INNOVATION
Could cork make living walls even greener?
Living walls can be a wonderful and natural addition to commercial buildings, but they often require a high level of maintenance and after-care. In high- footfall locations in the West End, where maintenance has to fit around trading hours, NUNA offers a low-involvement and sustainable way to see the benefits of a living wall, without the costly and time-consuming maintenance required of other solutions.
NUNA Studio’s design utilises sustainable materials and reduces running costs
‘L iving walls’, where plants are added to vertical surfaces, are a tempting option for architects and urban planners looking to add greenery to the urban environment. But today’s systems are often made from unsustainable materials, and the containers they use typically limit a plant’s access to soil, preventing them from maturing properly. And because immature plants are needy plants, this leads to high maintenance costs. Now, NUNA Studio, a recent spin- out from University College London, is tackling this problem by building living wall systems out of cork. According to the startup, the super-sustainable material, which is harvested without cutting down trees, offers three times better thermal regulation than standard modular living walls, and a 90% reduction in carbon footprint. The company has even been experimenting with using waste cork left over from the wine industry. The company’s first product is the NUNA Lattice, a modular system of planters that can be used to create wall coverings, window shades, and free-
standing structures. And it’s not just the material it’s made from that makes this novel living wall a step up from existing options. A key feature of the NUNA Lattice is the unique geometry of its form. This maximises the space for soil and root growth, enabling the plants to benefit from soil microbes and nutrients while building healthy mycorrhizal networks as they would in the wild. The system also optimises water retention. While standard living walls are thirsty, requiring energy-intensive watering systems, the NUNA Lattice enables 40 times more water to be retained per plant. This means that it only needs to be watered roughly once a week. As with any architectural feature, looks matter. To look good, traditional systems require plants to be constantly in
bloom. But with the aesthetic, natural-looking finish of the cork, the NUNA Lattice is designed to be appealing even without plants. This means that plants can go through natural seasonal cycles, which fits with NUNA Studio’s philosophy of working with nature’s rhythms. Founder Mackenzie Van Dam explains that the startup’s goal “is to bring nature back to urban environments – it’s about rewilding not gardening.” The company’s current focus is on completing pilot projects that will be used to test different aspects of the design’s performance, including water retention and impact on occupant wellbeing and biodiversity. It has already completed a pilot at UCL’s BaseKX courtyard and will be partnering with Grosvenor on a large-scale pilot in Eccleston Yards in Victoria.
Made from sustainable cork, the NUNA Lattice living wall system offers improved water flow and healthier roots, while minimising maintenance costs and maximising aesthetic value and biodiversity. Through its clever design, the modular system addresses some of the constraints limiting existing living walls, unlocking benefits from improved biodiversity and occupant mental health to reduced heat and air pollution.
06
newwestend.com
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software