The perfect combination (literally) between architecture and landscape could just be the green/living wall.
Compared to most places in the world, New Zealand probably wouldn’t be considered as lacking either space nor greenery (a lush native bush is usually within a short distance wherever you are).
That’s not to say this sense of a close proximity to nature makes green walls or vertical gardens any less desirable. Patrick Blanc, a French botanist, is coined as the creator of the green wall concept – where vegetation grows directly on a façade, with a living wall attached to an exterior wall or as a free-standing interior divider.
Check out his website
, you will see him in his floral shirt and green hair(?) creeping amongst the foliage, showing many inspirational projects well illustrated by awesome images.
One of the first large scale interior green walls in New Zealand was completed in November, 2009 and installed by Natural Habitats Landscapes for Stephen Marr Hair Salon
, The Department Store, in Takapuna, Auckland.
The Green Wall is double-sided and measures 10 metres long by 2 metres high, boasting well over 1,000 individual plants.
Here it is, beautifully photographed by Jason Wright-St Clair
Many people have gardens and grow their own vegetables in the backyard. However urbanites can find a more DIY and cost effective option is to create a vertical garden in their apartment.
A good example was set by Britta & Rebecca; their Window Farms
project was installed at Eyebeam, New York. It’s a vegetable garden which uses recycled local materials as well as becoming a stunning window installation for the resident’s and passers by.
Do you know of any other great examples of internal greenspaces / living walls..?