Greenroofs.com Project of the Week: 6/20/11
Hotel Ushüaia Low-Tech Vertical Garden
Ibiza, Spain
3,735 sf. Greenwall

Year: 2011
Owner: Hotel Ushüaia
Location: Ibiza, Spain
Building Type: Commercial
Type: Living Wall
System: Single Source Provider
Size: 3,735 sq.ft. 
Slope: 100%
Access: Accessible, Open to Public

Project Description & Details

The newest vertical garden project from the young Spanish firm Urbanarbolismo was completed on May 20, 2011, in collaboration with Alijardín and Alicante forestal. Situated in the Hotel Ushüaia de Ibiza, the four panel eco.bin greenwall acts as a sound barrier between the open air disco located in the hotel’s central courtyard and the neighboring guest rooms. The unique garden wall system consists of rows of ceramic terracotta containers whose circular openings are individually filled with growing medium and planted.

Each interconnected planted ceramic, with its own substrate and vegetation, works together to create this sound-absorbent garden space. Keeping in account the climatic characteristics of the Mediterranean island of Ibiza, the designers have selected a variety of crassula, euphorbia, echeveria, aeonium, kalanchoe, sedum and sedeveria which can adapt to these conditions. In comparison to complex automated vertical gardening systems, this type requires a more personalized maintenance regime, yet the designers feel this low-tech typology option also offers more people a greater possibility of having a vertical garden of their own.

Designers/Manufacturers of Record

Architect & Designer: Urbanarbolismo
Greenwall System: eco.bin
Construction: Urbanarbolismo + Alicante forestal + Alijardín

Additional Info

In Spanish, “Urbanarbolismo” literally means “UrbanTreeism” – wow, it sounds very tree huggerish yet obviously on a larger, urban scale – and that’s part of the philosophy of this design/build architect-led group of designers.  They believe there is no division between urban and natural: Urban development should not only create a space for us; we should ameliorate previous ecosystems and if they were not present, we should find ways to recreate them.  Known for a handful of previous local greenroofs and greenwalls, founding principal Jordi Serramia Ruiz tells us that this is their first project utilizing their new greenwall system called “eco.bin.”

The design of the plant-filled ceramic greenwall allows for curvaceous, undulating, and sweeping vistas, creating a sense of dizzying vertigo with colorful succulents – nonetheless beautiful and eco-friendly while cleansing the air and providing a sound barrier to boot.  You have to admit that along with their own resident mega-ants, seen above crawling up the stark white stucco walls, the Hotel Ushüaia Low-Tech Vertical Garden is truly unique!  And strategically placed accent lighting highlights the spiky leaves of the succulent vegetative structures seen poking through their ceramic plant holes.

Developed by Urbanarbolismo as a way to make vegetated walls affordable to most people, four separate panels help define the intimate space, including a smaller living wall greeting people the entrance from the outside of the hotel below:

Once you plant the wall, you’re set, and the low-maintenance drip-irrigation watering system also keeps it low-tech, especially since they’re designed to tilt towards each interior cell, thereby retaining water at the bottom for future use.

The design appears to be avant-guard in its execution while promising to be easy and low-tech.  Seeing how this one-month old greenwall is brand-spanking new, let’s see how it develops and fares over time.  If you visit this gorgeous party island of Ibiza and get to the popular Hotel Ushüaia, send us some photos to share!

Read more, in Spanish, at Urbanarbolismo’s May 30, 2011 blog post: Jardín vertical low-tech en Ibiza. Urbanarbolismo.

Did we miss something?  We’d love to hear from you!  Click here to see more information about this project in The International Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database.  See how you can submit yours here.

Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!

~ Linda V.

Last week’s Greenwall Project of the Week (GPW) was the beautiful YVR Canada Line Station 4 Living Wall, located at the Vancouver International (YVR) Airport’s SkyTrain station.  The first Canadian airport to install a greenwall, international visitors to this beautiful city are greeted by the living tapestry, just one of the sustainable initiatives and ecological solutions for the airport.  Since YVR is situated within the estuary of the Fraser River on Sea Island, a large conservation project was created here to offset the environmental impact the airport causes, including a wildlife preserve and public beaches.

Inaugurated early in August 2009, months in advance of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Winter Paralympics, the $1.9 billion (CAD) Canada Line is a rail-based rapid transit line linking central Richmond, Canada, the Vancouver International Airport and downtown Vancouver, B.C.  The Canada Line terminus at YVR-Airport Station is linked by a bridge to an award-winning $125-million (CAD), five-story steel and glass structure known as the Link.  Connecting to both the international and domestic terminals, the Link’s signature oval structure provides a unique visual connection to the land, sea and sky that surround the airport. 

Designed to eliminate visual interference, the YVR Canada Line Station 4 station sits 60 feet high straddling a road.  Both the YVR Station and the Link were designed by Kasian Architecture with Read Jones Christoffersen as structural engineers, and Sharp Diamond Landscape Architecture was brought in to design the massive green wall and other features.

