How to bring greenery into the facade design By Ar. Robin Sisodiya

In the problem of dense urban expansion and environmental preservation, sustainability is a key necessity, and a green facade (vertical greening) is one of those ways that has blossomed over the last decade, despite the fact that it is not a new idea. Hanging or vertical gardens, vertical vegetable farms, balcony gardens, container or planter box greening, green or eco-building, green roof or rooftop gardens, wall planters, and green envelopes are all examples of how diverse this landscape is maybe. Green facades and roofs are becoming increasingly fashionable for modern structures. Buildings benefit greatly from facades. Green walls may increase building insulation and lower the number of air pollutants such as fine dust and carbon dioxide. Vertical greening, also known as vertical gardening, is the process of greening all types of vertical surfaces with plants. Integrating ecological ideas into today’s architectural practice is a critical answer. They are suited for urban environments where vertical space is abundant but the ground area is scarce, which is why this phrase is referred to as urban gardening. Vertical greening is an excellent example of combining nature with architecture (connecting diverse functionalities). In order to overcome today’s environmental and ecological concerns in congested metropolitan settings, a range of plants as lovely green envelopes may be cultivated on a minimal amount of growth material. There are a lot of ways to add greenery to the facade designs. Some tips to do so are as follows:

  • Add climbing plants: A green façade is a wall that is covered with plants entirely or partially. A trellis system holds the stems of plants that are planted in the soil or pots on a green façade with climber plants. Green façades enhance the urban environment in terms of economics, climate, aesthetics, and health. Unlike green walls, which can only be built into a house if it is constructed to support the weight, this form of green façade may be planted in the ground/container and linked to any building or structure using a trellis mechanism.
  • Add plant pots to the balcony: You may create a green facade by arranging pot plants along the rails. The best way to generate a lot of space and grow as many plants as you like is to arrange pots and planters on a shelf or stand in a corner of the balcony. Plants in colourful pots placed horizontally in a stand will look extremely stunning.
  • Plant climbing vines on railings of the facade: Climbers may be planted on balcony and terrace rails to help make the exterior more green and sustainable. Growing vines on your porch, deck or balcony rails are a wonderful way to landscape. Plants with iron or wood railings may make for a nice contrast. It’s a terrific way to liven up your outside area or even offer some seclusion by erecting a barrier with vines.
  • Create a vertical garden on the facade: Vertical gardens have sparked a lot of curiosity and have been incorporated into a range of various creative ideas. In an urban setting, using the vertical plane to maintain plants is a logical and sensible solution, especially when there is little chance of bringing green to the level of the people on the streets. Vertical vegetation has a purpose other than aesthetics. Plants block a portion of the solar radiation that strikes a building’s surface, keeping interior areas cooler and lowering the demand for air conditioning. Due to evaporative cooling and shading, this strategy can help conserve electricity. Plants may reduce the temperature of a space by minimising heat gains in front of a blind gable, and they can filter the sunlight that would otherwise enter the area by growing over an aperture.

Green Facades are beneficial to the environment as well as the structure of any building. The impact of climate change is becoming more evident, as is the argument about architecture’s involvement in it. The greening of buildings and other structures is a critical component of the solution to the difficulties faced by climate change. According to ScienceDirect, spreading plants or greenery onto a building’s façade has the ability to improve air quality and lower surface temperature in the built environment.