Living Walls

Agriculture

May 9, 2020, 10:37 am

By Buzz & Soni

 

Thirsty landscapes of the UAE have changed peoples’ lives in a way many thought impossible. Amidst a plethora of mighty dunes, a visionary leader set out to transform the barren land into a ‘green paradise’. HH, the late Sheikh Zayed, shaped the country by bringing out the best of all industries, yet always embracing his passion to connect with the environment and nature. The UAE now has marvelous gardens, expansive parks, and lush mangroves. Why not bring this leader’s vision into your home or office?

Living walls, also known as vertical gardens, are not a new fad! They have actually been around since ancient civilizations. Have you ever heard of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? The technique of going vertical on a panel with either herbs, flowers, moss, vegetables, or other flora, allows for beauty and sustainability to coexist; bringing the outdoor ecosystem into your indoor space. 

Enhancing your wall with a vertical hanging garden can fill up a room by showcasing nature’s textures and vibrancy, making it the centerpiece of your interior and an animated topic of conversation. In this concrete jungle, every corner of real estate can be transformed into art. By going vertical, a living wall adds height and depth to smaller spaces, along with character and structure. Much like a painting, living walls are the epitome of sustainable artistry; wherein, the wall is the canvas and the plants are the paint. Living walls can grant you the opportunity to express yourself in a variety of ways, giving you the same calming powers and much to appreciate, as when eyeing a painting.

Plants are known to increase general wellbeing, reduce stress, increase concentration, and encourage high productivity. Surrounding yourself with the different hues of green makes you feel more connected to nature. Some hospitals even use large features of living walls to calm and destress their patients. Office spaces and hotel lobbies have installed these characteristic showpieces, bringing the excitement of the wild, indoors. Research has shown that looking at vegetation for 3 to 5 minutes improves blood pressure and brain activity. If you are a stay-at-home parent or a workaholic, having the color green in your environment, revitalizes your energy and boosts your immune system.

Another positive aspect of these vertical gardens is that they maintain the quality of air. We are constantly exposed to harmful chemicals lingering in the air, most commonly from paints, plastics, and cleaning products. The plants work together to produce cleaner air and a better breathing atmosphere. Having a living wall minimizes allergies, common colds, and flu, reducing dust by 20%. In addition, living walls regulate the humidity acting as insulators. This effectively decreases energy usage by cooling the environment around us, which in turn reduces air conditioning costs. The act of photosynthesis and respiration improves indoor air quality making a significant difference to our health. 

By bringing the outdoors to your indoors, you create an ecological sound barrier. The habitat absorbs sound to reduce noise pollution, whether the noise is coming from the streets or noisy coworkers. Vegetation naturally dampens high-frequency sounds, while the structure itself decreases sounds with lower frequencies. This allows you to zone in and Zen into ambient noise levels.

Among the many benefits of having a living wall indoors, we must not forget the importance of water. Reduce, reuse, recycle! The walls are watered using a drip irrigation system. Water collects in trays at the bottom of the garden, where it can be recycled without losing any rich nutrients. Investing in living walls means investing in a better, more sustainable lifestyle; thereby, reducing your carbon footprint.

Maintaining your vertical garden is easier than you think and doesn’t take a toll on your back. It is a cost-effective solution to healthier living and there are endless designs you can come up with. The colour green has almost 300 shades to choose from, so let your creative imagination run free!