a flexible green canvas for plantation that can be adapted and designed to promote local events or simply bring the surface to life.



Ramped Path - The basement is accessed via a wide ramped path that gradually descends on a constant axis to the existing concrete floor. Rough steel plate landings in the ramp occur at specific intervals and provide niche seating areas that respond tectonically to the geometry of the existing concrete profile of the basement.

Seed Nurseries - The seed nurseries represent the first step of the growing cycle of the basement and are composed of long steel planters deeply set in the lush green wall where the seeds of future vertical crops are sewn. The scheme proposes that local primary schools would take ownership of the nurseries to promote respect for the public realm and provide children with a unique opportunity to experience and become educated on nature and its processes.



Vertical Allotments - The nurseries supply the vertical allotments that surround the existing concrete columns where tomatoes, courgettes, strawberries, cucumber, runner beans, broad beans and many other vegetables can be grown.

Timber Piers – To allow for drainage, the allotments sit on the retained gravel surface of the mechanical basement whilst the green chimneys are positioned on a higher level composed of locally sourced rough sawn timber piers.

Green Chimneys – The chimneys are high reaching lightweight reclaimed steel structures reminiscent of Ebbw Vale’s industrial skyline and provide the framework for the vertical garden. The chimneys are autonomous multifunctional objects that integrate lighting and water collection, define sheltered seating areas and can even be used for branding and event signage.



As a whole, the vertical gardens respect Ebbw Vale’s past whilst simultaneously reaching high into the town’s sustainable future."

Look forward to seeing more pics and info from RussHenshaw as the project takes shape. More info on the competition can be found at the BBC.

INDIGO @ twelve | west

My coworker forwarded some pics of one of the newer Portland ecoroofs. This one sits atop the building 12 West, a mixed use tower that was designed by (and houses the offices of) the local firm ZGF. The residential portion of the building is called Indigo. The building for the most part is now known as 'that one with the wind turbines on it'... a new typological form of iconic architecture perhaps that will lose it's cache after more buildings get this feature.


:: image via NP Thompson


:: image via Indigo @ twelve | west

In addition the the rooftop terraces, here's a couple of images of the newly planted green roof - a few images below. More info to come once I find out more on this project.




:: images via Renee Vanderweele

Miami Art Museum

A project that was covered in conceptual form previously on L+U, there are some new images on Inhabitat of Herzog & de Meuron's new Miami Art Museum.


:: images via Inhabitat

This definitely shows the continuation of the trend of H+dM being willing to use vegetation as facade material on their iconic architecture. The previous imagery focused on the vertical bands of climbing vegetation in the buildings interior, but these shots also show how the banding will continue on the exterior facade, creating a building that is: "...surrounded by hanging gardens with tropical plants."




:: images via Inhabitat

Urban Renovation

A project by A3+ Architects, via Arch Daily: "...designed a series of “green blocks” (light steel structures covered by green ivy plants) that connect the new part of the square with the old town. Inspired by the shape of the existing urban blocks, these green structures provide a gathering area beneath the entanglement of veins that crawl over the whole form. Perforations in the green blocks allow users to see a different green texture that covers the rest of the building. These voids also allow light to fill the interiors."






:: images via Arch Daily

Shrubhenge

Via the Architects Newspaper: "If you’ve passed by One Bryant Park in the past month or so, you may have noticed what looks like a kind of leafy-green Stonehenge clustered in the lobby of the Bank of America building. The three monoliths and twenty-five foot tall archway are made of galvanized steel frames seeded with thousands of ferns, mosses, and lichens, an installation designed by a team from Wallace Roberts & Todd, led by designer Margie Ruddick and sculptor Dorothy Ruddick."


:: image via Architects Newspaper

VertiCrop

I've mentioned the work of Valcent previously, showing their high-density systems for growing vertical veggies. Time Magazine recently (link via City Farmer) named their VertiCrop system as one of the 50 best inventions of 2009: "Valcent is pioneering a hydroponic-farming system that grows plants in rotating rows, one on top of another. The rotation gives the plants the precise amount of light and nutrients they need, while the vertical stacking enables the use of far less water than conventional farming. But best of all, by growing upward instead of outward, vertical farming can expand food supplies without using more land.”


:: image via City Farmer

The implication as this as the 'invention' of vertical farming seems an odd tangent, but that's another story. The product is interesting though, offering a viable system approach as mentioned by Chris Bradford, President, CEO, and Director of Valcent Products Inc.: "VertiCrop, a commercial high-density vertical growing system, is being employed in controlled environments such as a glasshouse, polytunnel or warehouses, which increases production volume for field crops up to 20 times over but requires as little as 5% of the normal water supply,” adds Bradford. “It is a non-GM solution to food problems, using trays on a looped dynamic conveyor belt and automatic feeding stations to grow plants efficiently. It can be adapted to the needs of vegetable, herb, fruit and flower producers.”

