Overview of Living Wall Systems
Create an attractive vertical landscape on any wall or structure and enjoy many cost saving benefits while creating an impactful statement for your business.
Our living wall systems provide thermal insulation, increasing energy efficiency and reducing heating and cooling costs throughout the year. These decorative works of art help reduce the heat island effect while also protecting your walls from harmful UV rays and harsh weather conditions and damage. This results in the longevity of your structure – without the usual costly repairs and maintenance required – proving the significant economic benefits in the long-term.
Suitable for both indoor and outdoor structures, these unusual vertical garden landscapes are customisable, making an array of designs possible – such as a living green company logo to really make an impact. The relaxing and stress-free environment created by simply adding this eco-friendly option to your space is highly beneficial, while also filtering and cleaning the air you breathe – ensuring a reduced risk of illness and disease.
Made from 100% recyclable materials, each living wall comes standard with a fully integrated irrigation system to ensure minimal maintenance for a self-sustainable feature. All plants are selected locally based on climate, weight, maintenance budget and the level of light available to ensure long-term sustainability.
Key Features of Living Wall Systems
- Creates a relaxing, visually appealing environment
- Provides protection ensuring the longevity of your wall
- Filters pollutants from the air and reduces heat loss in winter
- Increases agricultural space and provides sound insulation
- Low maintenance, fully integrated irrigation to ensure self-sustainability
- Promotes environmentalism with minimal effort
- Reduces the heat-island effect, energy costs and Increases thermal performance
- High visual impact, with various plants and vegetation available
- Commands attention, great for company logos and branding ideas
- Customisable, can be built to suit any size and space
- Designed and installed by professionals
- Suitable for indoor and outdoor use, UV resistant, balances humidity levels
- Made from 100% recyclable materials, Fire rating B
- Approved thermal resistance, reduces storm water run-off
- Can be pre-grown or planted in place
- Water protection for waterproof membrane
- Panel edging options to match the façade of your building
- Backed with the up to 20 year ‘Guardian’ System Warranty
Applications of Living Wall Systems
The living wall concept is suitable for any residential or industrial wall or structure. However the largest beneficial impact can be felt in reduction of the heat island effect in urban areas, and the cost saving thermal benefits would be greater felt in larger spaces and Industrial buildings.
- Domestic households, Apartment Buildings, Office buildings, gardens
- Hotels, Stadiums, Shopping Centres, Airports, restaurants
- Museums, Exhibition centres, Conference halls, parking garage
- Schools, Universities, other educational facilities
- Science and Research facilities, Hospitals, Rehabilitation Centres
- Any existing walls, vertical barriers, stand alone or stand-off structures.
Technical Data of Living Wall Systems
Thermal and Acoustic Performance and Protection of a Living Wall
A living wall system offers a proven modular design that protects your wall by decreasing water run-off. The vegetation protects the waterproofing membrane which extends the life of the structure by protecting it from harmful UV rays and physical damage.
Increased thermal performance: Creates thermal resistance value simply by adding mass to a structure – insulating the building from extreme temperatures and minimizing heat gain.
Reduces urban heat island effect: A collection of living walls specific to a single area can decrease city temperatures during the summer months due to the increased thermal properties.
Air filtrations: The vegetation acts as a natural filter removing carbon dioxide and pollutants from the air and impurities and heavy metals from rainwater – lowering the rate of illness and disease.
Provides sound insulation: The various layers of plants and soil act as an insulated sound barrier, either absorbing, reflecting or deflecting sounds waves – reducing unwanted outside noise in high traffic areas.
Design, Modules and Plant Selection for a Living Wall
Our living wall systems can be customized – pending design approval – to suit your design and space requirements.
Plant selection: Our botanical experts ensure the correct plants are locally selected according to your space, lighting and budget requirements to ensure long-term sustainability.
Modular system details: The successful modular design of our panels divides a large system into smaller functioning parts – optimising functionality, reducing costs and increasing efficiency.
Panel Specs: Each panel consists of 10 individual cells, each set at an angle of 30° relying on additional gravitational support once mounted. The cells each have a depth of 18cm with notches to allow for drainage and aeration.
Irrigation system: Water is collected from the irrigation emitter line, and distributed to each cell via the collection chamber situated at the top of each panel. The drip channel allows for excess water to be drained – reducing water run-off and water damage.
Pest control and Nutritional support: An injection applicator may be installed, which injects the required nutrients and approved pest control substances into the irrigation feeder lines regularly – ensuring a self-sustained system.
Lighting: Levels of natural light must be measured by a lux meter to quantify the level of light available for plant selection purposes. A min of 1800 lux is required to sustain tropical vegetation, however plants can be selected for certain low light areas as well. Artificial lighting may be required in areas emitting little or no natural light.
Suitable structures and Installation of Living Walls
Our systems are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, and can be applied to any existing walls, vertical barriers and stand alone or stand-off structures, creating a visually pleasing impact for any building.
Installation requirements: The wall or structure must be able to carry the weight of the living wall upon installation. Our panels do also require the use of brackets or mounting strips which will need to be fixed on the structure to ensure secure long-term support.
Guarantees & Warranties of an Living Wall System
MRC Africa’s up to 20 year ‘Guardian’ System Warranty cuts through the myth & mystic of product guarantees and workmanship warranties issued by the construction industry.
Traditionally a product guarantee would be issued by the manufacturer and the workmanship warranty would be issued by the installer of the living wall system. Two separate pieces of paper, with differing length of terms and when put along side each other, never answered the question of who will pay for the materials and works if the living wall system fails.
‘Guardian’ System Warranty is an unrivalled new era of warranty that covers Design, Materials, Workmanship & Maintenance. The length of term for each element matches and is issued as a single source, transferrable warranty for the life of the guarantee of the living wall system.
MRC Africa challenges the construction industry to ensure that the workmanship warranty issued by contractors matches the length of term of the supplied living wall system, thereby ensuring high quality installations.