the green walls of musée du quai branly, paris. january 2008.i love the lush, mossy green walls of the musée du quai branly--wouldn't it be great to see them all over nyc? there's one on the upper east side--pure yoga--and i've heard rumors of one at a restaurant in chinatown or on the lower east side. are there others? i attended a panel discussion last night in the hopes of finding out a bit more on the state of things here, green wall-wise.
while taking a few snapshots of the lovely interior green wall on site (below, and here), i had the luck to be standing next to the contractor who put together the beautiful array, cody lacroix of new york city green roof and landscape, and he was kind enough to chat with me about the installation, what he thought what worked or didn't about this one (needs more watering, deeper, better planters and maybe a different irrigation system), and offer insight into the cost and viability of green walls. the simple story is (and another panelist concurred), green walls have a glorious upside-- beauty, energy savings from the insulation, and cleaner air. and they're terrific for (and most successful when) promoting native plants (think local!). but "green walls" still require a lot more research, especially in terms of irrigation systems and modular systems. each execution is labor intensive, requiring a good bit of experimentation and tinkering...so, the downside is not surprising: it's cost prohibitive (roughly $150/square foot), whether indoor or out. even in a thriving economy, it's a big ask.
simpler systems, like green screens (think trellises), where vines can proliferate are more affordable--"they are not new or exotic" but have a greater chance of being "successful."
cody lacroix's calming, green wall. nyu center for architecture. 536 laguardia place, nyc. on view through april 11, 2009.
right now, "green walls" seem to be more an idea than a movement, but here's hoping that especially (and at least) commercially it...well...grows. bad pun, but judging from the "standing room only" attendance at last night's event, it's also a well shared sentiment.
