Ultimate Green Building Material
Plants On Walls vertical garden panels are a green building material that offers a multitude of positive environmental solutions.
- A Plants On Walls Full 12-Pocket Panel releases 1.6lb of carbon per panel in their manufacture. CO2 Calculation for the manufacture of a Full 12-Pocket Panel: Panel Weight (7 lbs) X Recycled PET Plastic (.23 lbs CO2 per lb of material) = 1.61 lbs of CO2 per panel. Recycling saves 90% of the CO2 released by making plastic. From: CO2 List
- Because the panels are extremely light weight and efficient a reverse carbon impact is possible from its lifecycle of hosting living plants. Living plants absorb carbon in the air through photosynthesis which offset the CO2 produced in manufacture. This in turn reduces global warming effects.
- Further carbon emissions are reduced by creating energy savings in buildings. In designing a Green Infrastructure west facing walls are covered with plants that create a cooling effect within the building. As plant material grows and regenerates itself the surface of a building is protected from sunlight deterioration. Together the living wall reduces cooling costs and extends the life of building materials, which saves money.
- Interior use has enormous health benefits because interior air is filtered and renewed with oxygen from the large number of living plants that thrive in a living wall. A NASA Study extensively has researched the use of house plants indoors.
- Water savings by maximizing efficiency: Growing food crops in vertical panels maximizes land use and hydroponics recycles water. Further efficiency can be obtained through Aquaponics that uses living fish to create food for plants offering a multitude of harvestable solutions.
- The felt used in Plants On Walls vertical garden panels is made from 100% recycled PET plastic water bottles. PET Plastic is highly durable, UV-tolerant, non-reactive and non-toxic. The panels can be reused indefinitely or completely recycled.
Floraframe Total System
The Floraframe total system includes the 24-Pocket Panel with galvanized frame and water tank, pump and timer. Shown here with a variety of tropical plants at Succulence Nursery in San Francisco.
Full Tropical Walls at SF Foliage
These two vertical gardens are on display at SF Foliage in San Francisco. Each living wall measures 5-1/2' wide by 8' tall. The walls were originally planted in May of this year. After two months the walls have grown in with very little attention. Today we re-arranged the plants slightly to make some design improvements and add some fresh color.
Gilman Succulent Garden: A Month Later
We visited the the Gilman Succulent Garden after a month. The sedums and succulents have filled in and are becoming more complex and lush. The felt pockets are hardly visible at this point.
Project visit: July 7th, 2010
Original Planting on May 27, 2010.
New: Full 4-Pocket Panels
The new Full 4-Pocket Panel with Cedar Frame.
The 4-Pocket Panels come with nylon tabs at the top edges for simple mounting.
Large Succulent Wall - Planted
The large succulent wall was planted with big healthy succulents in each of the 270 pockets. After hosing down the wall to clean the debris we will wait a week or two before the next watering. Succulents need to become completely dry before waterings so the root base will not rot.
Large Succulent Wall Installation
Chris Bribach begins the installation of a large succulent wall installation by first installing vertical 'hat' channel to the concrete wall with screw anchors. He then attaches the drain tray and begins to add the Mini 30-Pocket Panels and side channels. Once all nine panels are screwed in to place the top channel is added and the felt pockets are made ready to receive soil and plants.
Laguna Honda Hospital Installation Continues
John Alexander and team from Community College San Francisco continue to assemble the vertical garden installation at Laguna Honda Hospital. The grand opening for the new construction is a week away; Saturday, June 26th.
Floating Vertical Garden: After 3 months
The grey felt is hardly visible after 3 months of growth in the Floating Vertical Garden. the neon pothos are crawling up the sides and the bromeliads are getting covered over by the anthuriums. It's a jungle in there.
Vertical Vegetables: Seeds Sprouting
Within a week the seeds are sprouting on the Vertical Vegetable Garden Tower.
Laguna Honda Hospital - Vertical Garden Planting
John Alexander directed the planting of the vertical garden and planters at Laguna Honda Hospital in its sun-filled main lobby. Fellow students from Community College San Francisco gardening department were there to help out.
Laguna Honda Hospital - Vertical Garden Panels installation
John Alexander, hired PlantsOnWalls to install two vertical garden panels in the newly constructed main lobby at Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco. The panels are located in the tall atrium of the 1st floor entry area. John will now complete the designs for planting for the vertical garden panels and architectural planters below.
Starting Seeds in Florafelt Vertical Planters
Seeds were started in the pockets of our Florafelt Vertical Garden Planters. Root wrappers were filled with soil then placed in the pockets. Seeds were added to the soil and identified with plastic stakes.
Aquaponic Vertical Vegetable Garden
PlantsOnWalls erected the Aquaponic Vertical Vegetable Garden at James Snidle Gallery. Water is recirculated through the panels from the tank below. Goldfish create the fertilizer needed by the vegetable garden. The balanced system produces oxygen as well as organic herbs and vegetables.
The tower is made from 9 - PlantsOnWalls Full 12-Pocket Vertical Garden Panels that were threaded together with picture wire to form a triangle. The panels were attached to galvanized pipe and placed over a 36" Stock Tank. A fountain pump recirculates the water through the felt panels. The water wicks into the roots of the plants. Drip trays at the base of the panels direct water back into the storage tank.
The Aquaponic Vertical Vegetable Garden is viewable from the street corner of 10th and Bryant, across from Costco, in SOMA San Francisco. Watch it's progress as we plant seeds and experiment with various types of garden plants throughout the summer.
SF Foliage Living Walls
PlantsOnWalls installed two living walls at SF Foliage. Each one measures 5'-4" wide by 8'-0" high. They each use 4 of the Full 24-Pocket panels filled with tropical plants. Root Wrappers were used to place the plants and automatic irrigation lines were installed for a drain-to-waste type system. Feel free to visit the installations at SF Foliage, at 1150 Phelps in San Francisco. Phone: (415) 648-4406.
Raphael On Ventura
Raphael On Ventura, a Los Angeles restaurant, uses PlantsOnWalls Pleated Planters to create a living partition as part of their outdoor eating area.
Tieing Up The Tomatoes
The Vegetable Wall has a head start on spring. The tomato plants need to be tied back as they grow. Blooms are a sure sign that fruit is on its way. The sun warms the roots which increases growth rate.
Strawberry Walls Showing New Roots
The strawberries are showing young fruit and the roots are beginning grow into the felt where they receive moisture and nutrients. The top pockets are left open to place time-release food spikes. We are using Jobes Organics Fertelizer Spikes and allowing the drip irrigation lines to drip over the spikes. This creates a stream of nutrient water to wick through the felt and to the roots.
