VANCOUVER, B.C.—GSky Plant Systems, Inc., a provider of living green wall systems, recently installed a 106-square-foot Versa Green Wall in a new dual-brand hotel, the Hampton Inn & Suites and Homewood Suites by Hilton Denver Downtown-Convention Center. The property, which includes 302 rooms and 4,355 square feet of meeting space, will split a lobby between the two brands. This shared lobby is where the living green wall has been installed.
“The green wall adds a unique urban touch to our new property,” said Tom Sprankle, general manager of the Hampton Inn and Suites and Homewood Suites by Hilton Denver Downtown-Convention Center. “It provides the greenery needed in a lobby, but in a modern aesthetic completely unexpected and different from potted plants.”
Chad Sichello, President of GSky, believes green walls are the future of hotel design, as many hotels are focusing on sustainable building design and making a green impression. “Hotels are increasingly implementing green walls into their design for the wow-factor and to create a connection to nature indoors,” Sichello says. “And the many other benefits of green walls make them especially appealing.”
Indoor Air Quality Enhanced
Aside from the visual appeal of a green wall, hotels with green walls can benefit from improved air quality. Green walls improve the air quality indoors and out, naturally filtering out air. They act as natural sponges for dust and toxins in the air. They increase energy-rich oxygen and reduce CO2: the process of photosynthesis consumes CO2 and releases O2, which gives people more energy-rich oxygen.
Hotel guests and employees can also reap the health and wellness benefits of being exposed to a green wall. It’s proven that greenery can improve a person’s health and well-being. It can also contribute to stress reduction and relaxation. Exposure to plants can leave people feeling more relaxed, calm and less stressed. They help ease physiological and psychological pressures of city life by providing a spiritual and physical connection to nature.
The Versa Wall remains in season year-round, as plants are interchangeable according to season. The Versa Wall employs an indoor system that is completely self-contained and remains in great condition at all times. This means no soil spills out of the wall and no water spills forward. Aside from being user-friendly and clean, the Versa Wall is also water efficient—its standard design and installation method is to include tanks directly below or behind the wall to recapture and recirculate every ounce of water provided to it. The only water that is used in a Versa Wall is that which is used by the plants or through evaporation, making it 100 percent water efficient.
Go to GSky Plant Systems.
