Vertical vegetation?that is, living plants clinging to a wall?strikes many people as an expensive, hard-to-maintain hassle. There?s no question that installation can be tricky, requiring well-thought-out, high-quality systems to avoid future problems. But when they?re done right, green walls can improve air quality, reduce the urban heat island effect, create a sense of privacy and enclosure, and provide thermal insulation for buildings to reduce the need for heating and cooling.
Green walls limit the movement of heat between building walls by trapping a layer of air within the plants, creating shade and buffering wind during the winter months. They protect exterior finishes from UV radiation and rain, reduce the transference of noise, and can even increase the air-tightness of doors and windows by decreasing wind pressure. But, living walls aren?t just green in the eco-friendly sense; they?re a vivid visual offering a connection to nature. In this example by Ezequiel Farca Architects, green walls cover almost every exterior surface of a spacious vacation home on the Mexican coast, meeting an artistically planted green roof for a strikingly lush effect.
Located on the marina of Puerto Vallarta, “Vallarta House” definitely isn?t lacking in luxurious features, including a sea-facing facade that fully opens the living space to the air, a gym, movie theater, swimming pool, two Jacuzzis, and an in-ground fire pit, not to mention eight seriously swanky bedrooms with ...