Abstract
4.3.3 Vertical Gardens
As noted previously, the purpose of this research study is to add to the body of knowledge with regards to lost and wasted spaces. However, Trancik does not mention facades of buildings or any other usable structure as a lost space; therefore, these spaces are referred to as wasted spaces. This is simply due to the fact that they do have a purpose and a use; however further opportunities can be explored. The facades of buildings change over the years, mostly in terms of colour. All that is done to enhance the aesthetics of buildings is the application of a fresh coat of paint. What if this could be taken a step further to make the buildings change with every season? This facade change is possible and has been successfully implemented in many buildings around the world. Botanist and vertical landscape architect Patrick Blanc has been creating beautiful vertical gardens for more than 12 years. He has been commissioned to create vertical gardens all over the world, using technology to achieve elaborate and highly complex aesthetic designs. South African architects and landscapers need to follow suit, and take advantage wherever opportunity presents itself, as this idea has already been introduced to the South African community in “City of Cape Town Smart Building Handbook”(www.capetown.gov.za)
Vertical gardens are not only highly aesthetically pleasing (refer to Plates 4.3.4 and 4.3.5);
they also offer other positive spinoffs. The first is that of passive cooling. Buildings with vertical gardens will not generate a great amount of heat as the plants in the facade will absorb most of the solar radiation; this will decrease the cost of cooling the building on hot days. This is particularly important in parts of South Africa with a hot and humid tropical climate. Durban is known to have very warm winters and does not experience snow, thus providing endless opportunities with regards to plant species, which could be used for vertical gardens. A second positive spinoff for the building will be an increase in the oxygen supplied to it. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide and convert them to oxygen; this means that the overall air quality will improve in buildings which have vertical gardens. Lastly, the vertical garden also offers opportunities to grow fruit and vegetables.
This type of gardening/ farming could contribute to the produce available to the city at an incredibly low (and even zero in some cases) carbon cost. If all buildings in the city made use of vertical gardens in some form or another, they would greatly contribute to the overall health of the natural environment. This could also have a positive impact on curbing global warming.
Plate 4.3.4 : Image of a bridge in Provence Cote D' Azur in France. The blank facade of the bridge which was a wasted space is now a vertical Garden.
Source: www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com
Source: www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com
Plate 4.3.5: Image of Quai Branly Museum in Paris. The boring facade of the building which was a wasted space is now a vertical garden.
The images on the previous pages illustrate work by Patrick Blanc and how vertical gardens have been used to beautify wasted spaces. Using Patrick Blanc’s work as a precedent study, suggestions will be made as to how the alleviation of wasted spaces on building facades could be carried out. These techniques could also be adopted to facilitate the improvement of other built environment structures, such as bridges and road verges.
The Durban Esplanade has a number of old ornate buildings which this type of intervention will not be appropriate for, as the facades are not simple and flat; however, there are some newer, modernist buildings which are perfect candidates for this type of intervention. One of the larger buildings will be used to illustrate exactly how a vertical garden could work and what it would look like in its context.
The building chosen to demonstrate the vertical garden intervention is a large multistory block of flats named The Gables. The Gables is located at the western end of the study area and has facades facing in all four directions (north, south, east, and west). This building is a perfect candidate as it is a semi-modern building with flat, blank surface areas between its window bays. It also has a large flat concrete roof which is currently not being used; therefore, a roof garden can easily be retrofitted here. The building is also wrapped around a corner, which means that the vertical garden will be seen from more than one angle and could influence other building owners to follow suit. Used exclusively as a residential block, it could be assumed that many residents living in the building will be more than pleased with the aesthetic result as it will increase the value of their properties.
Secondly the passive cooling provided by the plant life on the facade will reduce electricity bills as mechanical cooling will no longer be required. Furthermore, due to the style and repetitive nature of the building’s modular bays, it will be relatively easy to construct the frames for the vertical garden in a workshop and retrofit them to the building. It has been noted that fruit or vegetable plants could be used. This will provide an even greater reward from this intervention as the produce from the vertical garden could be used by residents, thereby reducing their overall cost of living. An artistic impression of what this building could look like if this intervention was made a reality is presented on the next page (refer to Plate 4.3.6 - lift transparency for before and after).
Transparancy & pic