The benefits of plants go far beyond just aesthetics.
The ability to use plants as tools to improve the environment has been a concept employed for centuries. Here at Avant Garden, LLC we don’t just create living walls – we create living ecosystems. We emulate natural plant communities and processes, providing ecosystem services which are severely lacking in urban environments. With careful design and planning, we can create efficient and effective living architecture that offers both service and amenity.
Ecological – Green walls are living, breathing systems, creating vertical habitat and corridor space for animals and microorganisms. By integrating our living walls with aquatic wildlife, the green wall becomes a self-sustained ecosystem and provides an excellent mechanism for implementing biodiversity gardens, attracting wildlife to the urban environment.
Environmental – Plants have an innate ability to assimilate and remove pollutants from our environment that are harmful to our health. The concept of phytoremediation, the use of plants to treat environmental problems, can become a powerful tool to mitigate poor indoor air quality and integrate into water reuse applications such as greywater treatment, stormwater management and rainwater harvesting. The Green Wall acts as a compact filtration system that functions similar to artificial wetlands but requires a much smaller footprint to install.
Economic – Green walls enhance building performance by helping to reduce the urban heat island effect, providing thermal regulation and additional sound insulation. Implementing a green wall in your next project can help to combat various environmental issues, while at the same time potentially offering some economic incentives in the form of reduced energy and resource consumption, LEED® credits, tax incentives and abatements.
Social – Avant Garden, LLC promotes a biophilic philosophy, connecting humans directly with nature. Studies indicate that absenteeism costs companies over $180 billion a year and natural spaces can offer a solution. Plant material, when incorporated into public and private spaces, can have a dramatic effect on the human condition creating a healthier environment which will increase productivity, moral, and decrease absenteeism. The addition of a Green Wall to your space offers tangible social benefits to your employees, guests, and patrons.
