A design firm has created what it says is the tallest indoor vertical garden in the world. Green Over Grey installed the living wall at the Desjardins building in Lévis, Quebec. Called "The Currents," the installation is inspired by views of the St. Lawrence River visible from Quebec City and Lévis.
Green Over Grey is no stranger to record-breaking green installations. In 2010 it laid claim to the largest and most biologically diverse living wall in North America at the Semiahmoo Public Library and Royal Canadian Mounted Police Facility in Surrey, British Columbia.
This new piece of work is 213 feet high (65 m), spans a total area of 2,139 square feet (198 sq m) and forms part of a broader refurbishment of the Desjardins offices. "We wanted to find a tangible way to show our commitment to sustainable development and enrich our employees' work environment," says Monique F. Leroux, chair of the company's board, president and CEO.
The building has an eco-friendly focus and is expected to receive LEED gold certification once its refurbishment is complete later this year. The green wall complements this environmentally-conscious approach. "The wall is fully hydroponic (i.e. soil-free) and incorporates plants that thrive in similar vertical environments found in nature, like on tree branches and next to waterfalls," says Green over Grey co-founder Patrick Poiraud. "The end result is a visually pleasing piece that provides cleaner indoor air and improves both the acoustic quality and the value of the property."
According to Green Over Grey, it took five months to design the installation and select the 42 plant species that it features. Varieties used include philodendrons, monsteras, fig trees, ginger, snake plants, elkhorn ferns, scheffleras, clusias and banana plants. In total, 11,000 individual plants are incorporated into the design and arranged according to color, texture, pattern and size. The hydroponic system used is made entirely from synthetic recycled materials and its panels are built from 1.5 metric tons (1.65 tons) of recycled water bottles and plastic bags.
The video below provides an introduction to the living wall.
Source: Green Over Grey
