If you are an architect, engineer or project writer, and you need to learn how to quote a living wall, welcome! you have come to the right place.
In this post we will try to help you to elaborate a living wall, for a correct installation. In addition, we will help you to know the key aspects to choose the most suitable vegetal wall system for your project.
Every day we collaborate with many professionals like you, doing just this. Therefore, we believe that this post where we explain how to do it step by step may be of interest to you. Shall we start?
No knowledge of vertical garden systems
We know firsthand that the big problem for many designers is the lack of knowledge about living wall systems.What aspects to take into account and how to compare between the different systems on the market? What are the technical requirements to contemplate previously in each project?
Learn more at what to value in a vertical garden system y how to do it can be a difficult task if you don’t know some basic aspects.
To assist specifiers in this task, we have recently integrated our Fytotextile® living wall system into NBS’s price generator. Fytotextile® into the NBS price generator. As a specifier, you are probably already aware of the excellent utility of this online tool for the economic study of works and projects.
Calculate living wall budget
Our systems are incorporated into the NBS Price Generator
From the selection of the living wall system, Cype’s price generator allows you to obtain a detailed measurement and an itemized budget.
In addition, it also provides the specifications of the work unit and a lot of technical information of interest for the project.
Let’s budget a living wall
As we said, we are going to help you to budget a living wall with our Fytotextile® system. In addition, the general approach will help you to better understand living wall systems in general.
To do this, we will first review the basic components to consider when designing a vertical garden. design a vertical garden. This way we will be clear about what we are budgeting for.
The basic composition of a landscaped façade system, in case you didn’t know, usually consists of:
- An auxiliary structure
- A drainage and evacuation system
- The culture system or medium
- The irrigation and fertigation system
- A control system
- Vegetation
- The auxiliary lighting system
- Subsequent maintenance
As this is a topic for another post, we will not go into much more detail here. It is only necessary to clarify that this same composition is the one we follow in the CYPE price generator.
Vertical garden budget items
The first step, when entering the price generator, is to click on the section F Facades and partitionsand then FJ Vertical landscaping.
Within this section, 4 sub-sections are displayed, to select according to indoor or outdoor installation. Basically the characteristics of the budget obtained will be similar, but in indoor systems the complete unit will require to consider, in addition, the auxiliary lighting item.
FJE/FJI Supporting substructure and vegetation, for outdoor/indoor use:
In this subsection we have two items, “vertical gardening with semi-hydroponic cultivation with the Terapia Urbana system”, and “periodic supervision of vertical gardening”. By supervision we refer to the “subsequent maintenance” of the system, which is a unit that must be incorporated from the budget to ensure the initial development of the vertical garden.
– vertical landscaping with semi-hydroponic cultivation using the Terapia Urbana system.
We simply define the landscaping area by clicking on the area range where the project to be carried out is located. Once the item is obtained, the total amount will be corrected by defining the exact area.
It is not possible to edit the supporting substructure, nor the growing medium, only the number of plants per m². and the estimated supply cost. The Fytotextile system has a maximum capacity of 49 pc/m². .
The irrigation system and automation
FJG Irrigation
Within this subchapter are the units “Vertical Landscaping Irrigation and Evacuation” and “Vertical Landscaping Irrigation Automation“. The former defines the type of irrigation system, the latter the control system.
-Irrigation and Evacuation of vertical landscaping
We will start by selecting the location of the exterior or interior system, and defining the range of surface area to be budgeted in the project.
Depending on these surface ranges, the generator will give us the option to choose between one irrigation system or another.
- From 0 to 45 m2By default, select the “no fertilization” system, which is the way in which the irrigation system is associated with a lost solution.
- From 45 to 120 m2allows us to choose irrigation with fertilization (lost solution irrigation system, where a fertigation system is included) or without fertilization, which is the generator’s name for the closed-loop irrigation system.
- From 120 m2 the generator only allows to opt for closed-loop irrigation, or as the generated one mentions “without fertilization”. This, as we say, does not refer to no fertilization, but to a need for programming the price generator.
In the lower tabs, the program breaks down the rest of the components considered in each case, without the possibility of editing. It will only be possible to edit the pipe diameters, but we recommend you not to modify it.
-Automation of irrigation of vertical landscaping
As in the previous unit, we start by selecting the location of the outdoor or indoor system and defining the area to be budgeted.
Depending on these surface ranges, the generator will give us the option to choose between one control system or another.
- From 0 to 25 m2the default system selected is basic control.
- From 25-45 m2 allows you to choose between basic or advanced, and from 45 m2 by default selects advanced control system.
The lower tabs provide detailed information about the rest of the components of the chosen control system, and do not allow editing.
The irrigation collection gutter at the base
FJR Auctions
This last subchapter has only one item, for “Gutter for vertical landscaping“. And it will only be necessary to choose the type of indoor/outdoor location and indicate the surface range of the project under study.
The subsequent maintenance of the garden
FJS Supervisory work
-periodic supervision unit of vertical landscaping
From the project surface to be budgeted (<150 m2) the generator already offers the appropriate type of irrigation system. For other surfaces, the description of the generator is still valid, but you can contact us to clarify everything you need.
Within this tab, it is possible to designate the location of the vertical garden, choosing between indoors or outdoors.
With this, we will have completely characterized, and with a level of technical specification suitable for budgeting in project, the vertical garden installation that we are designing.
Need more help? Contact us!
Our team is at your disposal to answer all your questions. Please contact us if you need to define correctly your vertical garden system most suitable for your case.
Did we leave anything out? Did you miss any other question or section? please contact us and we will be happy to help you and we will be happy to help you and take your comments into account for a future post.
What problems do you encounter when designing and budgeting a vertical garden correctly? We encourage you to leave us your doubts and questions in the comments of this post.
