Topic > Environmental Benefits of Green Walls - 1002

This section will examine green walls in relation to aesthetics and community and environmental benefits, in order to understand how urban greening systems promote development and sustainability. Green walls, also called vertical gardens, refer to all forms of vegetated wall surfaces with plants rooted in the ground, in the wall itself or in modular panels attached to the facade. They have different shapes and sizes depending on the scale of the wall, the architectural design and the plants selected. Green walls show beauty, art and expression and can be divided into two categories: green facades and living walls.2.1 Green facadesGreen facades are a type of green wall system in which climbing plants are made to cover specially designed load-bearing structures. They can be attached to existing walls or built as separate structures such as fences. An example of a self-climbing plant used to create green facades includes English ivy as the sucker-like root structure allows them to attach easily to a wall. Furthermore, the application of green facades to both new and existing buildings can provide multiple environmental benefits and can represent a sustainable approach in terms of energy saving considering the materials used, the water required and the efficient conservation of the buildings.2.2 Living WallsLiving walls constitute vegetated panels, vertical modules, or planted blankets attached vertically to a structural frame or wall. Vegetated panels contain soil or artificial growing media such as perlite, foam or mineral wool and require hydroponics to provide some or all of the plant's food and water needs. Living wall systems usually use perennials such as small shrubs that do not grow vertically...... middle of paper ......ronto designed a "green curtain" for a house, using scarlet climbing beans, convolvulus and sunflowers. Tests revealed that the surface temperatures of the plants were significantly cooler than those of the building walls, thus reducing the need for air conditioners. These benefits demonstrate that the need for green walls in the Hamilton area is not only to promote community engagement, but also to improve the environment. quality of the Hamilton area by moderating indoor temperature variations in winter and summer, beautifying the exterior and interior environments and providing additional green space. Ultimately, the implication of implementing the Garden of Dreams project with the help of community members is that it will promote social justice among these community members, while promoting sustainability, economic success, and urban development for the city of Hamilton.