{"id":67259,"date":"2026-10-07T08:42:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T06:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.terapiaurbana.com\/natural-living-wall\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T09:27:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T07:27:05","slug":"natural-living-wall","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.terapiaurbana.com\/en\/natural-living-wall\/","title":{"rendered":"Natural living wall"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Natural living wall<\/h1><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We design, manufacture and install natural living walls<\/strong>: live plants on a technical envelope with its own substrate, irrigation and drainage. Our Fytotextile\u00ae<\/strong> system was developed with the University of Seville and has more than 17,000 m\u00b2 installed across 22 countries. We work with architecture practices, contractors and developers from the design stage onwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natural, artificial or preserved: the differences that matter<\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n\n

All three look alike in a photograph, but they are not comparable in performance or service life. Only one of them is a living system:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/th>Natural<\/th>Artificial<\/th>Preserved<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Vegetation<\/strong><\/td>Live, growing plants<\/td>Plastic replica<\/td>Stabilised plant, no longer alive<\/td><\/tr>
Irrigation<\/strong><\/td>Automated, with fertigation<\/td>Not required<\/td>Not required<\/td><\/tr>
Maintenance<\/strong><\/td>Scheduled inspections and pruning<\/td>Surface cleaning<\/td>Stable environment, no water<\/td><\/tr>
Air quality<\/strong><\/td>Filters NOx and particulates, fixes CO\u2082<\/td>No contribution<\/td>No contribution<\/td><\/tr>
Thermal regulation<\/strong><\/td>Shading and evapotranspiration<\/td>No<\/td>No<\/td><\/tr>
Outdoor use<\/strong><\/td>Yes, with selected species<\/td>Limited: fades in sunlight<\/td>Not suitable<\/td><\/tr>
Service life<\/strong><\/td>Indefinite with maintenance<\/td>UV degradation<\/td>Years, indoors only<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An artificial living wall answers a decorative need. A natural living wall<\/strong> also answers an environmental and energy need of the building, and it is the only one of the three that can contribute credits towards certifications such as LEED<\/strong>, BREEAM<\/strong> or WELL<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a natural living wall delivers<\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What sets live vegetation apart is not how it looks, but that it works. These are the four effects that are actually measured in a project:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Plants<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Air quality<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Live vegetation filters NOx and airborne particulates (PM 2.5\u201310) and fixes CO\u2082. Indoors, the system is sized to renew the air of the space it sits in, not merely to decorate it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Natural<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Thermal regulation<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Shading of the wall plus the plants’ evapotranspiration cut the heat load on the facade in summer and soften heat loss in winter, with a direct effect on HVAC demand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Green<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Urban biodiversity<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A living wall provides shelter and food for pollinators and small urban fauna in dense settings, and connects isolated green areas where a ground-level garden simply does not fit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Natural<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Wellbeing and asset value<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Live vegetation in workplaces is associated with lower perceived stress and greater comfort, and it differentiates the building for occupiers, tenants and investors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

You can see each effect developed in full on our living wall benefits<\/a> page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The systems we build natural living walls with<\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Fytotextile<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Fytotextile<\/h3><\/div>\n <\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Slimgreenwall<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Slimgreenwall<\/h3><\/div>\n <\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Fytoscreen<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Fytoscreen<\/h3><\/div>\n <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

How the system works, layer by layer<\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Cross-section<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The system is built up in layers, fixed to an auxiliary structure that is independent of the supporting wall:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Auxiliary structure<\/strong>: profiles anchored to the wall that separate the system from the substrate and create a ventilated cavity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Waterproof membrane<\/strong>: isolates the building fabric from the moisture of the planted system.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Fytotextile\u00ae textile support<\/strong>: felt layers that host the root ball. They distribute water by capillarity and keep the assembly lightweight.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Vegetation<\/strong>: species selected according to orientation, solar exposure and the local climate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Irrigation and fertigation<\/strong>: programmed drip lines delivering water and nutrients in precisely the right dose.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Collection and drainage<\/strong>: a bottom channel that recovers the surplus and returns it to the circuit or to drainage.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Indoors, where natural light is rarely enough to sustain the vegetation, the system is completed with auxiliary lighting<\/a> sized to the photosynthetic needs of the chosen species. The two main applications are the outdoor living wall<\/a> and the indoor living wall<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How we work with your project<\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    Initial study<\/p>

    We analyse orientation, solar exposure, structural support and access to water and light at the specific site.<\/p>

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    Plant selection by orientation<\/p>

    A palette of live species matched to the real exposure of each panel, not to a generic catalogue.<\/p>

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    Technical documentation<\/p>

    Construction details, Revit families and DWG files, and priced items for your budget.<\/p>

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    Manufacture, installation and maintenance<\/p>

    In-house production, technical installation with local partners and a scheduled maintenance plan.<\/p>

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    Which plants go into a natural living wall<\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    There is no universal palette: it is decided project by project from orientation, solar exposure, climate and wall height. As a reference, these are the families that perform best:<\/p>\n\n\n\n