Biotecture living walls comprise of a patented, self-sufficient, modular, hydroponic system enhancing experiences by incorporating nature. The patented hydroponic system brings a new level of sustainability through intelligent water management and stable system dynamics.
The trusted, panel-based system is extremely flexible to suit any size or shape installation. It is in use in a huge variety of contexts, including hotels, airports, corporate offices, commercial projects, high-end retail outlets, restaurants and private gardens all over Europe, UAE and Sultanate of Oman. Between these settings and countries, our living walls have been tested and proven in extremes of location and climate. The use of Biotecture system could revolutionize the human urban experience.
How does the system work?
The Biotecture biowall system is a modular hydroponic system with unique, patent-pending properties that give it unrivalled performance, stability and endurance. The backing structure is similar to any other rain-screen cladding system with vertical cladding rails and a backing board. This creates a ventilated cavity between the supporting wall and the green wall which becomes the building’s outer skin. The modules consist of a regenerated plastic box, housing a spun mineral fibre and capillary breaks which act as a root zone and water reservoir, holding 80% of its volume when fully saturated. Surplus water moves into a rear drainage void towards the base of the wall, avoiding the accumulation of excess water within the growing medium. Water and nutrients are delivered in precise quantities to each panel at pre-determined intervals. The system is continuously monitored and sends out alerts of water delivery fall outside required parameters. Water usage is typically 1litre/m²/day with about 10-15% runoff. This results in a well designed, construction friendly, resilient, low water use and low maintenance system.
Advantages:
- Genuine, long-term sustainability
- Indefinite longevity of planting medium
- Ability of growing medium to keep oxygen pockets even when saturated unlike soil
- Ability to flush out excess nutrients and salts unlike soil
- Light-weight growing medium causing less load on the supporting structure
- Slimmer system allowing to take up less room for installation
- Unique system allowing each row of modules to drain individually to the rear and not onto other modules below
- Greater resilience during extended water supply failure due to the properties of the Biotecture growing media
- Acoustic benefits of the continuous substrate
- Option to “pre-grow” the walls off-site in our nurseries and nursed after installation and made ready for installation at project afterwards
- Variety of panels – 12 standard panels + 3 standard top box sizes + 3 standard corner sizes + bespoke panels
- Use of 100% UK manufactured closed-loop recycled plastic materials