Vertical gardens, also known as green walls or living walls, have become a prominent feature in sustainable architecture and environmental design due to their multifaceted benefits, particularly in urban and indoor environments.

Their integration into buildings addresses both aesthetic and functional goals, offering solutions to challenges such as air pollution, urban heat, limited green space, and the need for improved occupant well-being .

**Air Purification** is a primary practical benefit of vertical gardens.

Plants in green walls act as natural air filters, absorbing carbon dioxide and harmful gases while releasing oxygen, thereby improving both indoor and outdoor air quality .

This is especially valuable in urban areas with high pollution levels, where vertical gardens can help reduce concentrations of particulate matter and volatile organic compounds, contributing to healthier environments for building occupants .

The presence of green walls in indoor spaces has been shown to lower carbon dioxide levels and increase oxygen, which can reduce the need for mechanical ventilation and enhance the efficiency of HVAC systems .

**Temperature Regulation** is another significant advantage.

Vertical gardens provide natural insulation for buildings, reducing heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter .

This insulation effect can lower energy consumption by decreasing reliance on air conditioning and heating systems .

Experimental installations in hot climates, such as in Dar es Salaam, have demonstrated wall temperature reductions of up to 5°C, directly translating to reduced cooling energy needs .

The cooling effect is further enhanced by plant transpiration, which releases moisture into the air and helps mitigate the urban heat island effect, creating more comfortable microclimates around buildings .

**Mental Health Impact** is increasingly recognized as a core benefit of vertical gardens.

Exposure to greenery, even in the form of indoor green walls, has been linked to reduced stress, improved mood, and greater overall life satisfaction .

The biophilic design principle, which emphasizes human affinity for nature, underpins the psychological benefits of vertical gardens, providing restorative environments that help occupants recover from mental fatigue and lower the risk of anxiety and depression .

In dense urban settings where access to traditional green spaces is limited, vertical gardens offer a vital connection to nature, supporting mental well-being and enhancing the quality of life for residents and workers .

**Biodiversity Support** is another environmental benefit.

Vertical gardens can serve as habitats for birds, insects, and pollinators, especially when native plant species are used .

This ecological integration helps maintain urban biodiversity and supports ecosystem services essential for food production and environmental health .

**Water Conservation and Stormwater Management** are facilitated by efficient irrigation systems commonly used in vertical gardens, such as drip irrigation and closed-loop systems .

These systems minimize water use compared to traditional landscaping.

Some large-scale vertical farms, like those in Dubai, use up to 95% less water than conventional agriculture .

Additionally, vertical gardens can absorb rainwater, reducing stormwater runoff and filtering contaminants before water reaches the ground, which helps prevent urban flooding and improves water management .

**Maintenance Needs** for vertical gardens are a critical consideration for their long-term success.

Regular tasks include watering, pruning, monitoring plant health, and pest management .

Automated irrigation and nutrient delivery systems are increasingly used to streamline maintenance, especially in larger or commercial installations .

Robotic systems capable of inspecting plant health and collecting environmental data are emerging, further reducing labor and improving sustainability .

However, inadequate maintenance can lead to plant die-off, as seen in some urban projects where harsh climates and lack of care resulted in the failure of green walls .

Selecting plants well-suited to the local environment and employing automated systems can mitigate these challenges and ensure the longevity of vertical gardens .

**Suitable Plants for Different Climates** must be carefully chosen to ensure the resilience and sustainability of vertical gardens.

In **tropical and warm climates**, drought-resistant species such as succulents, native plants, and flowering shrubs are preferred due to their adaptability to heat and limited water availability .

Common choices include ferns, orchids, climbing vines, and herbs .

In **temperate regions**, hardy perennials, ferns, and shrubs that tolerate moderate temperatures and humidity are suitable .

For **cooler climates**, cold-hardy plants like clematis, hellebores, periwinkle, and English ivy are recommended, as they can withstand frost and provide year-round greenery .

**Indoor vertical gardens** benefit from shade-tolerant, low-maintenance species such as snake plant, peace lily, ZZ plant, and Chinese evergreen, which thrive in low-light conditions and require less frequent care .

The use of native plants is often encouraged, as they are naturally adapted to local conditions, require less water, and support local biodiversity .

**Technological Innovations** are transforming vertical gardening systems.

Smart indoor garden systems equipped with sensors, artificial intelligence, and automation create controlled environments for optimal plant growth, making maintenance more efficient and accessible .

Modular systems allow for scalable installations, while hydroponic and aquaponic technologies enable soil-less cultivation, maximizing space and resource efficiency .

Robotic maintenance solutions, such as climbing robots for plant inspection, are being developed to further reduce labor and improve sustainability .

These innovations support the integration of vertical gardens into both residential and commercial buildings, enhancing their practicality and appeal .

**Energy Efficiency** is enhanced by vertical gardens through their insulation and cooling effects.

By reducing wall temperatures and providing shade, green walls decrease the need for air conditioning in summer and heating in winter, leading to significant energy savings .

Some designs incorporate renewable energy elements, such as solar panels, to further reduce utility costs and environmental impact .

The long-term benefits in energy savings and improved building performance often justify the initial investment in vertical garden systems .

**Aesthetic and Social Value** is a defining feature of vertical gardens.

They transform bland facades and interior walls into vibrant, living artworks, enhancing the visual appeal of buildings and public spaces .

In urban planning, vertical gardens are used to beautify infrastructure, discourage waste dumping, and foster community engagement through greening initiatives .

Their presence can increase property values and attract occupants seeking healthier, more attractive environments .

**Educational and Community Applications** are expanding, with schools and community organizations incorporating vertical gardens into curricula and public projects.

These initiatives teach students about sustainability, food production, and environmental stewardship, while also providing hands-on learning experiences and supporting local food needs .

Community engagement in vertical gardening fosters social interaction, a sense of ownership, and collective responsibility for urban green spaces .

**Summary of Key Considerations for Architects:** - **Air purification, temperature regulation, and mental health benefits** are well-documented, making vertical gardens a compelling feature for sustainable building design .

- **Maintenance** is essential and can be optimized through plant selection, automated systems, and emerging robotic technologies .

- **Plant selection** must be climate-appropriate, with native and low-maintenance species preferred for sustainability and resilience .

- **Technological integration** is advancing, making vertical gardens more accessible, efficient, and adaptable to diverse building types

Vertical gardens, also known as green walls or living walls, have become a prominent feature in sustainable architecture and environmental design due to their multifaceted benefits, particularly in urban and indoor environments.

Vertical gardens, also known as green walls or living walls, have become a prominent feature in sustainable architecture and environmental design due to their multifaceted benefits, particularly in urban and indoor environments.

Vertical gardens, also known as green walls or living walls, have become a prominent feature in sustainable architecture and environmental design due to their multifaceted benefits, particularly in urban and indoor environments.

Their integration into buildings addresses both aesthetic and functional goals, offering solutions to challenges such as air pollution, urban heat, limited green space, and the need for improved occupant well-being .

Title:

Content: The grounds that have for years held Tranquility Gardens will soon be sold, and the statues of philosophers and meaningful messages will have to find a new home.

Property owner Steve Purich, who transformed his land into a peaceful getaway, is now eyeing the city of Johnstown as a possible destinaion for his public oasis.

“All I’m asking is, give it a shot,” he said.

Purich initially built the gardens in Upper Yoder Township more than a decade ago as a getaway location and educational area in which visitors could learn the famous lessons of ancient thinkers, such as Plato and Socrates, and of modern public figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Albert Einstein and Mahatma Gandhi.

There’s also lessons from the Hindu deity Ganesh, Gautama Buddha, Confucius, a popular Native American story involving two wolves, and Ma’at, the Egyptian goddess of truth, justice, balance and order.

Purich has dedicated years to creating youth programs to support regional youngsters based around Tranquility Gardens and invited them to the property to stop, breathe and think.

The very first lesson he teaches is at a pond in the front of the gardens, where he tells visitors that, similar to a agitated waterway, they need to let their minds calm before they can progress with any endeavor.

At the root of all the collected lessons is the concept that a person should know themselves, nurture balanced thoughts, care for others and not shirk education.

New home

For years, the gardens have sat dormant and Purich’s health has required him to move to a new home.

With the prospect of selling the grounds on the horizon, he wants to restart his educational programing that ran from about 2009 to 2015, as one last effort to help area residents – current and future.

“The message to the community is ‘I’m going to move,’ ” Purich said. “Do I put that stuff anywhere or do I put it somewhere it’ll do some good?”

His idea is to take at least three paved or grass lots in the city and turn them into miniature tranquility areas using the statues and messages already at his disposal.

These locations should be centrally located near Greater Johnstown middle and high schools, Bishop McCort Catholic High School and Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, so they can have the most benefit to those groups, Purich said.

He has his eye on spaces in Hornerstown, Moxham and the city’s 8th Ward for that reason and is investigating use of those properties.

Within the new gardens, Purich wants to install greenery-covered archways, place topiaries and teach regional students to give the tours.

They’ll also be responsible for caring for the grounds, instilling in them personal responsibility for the locations.

Purich said he’ll secure funding to create scholarships to supplement the learners’ work and wants to contact corporate sponsors, such as Lowes’ and The Home Depot, to help shape the sites.

Last year, Purich attempted to turn the current gardens location into a wellness and education retreat area, but was not granted a variance to do so from the Upper Yoder Township zoning board.

Testaments

The steward’s determination to transplant the sanctuary stems from a packet of testimonials from visitors of all ages that he’s collected throughout the years, as well as signed letters of endorsements from local health care leaders.

Each survey asks the guest to rate different aspects of the grounds and provide comments afterward.

One form says the Tranquility Gardens are an “excellent place to regroup and team-build” while another said the area is a “very relaxing, nonstimulating environment.”

Most are glowing, five-star reviews of the grounds and messaging.

One of the endorsements comes from Conemaugh Health System Market President William Caldwell.

“Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center is supportive of the efforts to develop Tranquility Gardens into a community resource,” he wrote. “The vision you and your team have for this unique property would have the potential to further broaden wellness and education efforts in our immediate community and perhaps the region.”

Purich recently sent this collection to community leaders along with a letter requesting assistance with the relocation project.

That included Mike Kane, president of the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, who supports the effort.

“Steve had been working on this for a while and we appreciate his interest in keeping it going,” he said. “It would be great for it to find a new home.”

Mike Tedesco, president and CEO of Vision Together 2025, described Purich’s project as “conceptually great.”

“Any project that improves both health and wellness for community youth as well as beautifies the city is a worthwhile project for sure,” he said.

Tedesco has discussed the gardens with Purich before, but noted that finding locations is the largest challenge of the relocation work.

However, the fact Tranquility Gardens already is a nonprofit will help in the end because that alone will allow the advisory board to create partnerships with other community groups, he said.

Tedesco added that Purich’s concept is “certainly a project that is worthy of support.”

Mental health

Purich also sees the gardens as a way to address a growing mental health crisis affecting children and teens.

“I know that stuff works because it worked for me,” he said.