The interesting part of this is beyond the big idea of Vertical Farming, this, although a high-tech system, offers an actual means of implementation. I guess if you have the means, there is at least some system out there.

Also enjoy a video of the VertiCrop system in action:

Edible Walls in NYT

'The Rooftop Garden Climbs Down a Wall', from the NY Times:

"They may sound like a piece of Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory. In fact, they are the latest development in green roof technology. Like green roofs, edible walls include a thick layer of vegetation on the outside of buildings to provide insulation and reduce heating and electricity costs. But unlike green roofs — and their vertical cousins, green walls — edible walls also produce fruit, vegetables and herbs in far less space than typical gardens. That’s why advocates of urban farming have embraced them as a way to lower food costs, increase nutritional quality and cut fuel consumption and carbon emissions by using fewer delivery trucks."


:: image via NY Times

Well, I guess green roofs produce food as well, and edible walls are a subset of the green wall movement. Anyway, is this journalism or an advertisement for GLT? At least there was a bit on cost: "AT about $125 a square foot, or $500 per planted panel, plus more for design, delivery and maintenance, edible walls do not make sense for every home, or even cities where there is open land."

:: image via NY Times

Good to see the exposure of this system, particularly in the context of the urban agriculture boom and compared to the vertical farming, which is also mentioned. I think my prediction that green walls and urban ag would be the hot topics of 2009 - and to combine the two is just grand. The potential is summed up in the article: “We have 30 miles of rooftop in New York City and maybe 3,000 miles of walls,” said Paul Mankiewicz, the executive director of the Gaia Institute in New York. “It’s basically about maximizing the productivity per square foot.”

Window Farms

A couple of varieties of simple 'window farms' to grow plants in small spaces indoors. Using a combination of vertical and hydroponic elements and techniques, using either hand watering or automated recirculation of water. These can take on the simplistic to the very refined - but for the most part they work on similar principles. The first, via a forward from Craft, shows off the DIY wall in San Francisco.


:: image via Craft

Some details from the article: "San Francisco resident Marque Cornblatt of Gomistyle recently started documenting his indoor urban gardening efforts... He replaced traditional pots with big black plastic storage bins from Office Depot because of efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Marque experimented with growing vines, including tomatoes, pole beans, cucumbers, and peppers, by creating hanging planters from plastic one-gallon jugs."


:: image via Craft

Serendipitously, I spotted this resource called Window Farmers Forum, which has a ton of resources and examples on the concept. They offer many varieties and options, such as the 'Reservoir System' seen below:


:: image via Window Farmers Forum

You can also see the prototype Window Farm as completed, and the site also has a forum to share info with others. Half resource and half gallery, this virtual trove of info is worth a read - especially if you lack the land but can see the light.


:: image via Window Farmers Forum

Healing Veg.itecture

A couple of emails received today link the ideas of veg.itecture with healing or therapeutic spaces. Check out Naomi Sach's great 'Therapeutic Landscapes Network Blog' that recently explores the idea of green/living walls and their role in healing environments. The post offered some favorites, including the work of the well-publicied Patrick Blanc, as well as some healing-specific spaces, such as this small wall at a continuing care retirement community in Hyde Park, Chicago by Hitchcock Design Group. Very cool idea, and these smaller walls are great to provide views from rooms with little available landscape, or on patios to provide microclimate and biophilic benefits - while being efficient in size and possible to implement in multiple locations. Strategic living walls, if you will.


:: image via TLNB - photo Naomi Sachs

Second, another recent email showed a YouTube video of Gardens that Heal, exploring "...the healing atriums at Henry Ford Hospital West Bloomfield. Gerard Van Grinsven on the therapeutic benefits of plants and designed interior landscapes." installed by Planterra, the landscape offers many benefits, and also dispells some of the myths regarding plants being irreconcilable with medical environments.



Finally, check out the december issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine (coming out in a few weeks, where my book review of Esther Sternberg's great book 'Healing Spaces' (first published on L+U) will be included towards the end of the book.

Tempe Transit Center

With all of the talk of integrally planted green walls, it's often forgotten that there is a range of possible vertical solutions that also include trellises and climbing plants. One recent project that utilizes this in a tough climate is the Tempe Transit Center, which incorporates the gold standard of modular trellis systems, GreenScreen on buildings and shelters to provide cooling for building users and people waiting for transit options in the hot sun.


:: image via larson o'brien

The use on the building is quite interesting, and definitely fits into the idea of bioclimatic architecture by shading a significant portion of the building facade. The possibility of seasonal variation is a combination of evergreen and deciduous plantings that provide maximum shading in the summer and somewhat filtered light access in the winter. This can be adjusted regionally depending on different climate and micro-climatic conditions.

