27 Jan

The benefits of green walls

Interior green walls are a beautiful feature in a home or commercial space, but studies have shown they have even more far-reaching benefits than aesthetics.

A green wall or bio wall is a wall completely or partially covered in vegetation. They have become very popular outside commercial buildings as exterior walls, and also inside light-filled entrance spaces and dining areas.

Specialist companies have emerged to construct and install large-scale green wall projects, however it is possible to build your own at home.

As with all vegetation, green walls help improve air quality and bring about a calming sense of wellbeing. A recent study reported by Sourceable.net however showed green walls can also provide passive acoustic insulation.

The study, by agricultural engineer Zaloa Azkorra of Spain’s University of Basque Country’s Department of Thermal Engineering, involved an experiment with a reverberation chamber in two different laboratory settings and two green walls.

Sourceable.net reports: “Azkorra concluded that “the green wall showed a similar or better acoustic absorption coefficient than other common building materials, and its effects on low frequencies were of particular interest because its observed properties were better than those of some current sound-absorbent materials at low frequencies”.”

In short, green walls have significant potential as sound insulators. The report suggested health care environments and libraries to take advantage of the sound-dampening qualities of green walls. They have also been used in such creative settings as a concert hall in Germany, which the German Broadcasting Station liked so much it relocated there for its news casting.

The cost and time required to maintain green walls effectively puts many people off at this stage, but as their materials and construction advance, it won’t be long before they start becoming commonplace.

If you would like to know more about the potential application for the incorporation of a green wall in to your home, please don’t hesitate to contact Beadles.

Cheers,

Beadles