The rapid pace of urban development radically affects the level of environmental pollution. The number of green areas is rapidly decreasing, and neighbouring villages are disappearing from the maps. The increase in population directly defines the number of urban buildings and their concentration, whereas these:
- Turn natural green areas into large, narrow settlements,
- They increase the temperature in the city (heat-absorbing materials),
- They prevent the planting of large numbers of trees and shrubs.
We respond with vertical greening and present – GREEN WALLS!
Green walls are
ESTHETICS – soothing for the eye, covering for a concrete, damaged wall; the use of fruiting plants creates unique vertical orchards and gardens
ACTICITY
- improve energy efficiency, are a natural barrier to wind, retain heat
- protect the structure of the building against UV radiation
- reduce the noise level by reflecting sound waves
ELASTICITY – applicable in narrow streets and passages where there is no space for vegetation standing on the ground (especially in old-town areas)
Parameters resulting from the analysis carried out by SGGW for green walls created for the purposes of the advertising campaign of Coca Cola Company /Kropla Beskidu brand/ in Warsaw and Krakow:
- 1 m2 of green wall per year produces oxygen which meets the annual needs of one city inhabitant.
- 1 m2 of the vertical garden filters up to 10 m3 of air per day from particulate matter, which on windless days creates a zone of clean air within 10-15 m from the wall.
Specially selected green wall vegetation humidifies and ionizes negatively the air, which becomes similar to the air near water bodies – river, lake, sea.
The function of a biotope makes many essential oils float around the vertical plant composition, which, acting as health plant phytoncides, improve the quality of urban air.
On green facades there are also plant species with an aromatic phytotherapeutic function: relaxing, calming and toning. The green wall will have a value enriching the biodiversity of the place by using species attracting butterflies and bees.