I'm really intrigued by the implementation on the shelters, as seen in the photo below. A small sliver of planting area to allow for plants to 'touch down' doesn't impede on the pedestrian environment, and the panels become both functional and beautiful.


:: images via larson o'brien

There is also a more direct improvement of microclimate at a pedestrian user scale, as the impacts aren't as dissipated through the building skin and rooms, but is more immediately felt on the ground. These still don't seem terribly dense either, due to their newness, or perhaps by design in some areas to ensure safety and security.


:: images via larson o'brien

The graphic below shows some data on the cooling pocket that is created through the roof and vegetation, through shading and evapotranspiration to cool surrounding air. This shows a noticable difference between the fully exposed areas near pavement (146 degrees F) to the inner areas of planted shade (96 degrees F) - which although hot, probably feels like heaven in comparison to the alternative.


:: image via larson o'brien

The striving for the veg.itectural uses all of the available tools, not merely the ones garnering the most attention at this point. The model of using the data collection on this building (hopefully with a much broader focus and rigor) provides actual data and a plausible impact (hear this PNC green wall) about the cooling benefits, not just anecdotes.

Mark Rothko Apartments

It's unique to find a local project with some veg.itectural flair, so an addition to that is the interesting work, the unbuilt, possibly to be named, Mark Rothko Apartments, by one of the more innovative firms in town, works partnership architecture. along with one of the most daring developers, Randy Rapaport. The project features a stretching of the central core to create a 'garden' level that incorporates public space and a dynamic layer slicing through the facade.


:: image via Portland Architecture

Some info from the WPA site: "The influx of people moving into the region results in a lack of housing for Portland’s workforce. The push for density in our cities is necessary for reducing sprawl and the related global impacts. Through an adaptation of the courtyard typology - using the small site to force an evolution - and the act of creating an iconic meter for analyzing the variations and controls of creating neighborhoods mixes, this project creates a new prototype. It pulls inspiration from the modern iconic high-rises and allows the rigidness to deform with the will of its inhabitants."

:: image via WPA

Brian Libby from Portland Architecture just posted a lengthy interview with WPA principals Bill Neburka and Carrie Schilling about the genesis of this building, which is a great read. The building is explained as being "...actually designed like two buildings, with one half cantilevered over the other. In between, on what is called the transfer floor, is a greenspace and community room."


:: image via Portland Architecture

This transfer floor offers the vegitectural insertion which is often impossible in tight urban development, where the roof and the streetscape, with an occasional balcony, and the only places to provide some usable space, as well as incorporating lively vegetated facade greening. The developer and architects were excited by the idea of this transfer floor, which has been done elsewhere, to become open space, which connects the upper and lower vertical 'neighborhoods' within the building. Can't wait to see this one move forward.


:: image via Portland Architecture

Another interesting project from the firm, that won an 2008 AIA Design award as well is called grow.pdx. From the wpa site: "grow is comprised of nineteen 850 to 1,100sf units: two-bedroom/one-bath and three-bedroom/two-bath loft style courtyard houses. Each home is a building block that creates a pattern of voids around its own private exterior courtyard garden. This arrangement creates a gradation of outdoor space that reinforces interaction. grow.pdx is conceived of as a starter home development that updates past and current notions of home ownership: traditional suburban backyard neighborhoods, modern urban living, and sustainable communities."


:: images via wpa

I like the concept, but really love the interesting graphics that the firm prepared to show this 'treehouse' like conceptual idea, connecting indoors and outdoors and blurring the line between architecture and landscape.


:: images via wpa

Vegitecture in Action (VIA 1)

I've finally emerged from the fall slumber of business, and realized that my hording of vegitecture projects has led to an archive of projects that are literally bursting at the seams. With over 100+ projects in the queue from both Vegitecture in Action (VIA) and Vegitecture in Visual Assessment (VIVA) (explained here in a previous 'Roots' post here) I'm planning on dropping some major project overload on the readers - so definitely be forewarned, then be amazed.

Meydan Retail Complex
Istanbul, Turkey


:: image via Urban Greenery

City Hall Green Roof
Seattle, Washington


:: image via hugeasscity

Paço De Pombeiro
Felgueiras, Portugal.


:: image via Inhabitat

The Dune House
Torrão do Lameiro, Portugal


:: image via Archidose

Campus Cap Gemini
Utrecht, Holland


:: image via Platforma Arquitectona

Lamson-West Residence
Ohio


:: image via Urban Greenery

Emerging Landscapes
Karpenisi, Greece


:: image via Arch Daily

Villa Nord
Aseri Estonia


:: image via ArchDaily

Flon Metro Station
Lausanne, France


:: image via Urbanarbolismo

Kö-Bogen
Düsseldorf, Germany


:: image via Urban Greenery

BTEK - Technology Interpretation Centre
Derio, Bizkaia, Spain


:: image via Space Invading