One of the largest living walls in North America (the largest at the time in 2009), it measures 17.0m high and 11.6m wide (about 55.8 feet x 38 feet), and houses a total of 27,391 individual plants!  Landscape architect Randy Sharp used a modular system by G-Sky, a B.C. based company, for this living wall that encompasses 2,107 stainless steel panels.  His design concept stresses the connection of the vegetated wall to the rapid transit station to the ground.

Randy was also involved with the Landscape Master Plan for the Vancouver International Airport and its unique ecological environment.  He says his overall vision for the Grant McConachie Way corridor, which leads into YVR, was to serve as a natural gateway linking Vancouver to B.C., Canada, and the world beyond.  Drawing upon the estuary thematics of Sea Island, he desired the landscape experience to feature a four-season effect in a bold design that would grow and evolve over time.  Highlights include major tree and shrub planting to enhance view corridors, other landscape designs for various Canada Line Stations, the ongoing development of a multi-use trail system for Sea Island, and a gateway feature signage program.

“Green facades and living walls provide an exciting fresh canvas for landscape architects and designers to be creative.   These vertical landscapes provide as yet unexplored opportunities for biodiversity, greywater treatment, urban agriculture and energy performance, not to mention the creation of green collar jobs.” ~ Randy Sharp

But the stunning greenwall isn’t the only green element here – two greenroofs, one extensive and the second intensive – are also featured.  First Nations art inside and outside the terminal grace the property, too, and enhance the sense of place.

Randy has designed and installed another of metro Vancouver’s most significant living walls, the Aquaquest, the Marilyn Blusson Learning Centre, Vancouver Aquarium - the first modular living wall in North America, as well as many greenroofs, too.  In fact, he and his company have received multiple awards in design excellence for both greenroofs and walls.

There’s been a lot of public commentary (and pride) about the green design of YVR Canada Line Station 4’s living wall, particularly in the blogosphere.  While not everyone appreciates the environmental benefits of greenwalls, everyone loves the aesthetics.  Responding to a blog post last summer in Price Tags, John Wilson retorted:

“This specific green wall sends a message to everyone visiting Vancouver (and Canada). That message is that we’re a progressive cosmopolitan city that cares about the world and the environment, and we’re open to using new methods and technologies because we’re also big on innovation. We’re a player in the world. Interesting things are happening here.”

Vancouver, B.C., is indeed a progressive, green city that’s always included at the top of the world’s most livable cities.  The Vancouver Airport Authority also maintains a Public Observation Area here where people of all ages can see take-offs and landings and learn about the area’s unique ecology and history, too, with all sorts of hands-on activities.  See a video about it here.

Next time you’re at YVR, check out their new green wall at Canada Line Station 4.  According to locals, the best views are from the parkade bridge connecting the International Terminal at Departures level 3, or from Chester Johnson Park, International Terminal Arrivals level 2.

~ Linda V.

Did you see that the Auckland-based Natural Habitats Landscapes recently designed and installed NZ’s first commercial interior greenwall?   Sexy, too, imagine getting your hair done with living, clinging, luscious plants breathing down your neck…

Very cool reality coming from the land of so many fantastical landscapes (sorry, I just couldn’t help the reference to Lord of the Rings, among so many other incredible, breathtaking vistas: natural, man-, Hobbit-made, or otherwise)!

Pip Patterson, of Natural Habitats Landscapes, tells us that Takapuna is now home to New Zealand’s newest and most innovative venture, The Department Store, providing a multi-dimensional fashion, art and beauty experience across three floors, now featuring a dramatic greenwall.

Completed in mid November, 2009, one of the greenest triumphs of the new store - which is also a New Zealand first – is the large, vertical, interior garden or ‘Green Wall’ in the Stephen Marr Salon on the top floor. 

Spearheaded by Stephen Marr, Karen Walker and Dan Gosling from Black Box, the Green Wall was designed by Katie Lockhart and installed by Natural Habitats Landscapes.  The Department Store showcases the very best of fresh, creative New Zealand brands, and has embraced an international level of retail thinking by designing this unique space with emphasis on our environment.

The Green Wall is a natural extension to Stephen Marr’s environmental commitment and is unique in that it is double-sided and measures 10 metres long by 2 metres high, boasting well over 1,000 individual plants.

The Green Wall divides the upper level, promoting unique spaces that can be used for presentations such as fashion shows.   The building has had skylights installed to ensure the wall is given as much natural light as possible and the use of supplementary man-made lighting is kept at a minimum.  Although already stunning, the green wall is initially sparse as the plants adjust and dig in to their newly created habitat, full coverage is expected within six months or so.

Note:  We get a lot of press releases claiming to be “firsts” in many respective fields – and we rely upon readers like you to set the record straight if this is not the case.  Do you know of another green wall in New Zealand that came before this beautiful one?  Let us know!

In any case, visit Natural Habitats Landscapes to learn more.  See the greenwall profile in The Greenroof Projects Database here - and after many green wall entries to date, do you think it’s time to adjust the name of this database to perhaps “The Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database”?  Stay tuned in the New Year!

Happy Greening! ~ Linda V