The Serbian immigrant relied on these philosophical messages in his youth to guide him as his father ran from religious persecution in the former Soviet Union and he and his family struggled to survive without their patriarch.

“When I see a kid suffering, I think of me,” he said. “I know what it means to have nothing. I know what it means to do lousy in school. I know it’s not too late.”

That’s why he wants to help.

There are several scientific and health studies that show the benefits of mindfulness and philosophy.

According to the University of California Los Angeles Health’s Mindful Awareness Research Center, “Research in mindfulness has identified a wide range of benefits in different areas of psychological health, such as helping to decrease anxiety, depression, rumination, and emotional reactivity.”

Additionally, studies have shown mindfulness helps to increase well- being, positive affect, and concentration, the center states.

UCLA also lists the benefits of moment-to-moment awareness as being “helpful to foster physical health by improving immune system function, quality of sleep, as well as decreasing blood pressure. Structural and functional brain changes have also been documented in areas associated with attention, emotional regulation, empathy and bodily awareness.”

Joshua Byers is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @Journo_Josh.

Joshua Byers is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5054. Follow him on Twitter @Journo_Josh.

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Content: Homegrown Business: Conner Tidd and Kevin Jakiela of Just Vertical

Just Vertical manufactures and sells beautiful indoor gardens for residential, office, and commercial settings. It was co-founded by long-time friends Conner Tidd and Kevin Jakiela who were both masters students at U of T. We got to speak to the company’s Head of Marketing and Growth, Christopher Di Grazia, to find out more about them.

What is your business called and what does it do?

At Just Vertical, we manufacture and sell breathtaking indoor gardens for residential, office, and commercial settings. Our gardens enable year-round cultivation of herbs, leafy greens, and vegetables in any indoor space.

What made you want to do this work?

Just Vertical started when co-founders and long-time friends Conner Tidd and Kevin Jakiela were Masters of Science students at the University of Toronto. Conner had been working in ‘Big Ag’ gaining a real perspective on the food problems faced by people around the world.

Meanwhile, Kevin had just come back from pioneering indoor growing research in the Canadian Arctic, as well as teaching indigenous youth in remote arctic communities, and saw firsthand how cutting-edge plant science and hardware (like vertical farming) could be used to grow in any environment.

Over lunch in 2017 the two friends were catching up and sharing their work experiences. They decided that to make a real impact on the world, and truly help to eradicate food insecurity, they needed to think of a way to enable folks to grow their own food at home. The idea was to provide vertical hydroponic growing systems that fit seamlessly into urban living spaces. They applied their combined knowledge of plant science, engineering, manufacturing and business development and thus, Just Vertical was born.

What problem did you want to solve with the business?

We established our business with the following goals in mind:

– Providing Access to Year-round, Pesticide-free Produce – In many regions, weather conditions limit the ability to cultivate fresh produce year-round without the use of harmful pesticides. Our indoor gardens allow growers to bypass this issue and produce healthy, pesticide-free crops throughout the year.

– Empowering Individuals to Make Independent Food Choices – We believe that people should have the power to make independent food decisions that are not subject to the fluctuations of the market. Our gardens enable our growers to exercise greater control over the food they consume, free from the vagaries of inflation and other economic factors.

– Reducing Food Miles – The average distance between where food is grown and where it is consumed is approximately 24 hours. With our indoor gardens, food production is 24 steps away, reducing transportation time and helping to reduce carbon emissions.

– Integrating Hydroponic Technology with Aesthetic Design – While hydroponic growing technology is not new, traditional hydroponic systems are often unsightly and confined to basements or other hidden areas. Our gardens bring hydroponic growing into the home, combining efficient growing technology with aesthetically pleasing design.

Who are your clientele/demographics?

Our demographic spectrum spans a diverse array of individuals, including young urban singles, rural families, and seniors in assisted living facilities. However, our primary demographic focuses on women aged 27 to 47 residing in urban environments.

How does your business make money? How does it work?

Our revenue stems from the sale of our hydroponic garden systems and the associated supplies purchased by our clients. The success of our business model hinges on the performance of these gardens and the value they offer to our customers.

Our gardens use hydroponic (soil-less) technology to cultivate fresh produce. The steps for successful growth are:

1. Unpack the garden

2. Begin growing desired plants using our seed starter kit

3. When seedlings reach 3-4 inches in height:

a. Fill the bottom reservoir with water.
b. Plug it in to set the light & pump in the reservoir
c. Move the seedlings into the garden.
d. Allow plants to mature and harvest when ready.

For more detailed instructions, please refer to our comprehensive guide available here.

Where in the city can we find your profession?

We primarily offer our gardens for sale via our online platform. They are manufactured in Etobicoke and showcased at various locations in Toronto, including:

1. Evergreen Brickworks

2. Brightworks Energy in Markham

3. Village Juicery in Roncesvalles

For a complete list of our physical display locations, please visit this link here.

What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services? Give the answer as well.

What sets Just Vertical gardens apart? Our approach uniquely combines hydroponic growing technology with elegant furniture design. We believe this technology deserves a prominent place in homes and those growing their own food should take pride in it. Our gardens are meticulously designed to seamlessly blend into any home environment, becoming an integral part of the household. They epitomize a perfect balance of beauty, practicality, and functionality.

What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?

We take immense pride in our work at Just Vertical, firmly believing our gardens are contributing to global change. The world faces a significant environmental challenge, underscored by the overuse of agricultural chemicals, rapid degradation of farmland, extensive food transportation, and disconnection from food sources.

Our product empowers individuals to cultivate their own food, fostering environmental consciousness through innovative technology. This further encourages a dialogue about the importance of caring for our planet, our health, and our food.

The worst part about our work lies in raising immediate awareness about the significance of autonomous food choices. The prevailing agricultural system thrives on indifference, and advocating change through products like ours can be a considerable task.

What is your favourite joke about your own profession?

This is probably a little less of a joke and more of a statement we love, but we’ve used the line before with our gardens that if you buy one, you can Netflix and Dill.

Where can we follow you?

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tiktok | LinkedinEmail

PAY IT FORWARD: What is another local business that you love?

Evergreen Brickworks

About Joel Levy 2420 Articles
Editor-In-Chief at Toronto Guardian. Photographer and Writer for Toronto Guardian and Joel Levy Photography

Title:

Content: The best perennials of 2023

Five types of perennial to enrich your garden with colour, scent and form, from the best climbing perennials to those pollinators will love

Best climbing perennials

Make the most of the verticals in a garden by including the best climbing perennials. As well as adding a different layer of interest to the planting scheme, their flowers can be appreciated at eye level, which is always a bonus. Climbers often require a minimal footprint for planting, making them ideal where space is at a premium.

Lathyrus ‘Pearl’ collection

Perennial sweet peas magically reappear each spring. Having died down and retreated underground the previous year, they spend winter backing up their resources in readiness for the following year’s performance.

Once planted, everlasting sweet peas are vigorous plants that can be left to their own devices to clothe all manner of vertical structures.

  • Plant – March to August
  • Foliage – March to November
  • Flowers – June to September

Six for £15 at The Telegraph shop - Buy now

Clematis ‘Kokonoe’

Clematis is renowned for its diversity of colour and shape. These plants prefer to have their roots in the shade and top growth in the sun. Use them to scramble up through shrubs, position them against walls, fences and outbuildings or grow them in containers.

For sheer staying power, Clematis ‘Kokonoe’ produces a profusion of exotic-looking, rich purple flowers from early summer to early autumn. At only two metres in height it would make a visual statement as a standalone plant in its own pot, ascending an obelisk.

  • Plant – December to October
  • Foliage – March to October
  • Flowers – May to September

£18 at The Telegraph shop - Buy now

Best perennials for summer blooming

Most gardens will have peaks and troughs of floral activity across spring and summer. But you can overcome the lean times by including a generous selection of the best perennials for summer blooming that will guarantee there is always something beautiful to focus on.

Erigeron karvinskianus

Also called the Mexican fleabane, this hard-working plant shows great stamina over many months. At any time its profusion of daisy-like flowers are visible in an assortment of white, pale pink and rose pink hues.

It’s perfect to grow in dry stone walls, between paving slabs or in a gravel garden. Alternatively, plant it in the front of a border or use it to edge a path.

  • Plant – March to September
  • Foliage – March to November
  • Flowers – May to October

Five for £18 at The Telegraph shop - Buy now

Penstemon hartwegii ‘Arabesque’ mixed

Set borders ablaze with the jewel-coloured beard tongue. These popular garden plants produce strong stems of pollinator-friendly, tubular flowers from summer to the first frosts,  and deadheading this perennial helps promote new spires of blooms.

Leave its top growth intact over winter to protect the base from frost. Cut back to the new growth in spring.

  • Plant – March to September
  • Foliage – all year round
  • Flowers – May to October

Three for £10 at The Telegraph shop - Buy now

Best drought-tolerant perennials

The best drought-tolerant perennials have evolved to thrive in free-draining soil that receives little rainfall. These tough sun-seekers include members of the Euphorbia, Salvia, Agastache, Echinacea and Achillea families to name but a few.

Salvia ‘Sunset’ collection

These Salvias have characteristic lipped flowers in a stunning array of cheery single and two-tone colours.

Plant them in sunny beds and borders or, if space is limited to a small patio or balcony garden, grow them in pots filled with a soil-based, peat-free compost.

  • Plant – March to September
  • Foliage – all year round
  • Flowers – April to November

From £12 at The Telegraph shop - Buy now

Achillea millefolium ‘New Vintage Violet’

The flat, domed flowers of these Achilleas comprise dozens of nectar-filled tiny blooms. Their shape provides an ideal landing pad for countless pollinating insects to visit in search of a meal.

As with all new additions to a garden, Achilleas become drought-tolerant only when they have established a supportive root system, so water them while they are young.

  • Plant – all year round
  • Foliage – February to November
  • Flowers – June to September

£16 at The Telegraph shop - Buy now

Best aquatic perennials

One of the easiest ways to invite wildlife into a garden is to add a pond of any size. The best aquatic perennials offer refuge to all manner of amphibians, dragonflies and pond insects and are an essential element for the health of the water. Marginal pond plants are happiest living in the shallow edges of the pond, rather than being totally submerged. They need to be planted in special aquatic planting baskets filled with specific low-nutrient, aquatic compost, which is safe for all pond life and doesn’t encourage the growth of algae.

Pond-perfecting collection

Included in this selection of the best aquatic perennials are Butomus umbellatus and Veronica beccabunga. The former is a British native, pink-Flowers rush that will soften any sharp angles when planted along the water’s edge.

It combines beautifully with the pretty blue flowers of the latter, which provides surface cover to the water and helps to keep the temperature down when it’s very hot.

  • Plant – all year round
  • Foliage – all year round
  • Flowers – May to September

£15 at The Telegraph shop - Buy now

Best perennials for pollinators

Having some of the best perennials for pollinators in flower at any given time of the year will give you continuity of colour across the seasons and provide nutritious pitstops of pollen and nectar for bees, moths, butterflies and a diverse range of pollinating insects.

