Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2016 - 31

GUILDFORD TOWN CENTRE LARGEST NORTH AMERICAN LIVING WALL, BC B ack in 1994, Architect Richard Orne with partner John Souza, adapted a three-dimensional lightweight structural panel, originally manufactured for prefab modular housing, to support climbing plants on green walls. The first installation of 'greenscreen' was the circular entertainment plaza at the Universal City Walk in Los Angeles. Around the same time Jakob Rope Systems, from Switzerland, introduced stainless steel cable-net systems for curvaceous furniture, zoo enclosures and green facades. Meanwhile, Botanist Patrick Blanc built his first hydroponic fabric wall in France inspired by his experience with tropical plants from the Amazon and his early love of aquariums. In Canada, Dr. Alan Darlington developed the bio-filter, an active READ THIS ISSUE ONLINE AT LIVINGARCHITECTUREMONITOR.COM living wall system that improves indoor air quality. Toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are consumed by microbes living on the roots of tropical plants growing between layers of synthetic fabric fed by nutrients injected into a recirculating water system. It was only about 10 years ago, that GSky introduced the first modular living wall system in North America. The award winning green wall at the Vancouver Aquarium demonstrated a new lexicon for the vertical landscape. With GSky, we designed a wall to display indigenous rainforest plants, fed by rainwater stored, filtered and pumped from an underground tank. Sharp & Diamond Landscape Architecture also designed the iconic YVR living wall at the Vancouver International Airport, featuring GSky's new stainless steel panel system with integrated drip irrigation, remote monitoring by temperature sensors and flow meters, and tough hardy northern groundcovers. Melissa Daniels at Plant Connection has adapted a soil-media based system requiring lower water use when compared with a fabric hydroponic wall. The G-O2 is fabricated from metal, rather than plastic, and is 100 per cent recyclable. Plant Connection, as an option, offers natural and biological management for living walls applying certified organic water-soluble fertilizers. Nicolas Rousseau, originally from France, now based in Vancouver, is offering ModuloGreen, also a soilbased enclosed panel system that has demonstrated low water metrics. The largest 'living wall' in North America is the Green Over Grey's 10,000 square foot installation at the Guildford Town Centre, just outside of Vancouver. Patrick Poiraud offers a comprehensive package to manufacture, grow, install, illuminate and maintain (mandatory with supply contracts) a lightweight layered fabric system that does not use toxic materials such as PVC, and components which are 100 per cent recyclable. The City of Surrey, BC required the massive living wall as part of a rezoning for mall expansion. Municipalities such as Langley, BC and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, require green walls to cover blank walls on big box retail stores, tilt-up concrete industrial buildings, parkades and other unattractive structures. Where do we as an industry go from here? Inspired by the Universal City Walk, there is a huge worldwide growth of entertainment and lifestyle retail centers. People want to meet friends, neighbors or strangers, and be able to touch nature. To be relevant, retail stores need a makeover every 7 to 10 years. Shopping centers have to be fresh, cool and utilize water and plants in innovating ways, as well as screen off any unattractive blank walls prone to graffiti. I call it the 'The Fine Art of Camouflage'. However, the industry also needs to focus on the science and metrics of green walls, especially in hot dry climates where water is precious, or in cold wet climates where people spend much of their lives indoors. We still need to address thorny green wall issues such as selecting responsible clients LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR / SUMMER 2016 / 31 http://www.LIVINGARCHITECTUREMONITOR.COM

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