Vertical Gardens, ecological insulation for buildings

Vertical Garden Indoor in Restaurant Els Vents - Alicante

Vegetal coverings have appeared as a new concept which covers walls and roofs in green, natural elements which are scarce in cities.  In France, Germany and the USA this practice is becoming more and more popular due to its aesthetic appeal and its various environmental benefits.  There are more than 100 local governments in Europe that are already offering subsidies for this kind of technology: vegetal coverings, urban gardens, green roofs etc

A vertical garden consists of upholstered walls and roofs and grows without any soil, as it uses epiphytes, mosses, lichens, orchids, ferns and bromeliads, also called air plants, which are used to support other species rather than taking root in the ground. In order to sustain the plants we use several layers supported by a chassis. 

This system is very light and can be installed on the exterior of buildings and in various climates, creating vegetal surfaces which reduce external temperature by up to 8 degrees and noise pollution by up to 10decibels.

We use the lightest system on the market and one of its most significant benefits is the insulation of temperature by up to 8degrees and sound by up to 10 decibels.  One of the barriers which impedes the expansion of this technology,is that at times, the roots affect the building concerned.  As a solution to this problem, Paisajismo Urbano uses the latest materials for waterproofing and automatic irrigation, which ensure that the roots of the plants to not grow too much in their search for nutrients.

Using a metallic base, a layer of PVC and another of special felt as a support, they succeed in planting 30 plants per square metre without planting more than 30kg in weight.

This system allows us to use different compositions and adjust our work according the local climate of the species used, integrating nature and aesthetics into a new concept in urban landscaping.

In the Paseo del Prado in Madrid there is an example of a green wall 24 meters high, with 15000 plants of 250 different varieties.

1 m2 of vegetal covering from a vertical garden or green roof creates the amount of oxygen required by one person for a whole year.

Studies by the government of Chicago show that thanks to vegetal insulation in certain buildings, they have managed to save 3600 dollars per year in air-conditioning costs, to which the benifit of a better quality of air could be added if the practice were more commonplace.

You can see a big project of Paisajismo Urbano out of Spain

You can see a video example about how is our work and philosophy

Click here to see more videos about vertical gardens