Verbena rigida ‘Santos Purple’

A plethora of winged insects gravitate towards this highly sought-after verbena.

Relatively short (60cm) in comparison with its lofty cousin Verbena bonariensis (150cm), it gives bold purple colour to borders or containers over an exceptionally long period in summer.

  • Plant – all year round
  • Foliage – March to November
  • Flowers – May to September

£12 at The Telegraph shop - Buy now

Exemplary Eryngium collection

This collection of sea hollies includes the varieties ‘Planum’ and ‘Neptune’s Gold’. Their prickly, architectural blooms are loved by bees, who prefer to feed from mass plantings of their favoured species, rather than use up their energy flitting from pillar to post looking for new food sources.

So where possible group a small collection of these valuable plants in proximity to each other and give the bees a tasty banquet.

  • Plant – all year round
  • Foliage – all year round
  • Flowers – June to October

Three for £26 at The Telegraph shop - Buy now

FAQs

How long will my new perennial plants live?

Unlike annual plants, which complete their life cycle in one year, given the right care the majority of perennials will bounce back every year with a floriferous display. Many live to a ripe old age: peonies, for example, notch up decades of productive life. And while there are wide variations in the life expectancy of the best climbing perennials, even the shorter-lived ones will often compensate for their relative brevity by self-seeding around the garden.

How do I care for my newly planted perennials?

Perennials planted in spring and summer will need their adoptive parents to be extra diligent with watering until they establish a sturdy root system. Those planted in autumn are likely to experience regular rainfall so need less attention. During the growing season, plants in pots will need a feed of liquid fertiliser each fortnight, as the nutrients in compost become depleted. Deadhead repeat-Flowers plants to extend their Flowers period.

Do I need to cut back my perennials when they have finished Flowers?

It used to be commonplace to cut everything back to ground level in late autumn but we now understand that a little disorder is highly beneficial to wildlife in winter. Caterpillars, moths, butterfly chrysalises, amphibians and insects will all snuggle beneath decaying plant matter during the colder months of the year. Where possible, leave plants that produce nutritious seed heads on strong stems, unpruned over winter. They will feed the birds and provide habitats for insects to overwinter in. Leave the tidy-up to early spring.

**Air Purification** is a primary practical benefit of vertical gardens.

**Air Purification** is a primary practical benefit of vertical gardens.

Plants in green walls act as natural air filters, absorbing carbon dioxide and harmful gases while releasing oxygen, thereby improving both indoor and outdoor air quality .

This is especially valuable in urban areas with high pollution levels, where vertical gardens can help reduce concentrations of particulate matter and volatile organic compounds, contributing to healthier environments for building occupants .

The presence of green walls in indoor spaces has been shown to lower carbon dioxide levels and increase oxygen, which can reduce the need for mechanical ventilation and enhance the efficiency of HVAC systems .

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Sky Pool House / Guz Architects

Sky Pool House / Guz Architects

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Text description provided by the architects. The client for the Sky Pool house originally intended to make alterations and additions to the existing house. However, after designing for some months they realized that the existing house really did not match their new requirements and it was more ideal to just start from scratch. The site sits on an elevated plot at the end of a small cul de sac, and is considered a prime residential area of Singapore.

In land scarce Singapore, greenery and space for nature comes at a premium, so we conceived a design that satisfied the client’s brief, while giving greenery back to the neighbourhood and house. The layered roof gardens not only provide lush greenery when viewed from each level of the house, but also help to cool the house passively through transpiration of the plants. When viewed from outside, these overhanging plants soften the edges of what is quite a large house.

The house is approached by a short driveway which then leads up to the front door via a series of garden steps, and into a basement garage via a short ramp. This approach was conceived to be as green as possible, with soft greenery enveloping all. The client also requested that he have a rooftop gym and swimming pool, to take advantage of the distant views from the elevated site. By placing an acrylic window in the base of the swimming pool, we allowed light to flood into the atrium void space below.

This atrium was in the heart of the house and allowed light to penetrate into what is quite a deep floor plan. Because it was under a swimming pool, very little heat is transmitted into the building, which is important in Singapore’s hot tropical climate. To also help passively cool the house, we provided large roof overhangs to shade from the tropical sun and rain. Photovoltaic cells also are installed on the roof.

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Cite: "Sky Pool House / Guz Architects" 20 Mar 2022. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/978737/sky-pool-house-guz-architects> ISSN 0719-8884

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**Temperature Regulation** is another significant advantage.

**Temperature Regulation** is another significant advantage.

Vertical gardens provide natural insulation for buildings, reducing heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter .

Title:

Content: 7:14 AM / Saturday September 9, 2023

8 Sep 2023

Nicole Chandler: Finding the voice of the heart

September 8, 2023 Category: Local Posted by:

ABOVE PHOTO: Nicole Chandler (Photo courtesy: Nicole Chandler)

By Constance Garcia-Barrio

Like the alchemists in medieval tales who turned lead into gold, West Philadelphia  resident Nicole Chandler has found ways to turn her early trauma into healing,

“My father was abusive,” says Chandler, 54, raised in southwest Philadelphia along with her sister, Toya, and her brother, George Jr. “I didn’t have a childhood — I got pregnant at 13 and had my son at 14. I struggled, but I kept him and finished school.”

Chandler has gone to therapy, but she has also found healing in less traditional ways.

“I live across the street from Morris Park,” said Chandler of the 64-acre site that led her to buy her home in Overbrook. Caring for Morris Park put her unexpectedly on a healing journey.

“The City of Philadelphia had written the park out of its 2005 budget,” Chandler said. “They were going to let it naturalize, which means let everything grow wild.”

Problems soon surfaced.

“There was an overgrowth of invasive plants,” she said. “Trash was dumped. Dogs got ear mites because of the tall grass.”

Chandler didn’t let matters rest there.

“I love the park,” said Chandler, a SEPTA bus driver when she moved to the area in 1999. Now she works in SEPTA’s Quality Control Department, ensuring that vehicles are well maintained and ready for service.

“I would get off work, then spend two or three hours tending the park,” she said.

Chandler also responded to the city’s decision by forming the Royal Gardens Association, a nonprofit devoted to maintaining the park. She recruited corporations to do days of service by cleaning the park. Students from Penn State, Drexel, Penn, and Villanova, eager to take part in service projects, helped as well.

 Chandler’s work won recognition.

In 2021, NBC 10 profiled her on “Philly Proud.” In addition, 2013 Keep America Beautiful gave her the Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson Award, the organization’s highest honor for volunteers.

 “Nicole has empowered …[Philadelphians] to take pride in their community and clean and beautify Morris Park, part of the Fairmount Park System,” the award committee wrote. “Nicole continues to secure … in-kind donations and to forge partnerships with local businesses and global corporations to ensure [that] the work continues.”

Besides creating an urban oasis, Chandler discovered that the work brought greater balance to her life.

“I found that connecting with nature heals me,” Chandler said. “Nature doesn’t exist just for our pleasure. It’s also for the cleansing of our mental and emotional health. We must embrace that blessing.”

Research supports Chandler’s view.

“The term biophilia refers to the idea that we’re drawn to and benefit from nature,” said Anjan Chatterjee, MD, 64, professor of neurology, psychology, and architecture at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics.

He has conducted research on the topic.

 “Our attention is opened up because we’re not so overwhelmed as we often are in urban or built environments,” Chatterjee said. “We find that people are most drawn to nature with a slight … human imprint. For example, for most people gardens and parks are more restorative than a dense jungle.”

Building on that idea, Chandler began doing healing workshops in Morris Park, emphasizing tuning in to nature’s organic guidance.

“The “Removing the Vines” workshop focuses on the similarities between the effects of leaving vines wrapped around a tree and leaving a problem or trauma unresolved,” Chandler said. “The vine-covered tree can’t get nutrients it needs, and neither can we [with unresolved trauma].”

A rites-of-passage program Chandler took with Yoruba priestess, life coach, and OWN star Iyanla Vanzant has led Chandler to develop a new workshop, “Speaking from the Heart.”

“One key focus of that program was claiming one’s voice,” Chandler said. Many of us struggle with speaking our truth due to personal and ancestral reasons, she added.

“Our enslaved ancestors often had to keep silent,” Chandler said. “Speaking up could mean horrible punishment. In some cases, it could cost people their lives.”  The pattern of silence may have become ingrained over generations, and our upbringing may also have led us to protect ourselves with silence, Chandler said. “In a situation of abuse, speaking your mind could have come at a high price,” she said. “However, now that we’re grown, we can release silence. We can claim our voice, speak up for ourselves and others. It’s part of being our authentic selves. It’s a step toward greater emotional wholeness.”   The workshop will focus on the seven chakras, energy centers in the body that help regulate all the body’s functions, Chandler explained.

“Each chakra has its own vibrational frequency. We’ll work with those frequencies to help balance the chakras. That will create alignment in both your physical and mental state,” Chandler said. “That balancing, in turn, will aid in developing your voice.”

The workshop will still include the nature, Chandler said. “We’ll use grounding [or earthing], a healing approach where you put your bare feet on the ground to bring the body into more physical and emotional balance,” she said. “We’ll also use essential oils.”  These two techniques help to free one’s voice and create better health on all levels, Chandler said.  “Matters of the Heart,” will take place Saturday, September 23, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The workshop includes lunch. Donations are welcome. To learn more about the workshop or to volunteer to help maintain Morris Park, please email: [email protected] or call: (215)768-9419.

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This insulation effect can lower energy consumption by decreasing reliance on air conditioning and heating systems .

Title:

Content: Residential Building Saler Homes / NAC Arquitectos

Residential Building Saler Homes / NAC Arquitectos

+ 38

València, Spain
  • Architects: NAC Arquitectos
  • Area :  273102 ft²
  • Year :  2020
  • Manufacturers :  Alucoil, Saloni, Cortizo, Dioco, Finsa, Placo, ROCKWOOL, Roca, Singular Green
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Text description provided by the architects. This project is located on Antonio Ferrandis Street and is part of the P.P. Quatre Carreres. The location is especially privileged because it is located on the southern edge of the city, separating two radically opposite plots and scales, admiring the large expanse of an orchard that extends to the Albufera Natural Park and with visual continuity to the sea.

The project is built on a plot of rectangular geometry. The current planning defines the buildable volume, in such a way that two towers of approximately 27 x 17 m are executed, identical in their program and formal resolution, joined by a basement body on the ground and first floors.

The program, essentially residential, contains a tertiary building area located on the ground and first floor, whose orientation is connected to the urban space. The rest of the floors are occupied by the program of 100 dwellings. The ground floor is configured as a space for social relations, generating a route through arcaded spaces and where the swimming pool and children's play area are located. The vertical garden that accompanies the entrance route stands out and winks at the transition between the orchard and the city.

Using an elemental compositional mechanism, a resounding, clear, and the formally simple building has been sought. Each of the volumes is generated by a rigorous rectangular plan that expands and grows at each vertex, creating terraces for each house. The facade is conceived as a continuous skin that embraces these terraced spaces following a curved line that characterizes the geometry of the building. To materialize the undulating surfaces, white aluminum composite plates are used.

