PNC Green Wall
FISHER ARCHitecture introduced the idea of building what was then North America’s largest green wall to the folks at PNC Bank. Jeff Flick at BD&E invited Fisher ARCHitecture to the table to discuss ways to improve PNC’s downtown exterior architecture. At the time, the French living walls of designer, Patrick Blanc, fascinated Eric.
For more Fisher Architecture projects formed from plants, check out our Garden in the Air, the Fisher House, the Edgar House, 243 Claremont Drive, and the Pittsburgh Lake House
Read More >PNC wanted to brand itself as Green. What better way to do that than by building their logo out of plants?! Our first proposal with the bank included the wall. Next we drew the project renderings and coordinated the hiring of the green wall installer.
Green Living Technologies (GLT) in Rochester, New York, constructed the green wall system just in time for the Pittsburgh G-20 Summit celebration. We posted these construction photos courtesy of George Irwin at GLT.
According to one living wall installer, green walls (also known as plant walls, living walls or vertical gardens) have become a rising new trend of built environments in recent years. Incorporating living nature into urban environments not only looks much more inviting, but also has a number of other benefits and purposes.
Benefits for people
Living walls can make us happier and more productive, as they appeal to our innate need to be around nature. It lifts our mood to see natural elements in unusual places, making us more alert and upbeat. This concept is “biophilia”.
Studies have also shown that nature can decrease negative behaviors, such as aggression and anxiety. Moreover, nature reduces stress and mends mental fatigue. This is due to the automatic reaction of our bodies to seeing and being around natural elements.
Green elements reduce stress and fatigue
As issues with pollution and air quality have become better understood, plants’ effects on air quality have likewise gathered more interest. Plants purify the air through microbes of plant roots, which can use chemicals as nutrients. Also, improved air quality advances people’s alertness and cognitive abilities.
However, regular passive green walls (or plants alone) do not purify and naturalize air effectively enough for a noticeable difference. Smart and active green walls with active air circulation achieve this, as the wall, plants, and supporting technology are all designed for the purpose.
Awareness of the role our surroundings play in our health and well-being will lead to new expectations towards the built environment, and the key element in re-populating our offices successfully will be to create workplaces where people feel safe to return to and spend their time in.
