I have written about living walls before—also known as green walls or vertical gardens. When I read about the 10-ton living wall at The Rubens at The Palace in London, I had to share the details with you. The four-star luxury property’s living wall is 350 square meters in size and includes 10,000 herbaceous plants. It was designed to provide blossoming plants throughout the year and includes 22 species of plants. The plants, some of which can grow one meter in length, are watered using a drip irrigation system. Rain water is caught and later used for irrigation. No chemical sprays are used to maintain the plants. The living wall includes wild strawberries and other plants that attract birds and insects such as butterflies. The living wall is helping to cool the hotel during the hot summer and will act as a blanket to help reduce heat loss during the winter.
The Rubens at the Palace was identified as a suitable location during the Victoria Business Improvement District Green Infrastructure Audit, one of several funded by the Greater London Authority. The wall was designed by Gary Grant of the Green Roof Consultancy Ltd. and installed and maintained by TreeBox Ltd.
To view a video of the living wall being constructed, click here. To learn more about the hotel’s other green initiatives, click here.