The alternation of the floors in height of these growths, together with the reduction of the dimensions of the building in the last floors conditioned by urban planning parameters, configures the final appearance of the complex.

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Address:Carrer d'Antonio Ferrandis, 16, 46013 Valencia, Valencia, Spain

Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
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Cite: "Residential Building Saler Homes / NAC Arquitectos" [Edificio residencial Saler Homes / NAC Arquitectos] 28 Jan 2023. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/995303/residential-building-saler-homes-nac-arquitectos> ISSN 0719-8884

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Experimental installations in hot climates, such as in Dar es Salaam, have demonstrated wall temperature reductions of up to 5°C, directly translating to reduced cooling energy needs .

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10 Exquisite Indoor Plants for a Serene Home Oasis

Indoor gardening has become a popular trend, offering a calming retreat within the chaos of modern life. Not only do indoor garden plants enhance the beauty of our living spaces, but they also contribute to our well-being purifying the air and uplifting our mood. If you are looking to transform your home into a tranquil oasis, here are ten exquisite indoor plants that will do the job.

1. Monstera Deliciosa (Swiss Cheese Plant)
With its iconic split leaves resembling a piece of art, the Monstera Deliciosa brings a touch of tropical elegance to any space. Its lush green foliage and easy care requirements make it an ideal choice for plant enthusiasts of all levels.

2. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
The graceful white blooms of the Peace Lily symbolize peace and tranquility, making it a popular choice for indoor gardens. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, but it also purifies the air and thrives in low-light conditions.

3. Fiddle Leaf Fig (Ficus Lyrata)
The large, violin-shaped leaves of the Fiddle Leaf Fig add a touch of sophistication to any room. This plant thrives in bright, indirect light and is a favorite among interior decorators.

4. Snake Plant (Sansevieria Trifasciata)
Renowned for its resilience and air-purifying properties, the Snake Plant features striking, upright leaves in various colors and patterns. It can tolerate low light and irregular watering, making it perfect for busy individuals.

5. Philodendron Birkin
The glossy, dark green leaves with creamy-white pinstripes of the Philodendron Birkin create a captivating visual appeal. This low-maintenance plant thrives in moderate light conditions, making it a versatile choice for any indoor setting.

6. ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas Zamiifolia)
The glossy, waxy leaves of the ZZ Plant add a touch of sophistication to any room. It thrives in low-light environments and is tolerant of neglect, making it an excellent choice for beginners.

7. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum Comosum)
The Spider Plant’s arching foliage, adorned with tiny plantlets resembling spiders, adds a playful charm to any indoor space. It is easy to care for and excellent at purifying the air, making it a versatile addition to any garden.

8. Pothos (Epipremnum Aureum)
The cascading vines and heart-shaped leaves of the Pothos plant make it a classic choice for hanging baskets or trailing accents on shelves. Its adaptability to various light conditions and forgiving nature make it a favorite among indoor gardeners.

9. Calathea Orbifolia
The Calathea Orbifolia mesmerizes with its silvery-green leaves marked with intricate patterns. This plant thrives in moderate indirect light and appreciates consistent moisture, adding an artistic touch to indoor spaces.

10. Aloe Vera
Beyond its medicinal properties, Aloe Vera’s succulent foliage adds a refreshing touch to indoor gardens. It thrives in bright, indirect light and requires minimal watering, making it a versatile addition to any collection.

In conclusion, these ten exquisite indoor plants not only enhance the aesthetics of your home but also promote mindfulness and a connection with nature. Taking care of them provides a therapeutic experience, allowing individuals to unwind and find solace in nurturing living organisms. Transform your home into a serene oasis with these beautiful indoor plants.

The cooling effect is further enhanced by plant transpiration, which releases moisture into the air and helps mitigate the urban heat island effect, creating more comfortable microclimates around buildings .

Title:

Content: Invite nature into your home by creating a verdant "living wall" display

Humans need plants to survive.

We eat them, drink them, use them as medicine, and even decorate with them in order to bring joy to our daily lives.

Once you start caring for a couple of houseplants, it's easy to spiral into an obsession with our magnificent, leafy friends. If your collection of 20-plus houseplants isn't enough to satiate your need for greenery in your home anymore, why not take it to the next level with a full-blown living wall?

Living walls, or vertical gardens as they're sometimes called, are made up of an array of live plants that are planted vertically and can range in size from just a few square feet to entire walls in large atrium spaces.

However, larger installations can cost upwards of $125-$225 per square foot of wall and aren't exactly feasible for renters or homeowners who are on a strict budget or have limited space.

While you can certainly contract a company to install a living wall in your home, there are also local and handcrafted options to consider depending on your budget, your lifestyle and what look you're going for.

click to enlarge
Chiana McInelly photo
Dominic Villareal in front of A Modern Plantsman's living wall display.

Dominic Villareal, the owner of A Modern Plantsman, weighed his own options when expanding his Colfax plant store to downtown Spokane in late 2021.

"My partner and I were scoping out the local plant scene, and we noticed immediately that there was a lack of living wall installations in Spokane," he says. "There are no plant stores or nurseries in the area that have one."

When Villareal secured the space for his shop on the main floor of the Hotel Indigo building, he began designing a plant wall that was eye-catching as well as functional for his customers. The plant wall, constructed by Villareal himself, features wooden shelves that are just deep enough to hide the pots that the plants reside in, giving it the appearance of a living wall.

"That's very doable for a home setting," he says. "You can take the pots off the shelf for easy watering and care."

Villareal recommends plants that trail for any DIY living wall project, but also says that including plants of different heights can give the wall a much more textured and varied appearance.

"Start with plants like pothos, heart leaf philodendrons and prayer plants," Villareal says. "Prayer plants specifically can deal with very low-light situations, which is perfect for a home installation. They'll disguise any nonnatural elements of the wall once they start to trail down."

Previous owner of Sage + Moss and seasoned houseplant parent Annecia Paulson recommends utilizing organic elements when creating your display for ease of watering and a more harmonious facade.

The most common way to do this is by creating mounted plant displays. Mounted plants are plants that have been affixed onto an object using moss or other organic materials.

"Creating mounted plants is actually a really easy process," she says. "You simply remove most of the dirt from the roots, place the plant on the piece of bark and then attach it using sphagnum moss and fishing line."

The upkeep and care of mounted plants lie in the choice of wood, Paulson says.

"Using cork bark is the best option — it's lightweight and naturally mold-resistant. Just soak the whole thing in water, let it drip dry and then hang it on your wall using Command hooks or string. Super simple," she says.

If the trial and error of diving in headfirst just isn't your thing, many area plant stores, including A Modern Plantsman, offer workshops on how to create mounted plants and products that can assist you in your journey to creating a living wall.

"We really try to act as a resource for people in the community," Villareal says. "We want to help people learn how to do these things. I've already gone through the trial and error of the projects that people attempt at home, so I'm happy to give people that knowledge." ♦

Lila Shaw Girvin: Gift of a Moment @ Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture

Tuesdays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Continues through March 12
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About The Author

Madison Pearson

Madison Pearson is the Inlander's Listings Editor, managing the calendar of events and regularly contributing to the Arts & Culture section of the paper. She joined the staff in 2022 after graduating from Eastern Washington University.

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How to choose the best semi-evergreen ground cover for Midwest yards

Many Midwestern homes have areas planted with ground covers. These low-growing, often vigorously spreading plants are generally easier to maintain than grass, but they are not carefree.

For example, it’s a good idea to rake autumn leaves off ground cover beds.

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“An accumulation of leaves doesn’t just look messy,” said Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist at the Plant Clinic of The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “It can also trap moisture against the plants, which can lead to disease.”

Many plants used as ground covers are semi-evergreen, meaning they will often, but not necessarily, keep their leaves through the winter. “They can be more or less evergreen, depending on the species and the weather in any particular winter,” Yiesla said.

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Semi-evergreen ground covers often seen in Chicago-area yards include periwinkle (Vinca minor), English ivy (Hedera helix), wintercreeper (Euonymous fortunei), Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis), bugleweed (Ajuga reptans) and liriope (Liriope spicata).

Over the course of the winter months, the leaves of most semi-evergreen ground covers will take on a bronzed or faded color and will often become tattered. Still, they are valued for the color they bring when most branches are bare.

They will remain most attractive in a winter with steady snow cover, which protects the leaves and provides moisture. However, snow has become less reliable in the Midwest as the climate changes.

Ground covers can bring problems, in your yard and beyond. They are often chosen for their spreading nature, so they can cover large areas in a carpet, like turf with larger leaves. Their spreading can be aggressive. “You have to really police them to keep them from taking over,” Yiesla said.

Some of our most common ground covers are now considered to be invasive plants because they threaten to take over natural areas, choke out wildflowers, and destroy habitat for native animals as well as trees and other plants. Periwinkle, English ivy and wintercreeper are all listed as invasive by the Midwest Invasive Plant Network (mipn.org/plantlist).

“Don’t plant ground covers that tend to be invasive,” Yiesla said. “If you already have them in your yard, be very careful to keep them under control, or remove them and replace them with something that is less of a threat.”

Any ground cover bed will need to be weeded regularly. “The plants can’t keep out weeds by themselves,” Yiesla said. “There are weed seeds in the air and in the soil.” Some ground covers may also need regular thinning to keep the plants from growing into a tangled mat where moisture is trapped and air can’t circulate.

Trim spreading ground covers back to the edge of the sidewalk before the snow flies to make it easier to shovel snow from the walk or use the snowblower.

Ground covers have many uses in the garden, especially around trees or in areas where it is difficult to mow. “Just be sure you choose good plants that won’t cause problems, and that you are prepared for the maintenance required,” Yiesla said.

For tree and plant advice, contact the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum (630-719-2424, mortonarb.org/plant-clinic, or plantclinic@mortonarb.org). Beth Botts is a staff writer at the Arboretum.

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**Mental Health Impact** is increasingly recognized as a core benefit of vertical gardens.

**Mental Health Impact** is increasingly recognized as a core benefit of vertical gardens.

**Mental Health Impact** is increasingly recognized as a core benefit of vertical gardens.

Exposure to greenery, even in the form of indoor green walls, has been linked to reduced stress, improved mood, and greater overall life satisfaction .

Title:

Content: The world’s largest review to date has recently established just how important urban green space is for staving off premature death.

Some 63% of people in the United States live in cities.

Some cities are greener than others — Philadelphia, for example, has a long history of urban greening and is even looking to bump up its 20% of green space — and northern cities tend to have less green space than southern ones.

Now, the World Health Organization (WHO) are looking to highlight the importance of green space in well-being and public health.

Urban green spaces such as parks, sports fields, woods, lakesides, and gardens give people the space for physical activity, relaxation, peace, and an escape from heat. Multiple studies have shown that these spaces reduce stress and boost mental and physical health.

Green spaces are also associated with better air quality, reduced traffic noise, cooler temperatures, and greater diversity.

Furthermore, recent estimates put around 3.3% of global deaths down to a lack of physical activity, mostly as a result of poor walkability and limited access to recreational areas.

