“A green façade system must meet the same technical requirements as the rest of the construction systems, within the architectural project.”
This is the idea that has driven us to continue developing our system and advising prescribers since our beginnings. That was almost 10 years ago, and today it continues to be one of our main motivations.
In this post, aimed at technicians and specifiers, we tell you how we can help you to correctly define the design of a vertical garden within your project.
Our team is formed by architects and engineers, and we know the doubts and difficulties that arise when including a new system in the project. Our mission is to simplify the technical design process for the prescriber, to guarantee the success of your result.
How do we help you include a vertical garden design in your project??
Firstly:
We offer you a vertical garden system of advanced technical performance and proven quality, which constitutes an excellent growing medium for vegetation: Fytotextile ® .
Our patented system is the result of years of research at the University of Seville, for its constant development and improvement.
Fytotextile ® is a constructive system of landscaped front, which can be integrated into any type of project, both indoors and outdoors. Its industrialized manufacturing and its excellent technical properties make it a highly reliable and durable construction system.
Describing the characteristics of the Fytotextile® system would be too long for this post, but you can consult them here and download its technical data sheet.
In summary, the main differential advantages compared to other plant covering solutions are:
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- Excellent performance as a vertical growing medium, thanks to its optimized multilayer composition.
- A certified reaction to fire classification (B-s2-d0)
- Its mechanical resistance tested in the laboratory (>530 kg/m)
- Its durability tested by accelerated aging tests.
Secondly, by providing you with personalized technical advice during all phases of the project and installation.
Our main objective is to ensure the long-term success of the design of your landscaped facade.
But let’s be specific, below we detail all the points in which our team advises you, in order to include the design of a vertical garden correctly in your project.
Analyzing the conditions
From the moment you consider including a vertical garden in your project, and you contact us, we analyze the particular characteristics of your case.
We assess the suitability of the planned location, the necessary requirements for the installation of the vertical garden (connections and previous connections), and we help you to justify the most relevant benefits for each project.
In this phase we define with you the most appropriate technical solution for the design of the vertical garden system planned.
Defining the particular technical characteristics
Designing a vertical garden means recreating the optimal conditions for the vertical cultivation of plants, with maximum guarantees of durability.
The key points for the design of a landscaped front are those that guarantee the survival of the vegetation over time and to which special attention must be paid during the project phase:
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- the irrigation system of the vertical garden
- the control and automation system
- the available lighting
Our technical office provides you with the appropriate design of each of these fundamental sections, analyzing all the factors that influence your project. In addition, we take care of defining all the technical issues related to the complete design of the landscaped façade work unit, such as the accesses for maintenance.
The whole description is specified in detail in a project section.
#Design of the irrigation system for the vertical garden
For each proposal, taking into account the total surface, the available connections and the existing space, we define the appropriate irrigation scheme for each project.
For us, sustainability in the management of essential resources such as water is fundamental, and we prioritize the most environmentally friendly solutions.
#Design of the vertical garden control system
Depending on the characteristics of each project, we define the most suitable type of control system. The main factor that influences its choice is the total installed surface of the vertical garden.
However, some designs with complicated access that complicate maintenance may require the design of advanced control systems for vertical gardens.
#Design of the accesses for maintenance
Along with the choice of a suitable vertical garden system and a correct selection of species, maintenance is a key point to ensure the durability of any vertical garden.
It is the designer’s responsibility to define the way in which this will be carried out in an accessible and safe way. Our technical office will advise you to define the most appropriate means and ensure that the maintenance work can be carried out with the utmost safety.
A correct maintenance is essential to guarantee the good results of any vertical garden.
#Sunlighting analysis and interior lighting design
Knowing the lighting that a vertical garden receives is a fundamental aspect to carry out the correct landscape design and the selection of species. Its exhaustive analysis allows to make the right species selection for each project, and to guarantee its long-term development.
Aspects such as orientation, or the hours of direct sunlight throughout the year, have a decisive influence on the selection of suitable species for the vertical garden.
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To this end, at Terapia Urbana, we carry out a sunlight study for each project, analyzing the orientation and shadows cast. This allows us to define the landscape design on a solid scientific basis.
Likewise, in interior vertical garden projects, determining the necessary auxiliary lighting is a fundamental aspect to guarantee the maximum durability of the plants. This type of analysis requires specialized knowledge and must be included in the project.
Especially in this section of the lighting design, the R & D that we develop from the University of Seville has allowed us to develop a specialized know-how. In this way we can provide a solution to a problem that currently was not being well solved in most indoor vertical garden projects.
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Through the study of indoor auxiliary lighting, we can determine the levels of photosynthetically active radiation required for each project. In this way we can design the right lighting in the right wavelengths to ensure the correct development of the plants.
As this is a complex and very technical subject, we will dedicate a specific post to it later on.
By analyzing the auxiliary lighting and the available natural lighting, we determine the type, quantity and position of the most suitable lamps for each installation.
Carrying out the landscape design and species selection
From the analysis of the sunlight data and the particular conditions of each installation such as climate zone, wind exposure, water quality, etc., we carry out the landscape design of each vertical garden.
Along with the rest of the climatic and botanical variables, we take into account the parameters related to each plant, such as its need for humidity, drainage and light requirements.
With this multi-parametric combination, we carry out the landscape proposal, aligning the design with the ornamental and aesthetic objectives of each vertical garden project.
Drawing up the project heading
Once the singularities of each installation have been defined, we provide you with the specific technical description to include in your project report.
The project section describes in detail the vertical garden system used, and the components of the rest of the necessary systems, such as irrigation, control and auxiliary engineering.
The long-term performance of the system depends on the correct definition of the complete vertical garden work unit. This section is critical if we want to avoid subsequent errors in the execution phase, which may jeopardize the viability of the installation.
Calculating the budget
Our Fytotextile® system is present in the Cype price generator. If you are in a hurry, this is the fastest way to calculate the budget for a vertical garden. You will be able to get all the necessary documentation to include in your project’s vertical garden budget. In this article of our blog we explain step by step how to do it.
But if you have a little more time, the ideal is that you contact us directly so we can study it in a personalized way. Our technical office will help you prepare the budget estimate you need for each project, broken down by items.
Technical documentation and construction details
Once in the execution phase, we develop all the constructive details of your project and we provide you with the plans and technical documentation necessary for the implementation.
In addition, we provide you with all the technical information to be included in the memory of your vertical garden project.
As manufacturers of the Fytotextile® system, our objective is to guarantee the correct execution and implementation of each vertical garden installation.
On-site technical assistance
And of course, whenever you need it, we are available to help as technical assistance during the installation phase, both on-site and remotely.
Conclusion
As you can see, the design of vertical gardens requires the collaboration of multidisciplinary teams, and highly specialized knowledge in gardening, botany, construction, lighting and sunlight studies, among others.
If you need to include the design of a vertical garden in your project with guarantees of success, don’t take risks and get advice from experts.
In this post we have told you how our team, with more than 17,000 m2 realized in more than 22 countries, helps you to include the design of a vertical garden in your project. If you have any questions, just contact us.
Need specialized advice on landscaped facades and vertical gardens? Contact us without obligation.