The Environmental Benefits of Green Walls: A Sustainable Solution

Green walls or living walls, vertical gardens, and eco walls have gained much traction in the modern world. Adding living nature to cities not only makes them look more inviting but also serves a multitude of other reasons and benefits.

A green wall will work in practically every setting, whether inside or out, freestanding or affixed to the wall. But how are these green walls constructed, and what characteristics set them apart? In this article, we’ll be discussing that and more.

What Is a Green Wall?

Technically speaking, it is a wall-mounted garden or vertical garden installed in a public place, such as offices, hospitals, public facilities, public areas, and hotels.

Green walls consist of modular panels, generally composed of plastic or a lightweight material attached to a substrate fixed to the wall with screws. The substrate is often a metal frame coated with stone powder or fiberglass. When constructing an eco wall, the substrate must be rigid and durable enough to support the weight of the plants. The substrate should also allow water permeability to nourish the modular panels.

Some frames may have an aesthetic design, which can add a nice touch to the eco wall. Any frame will do as long as it can support the weight of the plants.

Functions and Benefits of Green Wall

There are several benefits to adding green walls to a room to make it more lively. First and foremost, it is impossible to overlook the living wall’s aesthetic advantages. The striking pieces may have a significant effect when used to decorate a concrete and brick urban landscape, providing possibilities for interior decoration, gardening, and urban agriculture.

1. Benefits for People

Due to our intrinsic urge to be in nature, living walls increase our happiness and productivity. Our mood is improved when natural elements are introduced to areas that are not often visible, causing us to become more attentive and cheerful. This is sometimes referred to as Biophilia.

Studies have also shown that being in nature reduces negative behaviors like hostility and anxiety. Additionally, it has been shown that being in nature helps people feel less stressed and more refreshed. This results from our bodies’ natural response to seeing and being near natural elements.

2. Eco-Friendly Features Are Energy Cost-Effective

People have found that outdoor green walls and facades save money on energy costs because the plants cool down buildings when they are in the sun. Also, they make it harder for warm air to escape during the winter.

Also, plants can slightly lower the temperature inside, which is another way to save money on energy. Not forgetting the factor, enough plant matter also helps reduce noise.

3. Enhance Social Interaction

Being in a green environment draws people closer together. Experts proved that small-scale vegetation, in particular, improves social cohesiveness in communities. In this sense, places with more greenery see less violence, hostility, and vandalism.

The more expansive greenery areas in a city become, the more people begin to view the city as welcoming and friendly. It makes people feel more inclined to visit these places more often.

4. Develops a Sense of Responsibility

The more people see a green space in the city, the more likely they will look after it. Seeing such city spaces full of thriving flora and greenery can be an excellent incentive for people to start taking care of their surroundings, thereby reducing waste and pollution levels in the area.

5. Attracts Tourists

A growing number of tourists are flocking to cities with natural green facades and walls because exploring the green landscape has become a popular trend. These tourists spend their money at local shops and businesses, supporting the community.

6. Good Investments

According to studies, the closer a city building is to green areas, the higher its worth. For example, hotel rooms with views of an outdoor living wall fetch much higher room rates than those with views of a parking lot. Green infrastructure may be even more lucrative in terms of improved company image. With environmental issues becoming more apparent in our personal and professional lives, a living wall is a visible dedication to sustainability for workers, customers, and the general public. 

7. Green Walls Provide a Perfect “Healing Environment”

Greenery promotes patients to heal quicker, resulting in a shorter hospital stay. In a green atmosphere, people have a greater pain tolerance. This powerful impact is frequently referred to as a ‘healing atmosphere.’ Simply gazing at areas dominated by green plants, flowers, and water helps people recuperate and reduces stress.

Most Popular Green Walls

Several types of green walls are influenced by factors such as being indoors or outdoors, size, materials, and plants. Design and construction of all sorts of green walls are always evolving, allowing for even more alternatives for different applications. 

Outdoors

Outdoor green walls save money by lowering temperatures, collecting rainwater, or keeping buildings warm, and they are mainly used to add greenery to cities. 

Climate plays a role in how these living walls are built because they have to stand up to their surroundings, which can sometimes be hard on the structure and plants of the wall.

Indoors

Indoor green walls, however, can’t be as significant because they have to fit the space they’re in. But with these limits, they are often easier to keep up.

Intelligent and active green walls are only used indoors since the plants here can’t tolerate outdoor environments. These green walls employ tropical plants that can survive with shade or nonnatural light.

Design 

The green wall’s design and construction are important because it’s the foundation of how they will interact with the environment. Studies have revealed that human brains respond positively to color, light, and pattern. Hence, a green wall implemented into a sustainable building design will likely significantly affect people.

Related: Create an Urban Garden Today, Green Roofs, Home Office Plants

Author’s Note

Green walls serve many vital functions besides being eye candy for a place’s occupants. Having a green wall around a building sends a clear message that the building is actively trying to fulfill its responsibility to the environment and reduce its carbon footprint. Any way you look at it, living walls perform multiple functions. Whether you sit in one every day or pass by, you’ll enjoy looking at a wall that boasts a beautiful living garden.