However, many of these studies have only looked at a particular point in time and have varied in how they measured people’s use of green space.

Now, the most comprehensive review to date has analyzed nine longitudinal studies spanning seven countries, 8 million people, and several years of follow-up.

Appearing in The Lancet Planetary Health, the meta-analysis found strong evidence to show that green urban spaces can help people live longer.

The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in Spain conducted this review in collaboration with Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

“The study shows that green space in cities reduces premature mortality,” explained Dr. Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, director of Urban Planning, Environment, and Health Initiative at ISGlobal.

“Cities often don’t have much green space,” he added. “Green space is also good for climate mitigation through reducing heat island effects in cities and reducing air pollution effects.”

Green space is also good for carbon sequestration. So there are multiple beneficial effects. And increasing green space can, therefore, reduce a significant number of premature deaths in cities.”

Dr. Mark Nieuwenhuijsen

This study, set apart by its magnitude, was prompted by the WHO’s need to develop a health impact assessment tool for green interventions in cities, Dr. Nieuwenhuijsen explained for Medical News Today.

More specifically, the WHO needed a robust picture of the link between green space and premature mortality in order to design a tool for green interventions.

“We systematically searched for and included all the cohort studies we could find on NDVI, an [easily] obtainable green space measure, and premature mortality, and conducted a meta-analysis,” said Dr. Nieuwenhuijsen.

The research team, using the available evidence from studies that had looked at the same group of individuals over a number of years, analyzed the availability of green space (from satellite images) and premature death due to all causes.

The studies they reviewed covered more than 8 million people across the U.S., Canada, China, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and Australia.

The researchers found that for every 0.1 increment in vegetative score within 500 meters of a person’s home, there was a 4% reduction in premature mortality. These results show just how important green space is when strategizing public health.

“Many cities are already greening, but this study provides further support that they should continue greening. Also, cities that do not have much green space should increase it — new parks, trees [on] roads, more grasslands, [etc.],” said Dr. Nieuwenhuijsen.

The researchers are now using their results to estimate how many premature deaths cities around the world could prevent if they were to reach their green space goals.

On what might come next, Dr. Nieuwenhuijsen told us: “The green space measure we used (NDVI) is a bit crude, although it works well. But the next stage is to find if some green spaces work better than others and exactly how the benefits occur to improve further.”

Beyond being key to public health and preventing premature death, researchers cite the increase in biodiversity and mitigation of climate change as compelling reasons to bump up green spaces and make cities more sustainable and livable.

The biophilic design principle, which emphasizes human affinity for nature, underpins the psychological benefits of vertical gardens, providing restorative environments that help occupants recover from mental fatigue and lower the risk of anxiety and depression .

Title:

Content: The L robot uses cameras and AI to ID and pick bell peppers.

John Deere’s ExactShot uses sensors to spray precise amounts of fertilizer on individual seeds as they’re planted.

These innovations might sound futuristic but they were unveiled for farmers at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show.

Even if you’re growing on a much smaller scale, the internet of things continues its march into gardens and back yards.

The New Rise Garden is a modular indoor garden that allows you to add up to three vertical levels of plants. While many hydroponic gardens grow greens and herbs, this one includes root vegetables like beets and vining crops like peas. The smart garden sends alerts for watering, feeding and harvesting. You can also control it with your voice through an Alexa device. The single tier garden is $749; the double is $1,049 and the triple tier with room for 108 plants is $1,349.

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Or check out the Mine Farm Showcase, an enclosed greenhouse the size of a refrigerator. The growing is greener with less power and water than other growing systems, according to GSF System. The Korean company uses the same technology to fill shipping containers with crops. The showcase gardens can fit one to four shelves of lettuce, herbs and vegetables. No word on a cost or when it will be released.

A new sprinkler is smart enough to cut lawn irrigation use by 30%. You can manage Moen’s Smart Sprinkler Controller from your phone and skip watering based on the weather. With data from the company’s new smart wireless soil sensors, the sprinkler can make even more tweaks. Soil sensors are $69.99 each. The controller is $179.99 for eight zones and $234.99 for 16 zones.

Or give your hose a tech upgrade with Rachio’s Smart Hose Timer. Connect the smart valve to an outdoor faucet and you can create irrigation programs. The device automatically adjusts with the weather so you’re not watering on a rainy day. This saves water and makes sure plants aren’t thirsty when you’re not home. The starter kit is $99 and expected to ship in March.

Add leaf sweeping to the list of chores you can hand to a robot. EcoFlow Blade is a robotic mower that cuts grass as well as sweep and collect leaves. Unlike most robo-mowers, this one can edge a lawn. The company hasn't finalized a price on this item which will be released this spring.

A new robotic pool cleaner will clean the bottom of your pool as well as scrub the walls and waterline without a cord. Aiper’s Seagull Pro Cordless Robotic Pool Cleaner cleans up to three hours at a time and charges in 90 minutes. While VIPs got one of these for free at the Grammys, everyone else will need to pay $899.99 when it’s released in March.

Home tech

On the home side, here are a few award-winning finds:

Bathtub: Kohler Stillness Bath has lights, fog, scent and an optional overflow infinity experience that flows into a wood-planked moat.

Bed: The ErgoSportive bed improves sleep quality with biometric health sensors while the Dawn House bed monitors health metrics.

Drinks: Bartesian intelligent drink maker is like a K-Cup machine for cocktails.

Mirror: HEY MIRROR combines a mirror and a smart home pad with an optional sterilization light.

Mixer: GE Profile Smart Mixer with Auto Sense uses viscosity sensors to optimize mixing, has a smart scale and voice control.

Oven: Dacor 24-inch Wall Oven bakes and has an air fry feature along with sous vide and a steamer. The Dacor Dual Fuel Range has the same features plus a dual-infrared broiler. LG InstaView Combination Double Wall Oven has the same features plus one of the ovens cooks as fast as a microwave.

Radiator: FOGO 01 is a smart radiator that’s only 5.5 cm thick.

Record: Player Victrola Stream Carbon is a turntable that connects wirelessly with Sonos.

Refrigerator: EcoFlow Glacier is a portable fridge that makes ice in 10 minutes and can be recharged with solar.

Vacuum: DreameBot X10 Ultra Robot Vacuum mops and vacuums, switching without human help.

Washer: Samsung’s Bespoke AI Washer with AI OptiWash adjusts wash time and detergent based on fabric and soil sensors. The companion Bespoke AI Dryer automatically controls dry time and temperature. And the company’s ventless heat pump dryer doesn’t need a vent to work.

What to Read Next

Title:

Content: Nature invites you to discover the many benefits it offers. Spending time in nature can perk up your mental health, improve your cognition and calm your busy brain. Mounting evidence suggests nature promotes both physical and psychological well-being.

Green spaces — forests, parks, shrubs and tree-studded neighborhoods — play a large part in nature’s design.

“If we had a medicine that delivered as many health benefits as parks, we would all be taking it,” says Dr. Howard Frumkin, senior vice president and director of the Land and People Lab for Trust for Public Land.

Parks are a mental health resource, with studies showing that people who spend regular time in green spaces enjoy lower levels of stress and are less likely to experience anxiety disorders and depression. For young people, parks provide a space to decompress, exercise and hang out.

But not everyone has equal access to the benefits of green spaces.

According to the World Economic Forum people living in more affluent areas have access to more public green spaces. That makes the opposite true; those who live at or below the poverty level often can’t get to a park or green area by walking.

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“In Tacoma, over 51,000 people don’t have access to parks within a 10-minute walk from their homes,” says Mitsu Iwasaki, Northwest director of TPL. Tacoma has the largest park access gap of any big city in Washington.

Iwasaki also says, “Transforming America’s schoolyards into shared public parks is a common-sense, cost-efficient solution to our country’s park equity problem.”

In Tacoma, a plan currently underway has combined the efforts of Tacoma Public Schools, Metro Parks Tacoma and Trust for Public Land to create a Community Schoolyards pilot program. The overarching focus of this program is to convert existing schoolyards into radiant and beautiful neighborhood parks. Students have the opportunity to enjoy the transformations of their play area during school hours and the community has access after school and on weekends. The pilot schools for this program include Helen B. Stafford, Mann, Whitman, Larchmont and Jennie Reed — all elementary schools.

Jennie Reed Elementary, one of the five elementary schoolyards now under construction, had more than its fair share of issues when it came to the lack of nature and green spaces.

“This school is next to an eight-lane freeway and contains the most concrete of any elementary school in Washington,” says Abby Sloan, principal of Jennie Reed. “That contributes to bad air quality.”

“The play structures were purchased in the 1950’s, the grassy field is underwater from November through April and the students had been asking for a new playground for years,” Sloan says.

Students got their say in how their schoolyard was renovated. By including them in the design process, says Sloan, they realized environmental injustices existed in their own backyard.  Students asked for basketball courts, a track that did not flood in the winter and increased accessibility for people with disabilities.

Jennie Reed got a new track, something they didn’t have before. Trees and other vegetation were planted to buffer the noise from the freeway and lessen the air pollution. These additions are particularly meaningful for elementary students, as studies have shown that students who spend time outdoors and in nature have improved academic outcomes when compared to students that lack the same access. Ongoing fundraising for the schoolyards is supported by a mix of public and private funding. As pilot sites, these five Tacoma schoolyards are a test case for increasing access to green space in Washington and community members are encouraged to learn more about how the schoolyards can create access to nature-rich community spaces for students and neighbors.

“Health experts encourage others to use parks, socialize there as a means to alleviate loneliness and improve one’s health,” says Iwasaki.

Beyond their social benefits, parks also help to mitigate the health damages of climate change. Building more green spaces improves air quality, reduces emissions, and reduces the heat experienced in a neighborhood. One study found that areas within a 10-minute walk of a park are as much as 6 degrees cooler than areas beyond that range.

Where we live has a huge impact on our mental and physical health. Communities like Tacoma are showing that many solutions for healthy lives are within our grasp — we just need to build them one park at a time.

Trust for Public Land is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where needed most.

In dense urban settings where access to traditional green spaces is limited, vertical gardens offer a vital connection to nature, supporting mental well-being and enhancing the quality of life for residents and workers .

Title:

Content: The snow has come and gone at least once and it’s anyone’s guess about what is yet to come, but on we go.

We had sub-freezing temperatures with the snow, but don’t be fooled into thinking that meant the ground froze. The snow was insulating the warm soil, which is why it didn’t even last a week on the ground. So, unless we have a week of sub-freezing temperatures with no snow, hold off on the mulch.

This is the time for contemplating what we learned in the garden this year and what we want in next year’s garden. I’ve already talked about sharing space with a friend or neighbor, but let’s talk about making some changes in your garden.

Mail order catalogs are a good way to find exactly what you need to fill a spot. All the information is listed and you just need to sort through until you find exactly what you need. Since most of our gardens are bare, let’s begin with a couple of plants to add interest to the yard next winter.

