When we first saw this modern interpretation of an ivy-covered wall we kept walking around it. We couldn't stop admiring it from all angles, from both inside and outside the building it graces.
The idea is inspired - to have the plants growing up a tension wire grid placed three feet out in front of the building itself. It's part garden, part wall, part privacy provider, part eco-energy a/c alternative. It's gorgeous and is executed so simply - details below.
We saw this at the Pritzker Family Children's Zoo at Lincoln Park Zoo.
According to the representative, the plants are regular old ivy, planted last summer. (CORRECTION: It is Vitis riparia, Riverbank Grape, see first comment below).
They were about a foot high when planted and a year later they already reached the top of the grid (more than 25 feet).
The plants are growing in a narrow soil filled space in the concrete. Rocks are placed on top of the soil, adding another texture and keeping the visuals simple - just the concrete, glass, stones and ivy.
We love this idea - a vertical garden that adds natural beauty to an already beautiful modernist facade. The footprint of this garden is long and so super narrow, truly an urban gardening solution.
(Re-edited from a post originally published 05.08.06)
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I am pleased you found the amenity so attractive. It is also very functional and serves a multitude of purposes. As the landscape architect who specified these plants and worked closeley with the architect who designed the system, I thought you might want to know the plants on the wall are NOT regular old ivy as seen growing on all the walls around Chicago.
They are Vitis riparia, Riverbank Grape and were selected for the following reasons: as a native to the upper midwest they provided a conceptual bridge between the otter and beaver habitats (both riparian habitats), they were well suited for the location which doubles as a drainage basin for the stormwater from the roof(the narrow cobblestone covered planting bed), seasonal interest year round (fruit, fall color, attractor of birds and insects, sculptural qualities of the branching in winter, shade), quick growing time, and durable.
The seeds were collected in the wild and propogated, and contract grown specifically for this project. Most of the plants were little more than skinny bare sticks when planted in the early spring of 2005.
Mark:
Thanks so much for commenting! I so enjoyed seeing your work yesterday and can appreciate it even more with this new info.
Janel-
Thanks for the flattering comments about our vine wall design at LPZ. As the architect of the
building, we appreciate the clarification by Mark Robertson. It goes to show that there's always so much more than meets the eye in any design idea.
For us, there's always a strong need in our public exhibit projects to merge the building design ideas with the exhibit design. It's even better when these solutions jointly solve challenging technical problems - in this case, mitigating the intensity of the west facing sunlight. This wall provides seasonal variety and lets in the light when needed (winter) and keeps it out in the summer. Furthermore, from the inside, it's reminiscent of that lazy summer afternoon view looking up through the canopy of tree.
So happy to find this story! This is the fourth time I've found the use of a vine as a screen, shown in publications over the past 20 years; this treatment can also be accomplished indoors by placing window boxes above or below windows, creating a screen, replacing the need for window treatment, although it requires multiple windows, plenty of light. I'm tempted as I have a five-window bay! Great story!
good
You have given me some ideas for a full sun exposure. It might help to cut down on summer sun to keep my house cooler! Thanks for the pictures. When it is mature, how do you handle the pruning for winter?
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