DESIGN OPTIONS FOR LIVING WALLS

Like most sustainable building components, there are different ways to include living walls and related green infrastructure elements into buildings. Living trellis panels are commonly based on a modular 2”x2” grid face design that can allows for easy customization to help meet a wide variety of project requirements. At least one manufacturer uses a three-dimensional panel fabricated from a welded wire grid and separated by a series of bent wire trusses that are welded every 2” on center. This results in rigid, yet lightweight and customizable panels. They can be cut at angles, mitered, notched, spliced, or curved, and can span openings or attach to support frames. In combination with standard or custom edge trim and engineered mounting hardware, unique applications are limited only by the imagination of the designer.

At the most basic level, living wall trellis systems can create soft-textured, vine-covered, seasonally changing surfaces or “green façades.” Manufacturers of trellis systems used for this purpose generally offer engineered mounting accessories designed to hold trellis panels off the building surface. This protects the building’s cladding from direct plant attachment and transfers the weight of the plants to the screen structure and the wall attachments. Panels can be lined up to be side by side or stacked top to bottom to cover larger areas.

When a separate, stand-alone vertical surface is desired for enclosures or fencing, lightweight but strong trellis panels placed between appropriate supports can “capture” plant material and provide the benefits of a living fence enjoyed from both sides. This approach can be simple, or complex based on the nature of the design, but modular components help facilitate easier installations. Where appropriate, vegetated trellis panels can also be placed overhead to create a more immersive experience, provide shade, add privacy, and mitigate views. For projects with planters or freestanding containers, trellis panels can be mounted to rectangular planters in multiple configurations. Some trellis products also coordinate with cylindrical planters or can be adapted to posts or columns of various diameters.

Sustainability of Living Wall Systems

The material choices of trellis systems can be selected based on information in Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) or Health Product Declarations (HPDs). Some welded wire trellis systems are made from recycled steel or aluminum, both of which are environmentally friendly materials. At a higher level, the sustainability benefits of living wall systems include the following:

• True Biophilic Design: Using real, natural vines that can grow in the locality where they are planted meet the complete criteria for biophilia.
• Reduction of the Heat Island Effect: Living walls absorb sunlight and provide natural evapotranspiration, which is nature’s way of keeping the surrounding temperature comfortable.
• Energy Savings: Evapotranspiration and simple shading from living plants provide cooling that leads to building energy savings instead of relying solely on air-conditioning units.
• Carbon capture: Living wall trellis systems support the living plants that absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen through photosynthesis.
• Stormwater Real plants absorb vast quantities of rainwater, slowing down what is fed into the storm water system. For living green roofs, this can be 30-70% of the annual precipitation depending on the profile and climate.
• Pollution Capture: Living walls are an excellent design response to air pollution concerns since they naturally provide pollution capture. It has been shown that the greening of external walls can reduce harmful particulate matter (PM2.5) by 11 to 31 percent and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) by 7 percent to 20 percent.

Many of these traits and benefits help living walls directly contribute to earning credits in green building programs such as LEED, SITES, and WELL.

New Construction Rooftop Deck Project Example

Photo courtesy of Tournesol Siteworks

Project: Austin Central Library
Location: Austin, Texas
Architect: Lake|Flato and Shepley Bulfinch

The Project: When it came time for the city of Austin to create a new central library, the developers kept the community in mind every step of the way. The new 198,000-square-foot building facing Shoal Creek overlooks Lady Bird Lake and features open, airy meeting rooms and a flexible event space to host readings, lectures, screenings, concerts or other performances, and even cooking demos. Natural light fills the expansive six-story atrium and highlights the modern architectural features of the new library. The library is LEED Platinum, the highest level achieved by any library in the U.S. and is designed to be sustainable for at least 100 years and have the least possible impact on the environment.

The Landscape Design: The building is crowned by an outdoor rooftop deck that can be enjoyed by library patrons and guests of special events. Constructed with 2'x2' smooth ipê tiles and adjustable pedestals, the rooftop deck garden features native plants, a butterfly habitat, and sweeping views of the Austin skyline. It includes a rooftop garden that is adorned with local flora mirroring the neighboring habitat. Along with the natural wood deck tiles, the rooftop’s aesthetic mimics the surrounding environment, linking the built space to the natural landscape. This space provides a quiet refuge from the bustling city below while giving users a visual and physical connection to nature.

SPECIFYING COMPONENTS OF MODULAR PEDESTAL DECK SYSTEMS

As noted already, modular pedestal deck systems are versatile and can be incorporated into almost any project type to create usable, sustainable, and affordable outdoor spaces. They consist of standardized components that can be selected, specified, and customized to meet project needs, budget requirements, or green building goals. Regardless of where or how they are used, though, adjustable deck systems commonly incorporate three types of components as described in the following sections.

Photo courtesy of Bison Innovative Products

Different components of a modular pedestal deck system can be combined together to create a unique, custom designed space.