No-fuss ornamental grasses can be short or tall and many cultivars provide seeds for the birds in winter. Liriope is a low-growing sun-loving evergreen perennial that looks great growing along your driveway or property line.

If you want something with color, try some winter heath (Erica camea). Now, l primarily think of heather and heath as British plants growing abundantly over their rolling hills and valleys, but they are just as colorful growing in our gardens. There are more varieties than I can count and their requirements are just as diverse.

Many will  bloom year-round if they have the right spot, but beware of those that spread and take over everything in their path. If you are interested in them, there are many nurseries that specialize in heath and heathers.

Of course hellebores need to be mentioned when we’re discussing interesting winter plants. Our Helleborus foetidus and Lenten roses are blooming now and several more should open soon. They’re easy to grow in the shade and come in interesting shapes and colors.

Don’t forget winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum). She blooms from December through March some years and needs none of your attention except as admiration.

Later in the season, mock orange (Philadelphus) and quince (Chaenomeles) will provide you with gorgeous flowers and will continue to do so year after year. Both require little maintenance and like full sun and well drained soil.

We love redbud (Cercis canadensis) and dogwood (Comus) trees because they’re reliable bloomers and grow well with no help from us. There are many varieties of redbud, dogwood, magnolia and cherry trees and one is sure to be just what you need in your yard.

Decide where you need some vertical interest and choose the tree or shrub that fits your needs. Just know that if a plant needs full sun, it will not do well in that dark corner by the house no matter what you do.

If a hedge is needed to hide the trash or define a boundary, try some forsythia, lilac (Syringa), witch hazel (Hamamelis), pussy willow (Salix) or even some honeysuckle (Lonicera). All prefer full sun, but don’t need much in the way of maintenance.

These shrubs come in all sizes and shapes, so be sure you read all the information before you buy them or your low hedge may grow 10 feet tall or sprawl all over the yard.

If you get the idea I like easy-to-care-for plants, you’re right. These are just a few ideas for you to consider this year.

**Biodiversity Support** is another environmental benefit.

**Biodiversity Support** is another environmental benefit.

Vertical gardens can serve as habitats for birds, insects, and pollinators, especially when native plant species are used .

This ecological integration helps maintain urban biodiversity and supports ecosystem services essential for food production and environmental health .

**Water Conservation and Stormwater Management** are facilitated by efficient irrigation systems commonly used in vertical gardens, such as drip irrigation and closed-loop systems .

These systems minimize water use compared to traditional landscaping.

These systems minimize water use compared to traditional landscaping.

Some large-scale vertical farms, like those in Dubai, use up to 95% less water than conventional agriculture .

Additionally, vertical gardens can absorb rainwater, reducing stormwater runoff and filtering contaminants before water reaches the ground, which helps prevent urban flooding and improves water management .

**Maintenance Needs** for vertical gardens are a critical consideration for their long-term success.

**Maintenance Needs** for vertical gardens are a critical consideration for their long-term success.

Regular tasks include watering, pruning, monitoring plant health, and pest management .

Title:

Content: 5 Common Indoor Gardening Challenges And Their Solutions

Saloni Singh
Updated on Jan 22, 2024, 19:36 IST- 5 min read

Indoor gardening is a wonderful way to bring nature into your home and enjoy the benefits of growing plants all year round. However, it comes with its own set of challenges that can sometimes discourage even the most experienced gardeners. In this article, we will explore five common indoor gardening challenges and provide practical solutions to help you overcome them.

The Growing Trend of Indoor Gardening

In recent years, indoor gardening has gained immense popularity among plant enthusiasts. It allows individuals to create a green oasis within the comfort of their homes, regardless of the outdoor climate. However, indoor gardening comes with its own unique challenges that require careful attention and solutions to ensure the thriving growth of your plants.

Unsplash/Representational Image

Challenge 1: Insufficient Light

One of the most common challenges faced by indoor gardeners is the lack of sufficient light. Since natural sunlight is limited indoors, providing adequate light for your plants becomes crucial. Insufficient light can lead to weak growth, leggy stems, and poor flowering.

Solution: To overcome this challenge, you can consider the following solutions:

Place your plants near windows with the brightest light exposure.

Use artificial grow lights, such as fluorescent or LED lights, to supplement the natural light.

Rotate your plants regularly to ensure all sides receive equal light exposure.

Challenge 2: Temperature Control

Maintaining the right temperature for your indoor garden can be a tricky task. Fluctuations in temperature can affect plant growth and overall health. Extreme heat or cold can cause stress and even lead to plant damage.

Solution: Here are some solutions to help you maintain optimal temperature levels:

Identify the temperature requirements of your plants and adjust the indoor environment accordingly.

Use thermostats or temperature-controlled devices to regulate the temperature.

Place plants away from drafts and heating or cooling sources that may cause sudden temperature changes.

Unsplash/Representational Image

Challenge 3: Proper Watering Techniques

Watering plants is a fundamental aspect of gardening, but it can be challenging to strike the right balance. Overwatering or underwatering can have detrimental effects on plant health and growth.

Solution: Follow these guidelines for proper watering:

Learn the specific watering needs of each plant in your indoor garden.

Check the moisture level of the soil before watering.

Provide adequate drainage to prevent waterlogged roots.

Challenge 4: Pest Infestations

Indoor plants are not immune to pests. Common pests, such as aphids, mealybugs, and spider mites, can quickly infest your indoor garden if left unchecked. These pests can weaken your plants and hinder their growth.

Solution: Implement the following measures to tackle pest infestations:

Regularly inspect your plants for signs of pests.

Use organic pest control methods, such as neem oil or insecticidal soap.

Isolate affected plants to prevent the spread of pests.

Challenge 5: Limited Space

One of the significant challenges of indoor gardening is dealing with limited space. As your plant collection grows, finding suitable areas to accommodate them becomes increasingly difficult.

Solution: Here are some solutions for optimizing limited space:

Utilize vertical space by hanging plants or using wall-mounted planters.

Choose compact plant varieties or those that can be trained to grow vertically.

Group plants with similar needs together to make the most of available space.

Unsplash/Representational Image

Indoor gardening offers a rewarding experience, but it requires addressing common challenges effectively. By understanding the obstacles like insufficient light, temperature control, proper watering techniques, pest infestations, and limited space, you can create a thriving indoor garden. Implementing the suggested solutions will help you overcome these challenges and enjoy the beauty of nature within your home.

FAQs

1. How often should I water my indoor plants? The watering frequency depends on various factors such as plant type, size, and environmental conditions. It is best to check the moisture level of the soil before watering to ensure it is neither too dry nor waterlogged.

2. Can I use regular household lights for indoor gardening? Regular household lights are not sufficient for promoting healthy plant growth. It is recommended to use specialized grow lights, such as fluorescent or LED lights, to provide adequate light intensity and spectrum for your plants.

3. What are some natural remedies for pest control in indoor gardens? Several natural remedies can help control pests in indoor gardens. Neem oil, insecticidal soap, and homemade vinegar sprays are effective in combating common pests. However, always follow the instructions and test them on a small portion of the plant before widespread application.

4. How can I make the most of limited space in my indoor garden? To maximize limited space, consider utilizing vertical space by hanging plants or using wall-mounted planters. Choose compact plant varieties or those that can be trained to grow vertically. Grouping plants with similar needs together can also help optimize space.

5. Can I grow vegetables indoors? Yes, you can grow a variety of vegetables indoors. Leafy greens like lettuce and herbs like basil are well-suited for indoor cultivation. Tomatoes, peppers, and microgreens are also popular choices for indoor vegetable gardening.

In conclusion, indoor gardening comes with its own set of challenges, but with the right knowledge and strategies, you can overcome them. By addressing the issues of insufficient light, temperature control, proper watering, pest infestations, and limited space, you can create a thriving indoor garden that brings beauty and serenity to your home. Remember to adapt the solutions to suit your specific plant needs and enjoy the benefits of a flourishing indoor garden.

Title:

Content: Vertical gardens line smart city drains

x

A vertical garden being developed at MVP Colony by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation in Visakhapatnam.

Highlights

  • Vertical gardens near drains have been developed by the GVMC
  • The civic body developed the concept at various places in the city
  • Some of them are spotted at Rushikonda, Sagar Nagar and MVP Colony
  • 'Green my Street Challenge' to promote canopies in colony streets

Visakhapatnam: Earlier, passersby had to turn their face, covering their nose while passing via drains in the smart city.

But some of the city drain stretches are no longer an eyesoar. In fact, they add to the list of beauty spots.

The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation has embarked on ‘Eco Vizag’ on June 5, marking the ‘World Environment Day’. The campaign focuses on five key principles such as eco-clean, eco-green, eco-blue, eco-zero plastic and eco-zero pollution.

Keeping the monsoon season in view, the civic body is giving preference to the ‘eco-green’ parameter of the campaign.

Targeting on two aspects such as discouraging people from dumping waste into the drains and beautifying the stretch, the civic body intends to experiment with vertical gardening along the drain stretches. “Apparently, we are coming with one more campaign. In addition to focusing on horizontal greenery, we are also promoting vertical gardening. On an experimental basis, already some parts of the city drains have been identified for developing vertical gardens. In the days to come, this concept will be taken forward quite aggressively,” explains CM Saikanth Varma, GVMC Commissioner.

Eye-pleasing vertical gardens and green screens have been set up at Rushikonda, Sagar Nagar and MVP Colony and other localities. Based on their sustainability, more such spots would be developed by the corporation in future. A lot of stress was also given to upcycling plastic caps and other stuff to beautify the city drains. At Sagar Nagar alone, a caption ‘clean our sea plastic-free’ was readied making use of 50,000 plastic bottle caps.

‘Green my Street’

Innovatively, in tune with the Eco Vizag, trees that would be developed into canopies are being proposed in the colony streets. A drive has commenced in this regard and ‘Green my Street’ challenge has been rolled out towards this direction. With the support of the secretariat staff, a survey would be carried out to check on the possibility of growing canopies in the streets of various neighbourhoods. So far, 10,000 such canopy trees were identified by the civic staff. Also, much priority is given to the trees that survive longer.

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Automated irrigation and nutrient delivery systems are increasingly used to streamline maintenance, especially in larger or commercial installations .

Robotic systems capable of inspecting plant health and collecting environmental data are emerging, further reducing labor and improving sustainability .

However, inadequate maintenance can lead to plant die-off, as seen in some urban projects where harsh climates and lack of care resulted in the failure of green walls .

Selecting plants well-suited to the local environment and employing automated systems can mitigate these challenges and ensure the longevity of vertical gardens .

**Suitable Plants for Different Climates** must be carefully chosen to ensure the resilience and sustainability of vertical gardens.

**Suitable Plants for Different Climates** must be carefully chosen to ensure the resilience and sustainability of vertical gardens.

In **tropical and warm climates**, drought-resistant species such as succulents, native plants, and flowering shrubs are preferred due to their adaptability to heat and limited water availability .

Title:

Content: STOCK MARKET BSE NSE

Delhi: Vertical gardens drain crores, droop

Meanwhile, the RTI response also showed that the Corporation has not conducted any study about whether these gardens help in controlling pollution.

Published: 17th May 2022 08:02 AM  |   Last Updated: 17th May 2022 08:02 AM   |  A+A-

Express News Service

NEW DELHI:  The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has spent over Rs 5 crore from 2017 to 2022 on vertical gardens, the response to a Right to Information (RTI) Act query filed by an advocate revealed. Most of the vertical gardens have now dried up in the absence of due care.

The situation is especially bad in East Delhi. As per the RTI query filed by Siddhartha Malkania, the Municipal Corporation (East) spent more than Rs 1.51 crore on the plantation and management of seven vertical gardens in Shahdara zone, and most of them are in poor state. EMCD also installed a vertical garden for Rs 1.66 crore at a primary school in Mayur Vihar Pocket 4. When the Morning Standard visited this school, the garden was found in bad shape.

Meanwhile, the RTI response also showed that the Corporation has not conducted any study about whether these gardens help in controlling pollution. The Municipal Corporation (North) refused to provide the amount spent on vertical gardens but stated that it has installed 27 of them. “This information is voluminous and is readily not available,” the NDMC said in response.

The Municipal Corporation (South) fared better, with the gardens found in healthier conditions. A total of 10 vertical gardens have been installed by the corporation since 2017, at a cost of more than `2.40 crore. The civic body said that though the life of these vertical gardens has expired, 70 percent greenery still exists.

According to Vikrant Tongad, founder, Social Action for Forest and Environment, these types of gardens are not suitable for Indian weather and instead add to plastic pollution. “We opposed it with strong reasons. The weather in Delhi NCR doesn’t support vertical gardens,” Tongad said. “It is successful in European countries. They look visually appealing here but have no environmental value. The carrier is plastic, which releases more pollutant gases and is carcinogenic.”

Tongad added that people also pilfer the plastic boxes in which the plants are grown. “Many cases of the plants being stolen have been reported. This is wastage of public money,” he said. The Morning Standard tried to get in touch with the EDMC and NDMC officials, but got no response.

South civic body fares better than others
The Municipal Corporation (South) fared better, with the gardens found in healthier conditions. A total of 10 vertical gardens were installed, at a cost of more than Rs 2.40 crore.

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Common choices include ferns, orchids, climbing vines, and herbs .

Title:

Content: STOCK MARKET BSE NSE

Delhi: Vertical gardens drain crores, droop

Meanwhile, the RTI response also showed that the Corporation has not conducted any study about whether these gardens help in controlling pollution.

Published: 17th May 2022 08:02 AM  |   Last Updated: 17th May 2022 08:02 AM   |  A+A-

Express News Service

NEW DELHI:  The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has spent over Rs 5 crore from 2017 to 2022 on vertical gardens, the response to a Right to Information (RTI) Act query filed by an advocate revealed. Most of the vertical gardens have now dried up in the absence of due care.

The situation is especially bad in East Delhi. As per the RTI query filed by Siddhartha Malkania, the Municipal Corporation (East) spent more than Rs 1.51 crore on the plantation and management of seven vertical gardens in Shahdara zone, and most of them are in poor state. EMCD also installed a vertical garden for Rs 1.66 crore at a primary school in Mayur Vihar Pocket 4. When the Morning Standard visited this school, the garden was found in bad shape.

Meanwhile, the RTI response also showed that the Corporation has not conducted any study about whether these gardens help in controlling pollution. The Municipal Corporation (North) refused to provide the amount spent on vertical gardens but stated that it has installed 27 of them. “This information is voluminous and is readily not available,” the NDMC said in response.

The Municipal Corporation (South) fared better, with the gardens found in healthier conditions. A total of 10 vertical gardens have been installed by the corporation since 2017, at a cost of more than `2.40 crore. The civic body said that though the life of these vertical gardens has expired, 70 percent greenery still exists.

According to Vikrant Tongad, founder, Social Action for Forest and Environment, these types of gardens are not suitable for Indian weather and instead add to plastic pollution. “We opposed it with strong reasons. The weather in Delhi NCR doesn’t support vertical gardens,” Tongad said. “It is successful in European countries. They look visually appealing here but have no environmental value. The carrier is plastic, which releases more pollutant gases and is carcinogenic.”

Tongad added that people also pilfer the plastic boxes in which the plants are grown. “Many cases of the plants being stolen have been reported. This is wastage of public money,” he said. The Morning Standard tried to get in touch with the EDMC and NDMC officials, but got no response.

South civic body fares better than others
The Municipal Corporation (South) fared better, with the gardens found in healthier conditions. A total of 10 vertical gardens were installed, at a cost of more than Rs 2.40 crore.

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In **temperate regions**, hardy perennials, ferns, and shrubs that tolerate moderate temperatures and humidity are suitable .

Title:

Content: STOCK MARKET BSE NSE

Delhi: Vertical gardens drain crores, droop

Meanwhile, the RTI response also showed that the Corporation has not conducted any study about whether these gardens help in controlling pollution.

Published: 17th May 2022 08:02 AM  |   Last Updated: 17th May 2022 08:02 AM   |  A+A-

Express News Service

NEW DELHI:  The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has spent over Rs 5 crore from 2017 to 2022 on vertical gardens, the response to a Right to Information (RTI) Act query filed by an advocate revealed. Most of the vertical gardens have now dried up in the absence of due care.

The situation is especially bad in East Delhi. As per the RTI query filed by Siddhartha Malkania, the Municipal Corporation (East) spent more than Rs 1.51 crore on the plantation and management of seven vertical gardens in Shahdara zone, and most of them are in poor state. EMCD also installed a vertical garden for Rs 1.66 crore at a primary school in Mayur Vihar Pocket 4. When the Morning Standard visited this school, the garden was found in bad shape.

Meanwhile, the RTI response also showed that the Corporation has not conducted any study about whether these gardens help in controlling pollution. The Municipal Corporation (North) refused to provide the amount spent on vertical gardens but stated that it has installed 27 of them. “This information is voluminous and is readily not available,” the NDMC said in response.

The Municipal Corporation (South) fared better, with the gardens found in healthier conditions. A total of 10 vertical gardens have been installed by the corporation since 2017, at a cost of more than `2.40 crore. The civic body said that though the life of these vertical gardens has expired, 70 percent greenery still exists.

According to Vikrant Tongad, founder, Social Action for Forest and Environment, these types of gardens are not suitable for Indian weather and instead add to plastic pollution. “We opposed it with strong reasons. The weather in Delhi NCR doesn’t support vertical gardens,” Tongad said. “It is successful in European countries. They look visually appealing here but have no environmental value. The carrier is plastic, which releases more pollutant gases and is carcinogenic.”

Tongad added that people also pilfer the plastic boxes in which the plants are grown. “Many cases of the plants being stolen have been reported. This is wastage of public money,” he said. The Morning Standard tried to get in touch with the EDMC and NDMC officials, but got no response.

South civic body fares better than others
The Municipal Corporation (South) fared better, with the gardens found in healthier conditions. A total of 10 vertical gardens were installed, at a cost of more than Rs 2.40 crore.

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For **cooler climates**, cold-hardy plants like clematis, hellebores, periwinkle, and English ivy are recommended, as they can withstand frost and provide year-round greenery .

Title:

Content: Advertisement

The world's largest vertical farm using 95% less water opens in Dubai

The produce will hit local stores as well.

Emirates Flight Catering. Emirates Flight Catering/Linkedin

As a powerful alternative to help with the land crisis, vertical farms are no less helpful than traditional farms regarding functionality. Although the idea itself dates back to ancient times when the people of Babylon built “The Hanging Gardens of Babylon” in 605-562 BC, the modern concept was first proposed by Dickson Despommier, a Public and Environmental Health professor at Columbia University in 1999.

Hence vertical farms are nothing new; however, the world’s largest facility is fresh and ready to produce more than 2 million pounds of leafy greens annually.

Bustanica was built by Crop One Holdings in collaboration with Emirates Flight Catering. It recently opened its doors in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, near Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central. The facility is as big as 330,000-square-foot and spans over 175 yards.

95% less water

The crops produced in the facility will turn out clean and not require pre-washing as they will grow without pesticides, herbicides, or chemicals. The facility itself employs 95 percent less water, unlike traditional farms, and will produce three tons of output per day while wielding machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data analytics.

The facility utilizes a closed-loop system that circulates water through plants to use water efficiently. Water vaporizes during the watering process and is recycled into the system, which saves 250m liters of water every year compared to traditional outdoor farming producing the same output.

Unsurprisingly, leafy greens produced by Bustanica will be served to Emirates' and various airlines' passengers working with Emirates Flight Catering. Additionally, the products will also hit local stores under the Bustanica brand.

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“We are proud to bring Crop One’s best-in-class technology to this innovative food production facility alongside our joint venture partner. ECO 1 will address growing supply chain challenges and food security issues, while introducing millions of new consumers to the benefits of vertically farmed produce,” said Craig Ratajczyk, Chief Executive Officer at Crop One. “It’s our mission to cultivate a sustainable future to meet global demand for fresh, local food, and this new farm is the manifestation of that commitment. This new facility serves as a model for what’s possible around the globe.”

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Title:

Content: Student-led project helps transform unloved Peterborough space into vibrant community garden

The project has helped to transform the public space at Lythemere, Orton Goldhay.
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A collaborative student-led community project has seen an unloved area of Peterborough transformed

into a beautiful urban garden - with help from dozens of students.

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Award-winning Up The Garden Bath have teamed up with Inspire Education Group and Hampton Handy Crafts to revamp a run-down area in Lythmere, Orton Malbourne.

After a supercharged effort from local volunteers, the public space, which was overgrown with brambles and weeds, was turned into a pop-up pollinator park, designed to encourage and enhance inner city wildlife in just one day.

Five upcycled bathtub planters decorated by students and funded by Orton Longueville Parish Council which is keen to see run down areas regenerated and beautified.

The other bathtub planters were created by students from schools around Peterborough, including Thomas Deacon Academy, Queen Katharine Academy, City of Peterborough Academy, St John Fisher and Marshfield School.

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Selected students from these schools attended classes held by the Inspire Education Group, which teaches basic construction skills, and learned how to build the planters.

Volunteer, Mo Remond, helped to create the community gardens at Tower Street.

She said: “Up The Garden Bath does amazing things around the whole of Peterborough. I love doing things for the community, when I retired from work we started our own street project in Tower Street, Woodston. It’s helped my health and sitting around doing nothing is not good for me. I need to get exercise and get fresh air.

“Up The Garden Bath has helped us out with the street project so when they said they needed a few volunteers for the day, we said, ‘sure, we’ll come along’!”

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“I think if you keep these areas tidy and you let the community plant what they want to plant, then they see how lovely it is. There’s nothing nicer than looking out your window and not looking at big brambles and ivy bushes, you’re seeing nature, butterflies and bees.”

This latest success for the team at Up The Garden Bath follows an incredible three years, which has seen the team upcycle and install over 60 of their unique, bathtub planters into educational facilities, residential care homes and community areas throughout Peterborough and Cambridgeshire while delivering their fun, interactive workshops to more than 15,000 people.

Co-founder of Up The Garden Bath, Dave Poulton, said: “We love these types of community projects. Not only does it give us a chance to collaborate with so many different organisations it also allows us to work 1-1 with the community.

“These projects make a real difference and it shows that through collaborative actions we can encourage social cohesion. These projects encourage neighbours to work together in a shared project that makes a real difference in their area. You can’t have community without unity and these amazing projects help achieve that, hopefully it will inspire others to pick up a trowel and ‘give it a grow’.”

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“One of the five bathtub planters installed on the day was decorated by adults with learning disabilities from Hampton Handy Crafts, part of Peterborough City College.”

Sarah Lewis, hub co-ordinator at Hampton Handy Crafts, said: “It’s taken over two weeks to decorate with 50 of us. As soon as we said the planter was going to be in the community all of our supported people wanted to have a go with the paint!

“We hosted a fun day where we charged people 20p to put their handprint on the bathtub and we raised £200 for a new laser cutter.”

Mo Dhanji, head of technical construction and apprenticeships at Inspire Education, added: “To try and get the upcycled baths out to the wider communities we’ve been engaging school students - aged between 14 and 16 - at the Inspire Education Group. We’ve been building the planters together and so many of the students see these baths going into their own communities.

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“We give the students the tools to build their confidence and autonomy to show them they can do it for themselves but this project has opened up other aspirations where students can look at setting up their own businesses, getting involved in community projects and taking care of areas.

“We are really proud that we can facilitate this and work with the fantastic Up The Garden Bath who regularly pop in and show students what happens to their projects after installation and the importance of sustainability.”

Kez Palmer-Hayes, co-founder of Up The Garden Bath, added: “It’s so great to be working collaboratively to brighten up areas in our community. Residents love it when they head out of their front doors and they can take pride in their area. Once they’ve seen a space that’s been beautified, they want to take care of it.”

**Indoor vertical gardens** benefit from shade-tolerant, low-maintenance species such as snake plant, peace lily, ZZ plant, and Chinese evergreen, which thrive in low-light conditions and require less frequent care .

Title:

Content: Prince’s Landscape Pte Ltd Now Provides Singapore Properties with Vertical Green Walls

Prince’s Landscape Pte Ltd is famous for its vertical wall planters, green walls and flower backdrop in Singapore. The company caters to residential and commercial clients as well.

Singapore, 2023-Jan-04 — /EPR Network/ — Prince’s Landscape Pte Ltd, the leading landscaping company in Singapore is offering vertical green walls to commercial and residential properties. Whether it is a retail showroom or a high rise, the vertical green wall is an innovative approach towards introducing nature amidst the concrete jungle.

The company uses quality vertical wall planters, ensuring the healthy growth of the plants. These vertical walls are easy to maintain, assemble, install, disassemble, and reinstall. The technique used by Prince’s Landscape Pte Ltd ensures the user does not have to spend much time tending and taking care of the plants.

Along with green walls, the company also provides clients with exquisite flower backdrops in Singapore to complement the greenery around them. It’s a long-term investment as a green wall can last up to 25 years.

Vertical walls by Prince’s Landscape Pte Ltd come with some unique features:

  • Custom design to suit the client’s needs.
  • Minimal watering of the green wall plants.
  • Ultra-low maintenance ensured.
  • Quick installation due to a modular system.
  • Use of plants that can survive in a tropical climate.

Why choose a vertical green wall?

  • Reduces waste of energy.
  • Improves air quality.
  • Makes the structure sustainable.
  • The space becomes more fire-resistant.
  • Minimizes ambient noise.

The general installation cost for a vertical green wall by Prince’s Landscape Pte Ltd ranges between $200 per square meter and $1200 per square meter, depending on the design, the kind of plants used and the installation process.

About the company:

One of the oldest nurseries in Singapore, Prince’s Landscape Pte Ltd has 50 years of experience in the industry. Started out humbly as a flower shop, Prince’s Landscape Pte Ltd have evolved into a full-fledged landscape design and installation specialist.

Contact Details

Telephone: 65 6763 7000

Fax: 65 6892 2700

WhatsApp: +65 8838 3479

Email: buzz@prince.com.sg

Address: 53 Sungei Tengah Road, Singapore 698998

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Title:

Content: Check Out 5 of the Latest Gardening Trends of 2023

Are you up to date with the latest gardening trends of 2023? Keep reading to find out.

By

May 2 2023, Published 11:53 a.m. ET

Just like clothes and home decor, gardening has its own trends. Knowing what’s cool is a good starting point for learning more about new techniques and styles or figuring out how people are reviving old practices.

This year, people are loving everything from meadows to cottage-style gardens. Let’s take a look at some of the other latest gardening trends of 2023.

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Gardeners are embracing native plants.

Environmentalists everywhere will love this trend. Gardeners are waking up to the fact that non-native plants can’t withstand their local weather conditions, so they’re opting for native plants instead, according to Better Homes and Gardens. This simple swap can produce a lot of fantastic results.

Not only are native plants better suited to the local climate, but they also require fewer pesticides and less water, while also helping biodiversity flourish, the U.S. Forest Service explained. To determine which plants are native to your area, you can contact your state’s Native Plant Society.

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Houseplant collections are through the roof.

People are also becoming more and more passionate about having plants inside the home, not just outside. Plants are a great way to decorate a space in a more natural, yet colorful, way — plus, they tend to double as a hobby since learning how to take care of them isn’t always easy.

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Aside from caring for them, collecting plants is an entire hobby in and of itself. Prospective plant parents might be drawn to the idea of houseplants simply because there are so many unique species to choose from and learn about.

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Meadows are in, lawns are out.

In recent years, it seems like people have been coming to terms with the fact that lawns are bad for the environment (and really boring). While some decided to ditch traditional lawns for clover, the latest trends show that gardeners are choosing to create meadows.

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Meadows support pollinators and have no need for harsh chemicals or mowing, according to Garden Design. Many people also enjoy that there are no rules or regulations regarding meadows — they allow you to express creativity and can grow freely. Before starting your meadow, it might be a good idea to check out some local examples first!

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People are growing their own flower bouquets.

Flower bouquets play a role in many different occasions, so it’s both amazing and convenient that gardeners are choosing to grow their own. It would be pretty cool to simply go in your backyard, arrange a home-grown flower bouquet, and then gift it to a loved one for a birthday, holiday, or just because.

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Gifting people flowers is a nice way to spread happiness in your neighborhood and community. It’s also another good way to flex your creative muscles.

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Many are creating romantic cottage-style gardens.

Cottage gardens are incredibly romantic — they are full of colorful and fragrant blooms, as well as unique decor. This type of gardening typically utilizes a close planting method in order to create a large expanse of various flowers and greenery. Alliums, yarrow, and dianthus are often grown in these comforting gardens.

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In terms of decor, many people enjoy adding wheelbarrows, garden arbors, old bikes, stone birdbaths, and other similar elements to their cottage-style gardens. This trend is perfect for those in need of a little outdoor excitement.

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The use of native plants is often encouraged, as they are naturally adapted to local conditions, require less water, and support local biodiversity .

**Technological Innovations** are transforming vertical gardening systems.

**Technological Innovations** are transforming vertical gardening systems.

Smart indoor garden systems equipped with sensors, artificial intelligence, and automation create controlled environments for optimal plant growth, making maintenance more efficient and accessible .

Title:

Content: Categories: Articles, Crop productionPublished On: 13th October 2023

Hobby or small-holder farmers: Vertical farming may be the way to go

By 7 min read

aquaculture-5990470_1280

Stackable planters can be purchased from local hardware or nursery suppliers to create your own vertical farm.

The need to optimise farming and improve yields on small plots of land is increasingly important. Due to challenges of water scarcity, limited arable land and high inputs costs, innovative solutions such as vertical farming can help to overcome these struggles.

Vertical farming is an approach whereby farmers cultivate certain crops vertically in stacked layers, in order to maximise space and increase yields. This is usually achieved by planting these crops in containers, structures, or stackable pots.

Most often, these structures incorporate aquaponics, hydroponics or aeroponic techniques. All of these are methods used in controlled environments, with various factors such as the water flow, lighting control, temperature, and substrate controlled by the farmer, unlike traditional farming practices.

Vertical farming has many benefits

The most obvious benefit of vertical farming is maximised land use. This method allows farmers to grow more crops in a smaller footprint, making it ideal for areas with limited land availability. But there are other benefits too:

Production throughout the year: Since the environment of vertical farms are more controlled, it is possible to cultivate a crop more than once a year, or to ensure that you have a consistent yield throughout the year – depending on the crop type of course. Any seasonal constraints are removed and production is more efficient.

Water conservation: Less water is used in these systems.with only the precise amount of water needed to provide the plants with sustenance. Where farms are located in greenhouses or indoors, less evaporation also occurs.

Low environmental impact: When less space is needed to grow more food, there is a lower impact on the environment. Less natural vegetation needs to be cleared to accommodate soil based farming.

Improved control over growing conditions: When coupled with greenhouse systems, factors such as light intensity, temperature and humidity can be regulated. However, the plants are more dependent on the farmer to provide nutrients as there is little to no soil used as a substrate. Farmers can exercise strict control over when which fertilisers are used.

How to start a vertical farm

If you are looking to start a vertical farm, you need to first allocate space. You will need a space to put up the vertical structures where it has ample natural light, and where the structures can be safe from animals. People often want to put vertical gardens in warehouses and storerooms, but it is very costly to provide enough artificial lighting to try and make up for the lack of sunlight.

If you plan on adding ventilation to a greenhouse, temperature control systems or any other high tech additions, remember to consider access to electricity or solar power. If solar is your choice, take note the for every hectare of artificial lighting you may need up to five hectares of solar panels to provide enough electricity.

There also needs to be a space where you can add drainage so access water can drain from your vertical farm.

Next, you will need to look at the crops you would like to grow as this will determine  your growing method.

Structures for vertical farming:

Vertical wall gardens

Vertical wall gardens are one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to start vertical farming in cities where you have walls, and limited horisontal space. You can use recycled materials such as old pallets, wooden crates, or plastic bottles as planting containers. These containers can be attached to a vertical frame or wall, creating a vertical garden. This method is excellent for growing herbs, small vegetables, and even certain fruits like strawberries.

Tower gardens

Tower gardens are vertical systems that allow plants to grow in stacked layers. PVC pipes can be used to create vertical planting towers. Plants are placed in holes drilled into the pipes, and a water and nutrient solution is circulated through the system. PVC pipes are relatively inexpensive and can be found at local hardware stores. Tower gardens are suitable for growing a variety of leafy greens and herbs.

Hanging gardens

Hanging gardens are an excellent option for small spaces. You can use hanging pots, recycled containers, or even fabric pouches attached to a frame or railing. These hanging containers can be filled with a lightweight growing medium and used for cultivating herbs, lettuce, and other compact crops. Hanging gardens utilise vertical space effectively and are relatively low-cost to set up.

Hydroponic systems

Hydroponic systems, where plants are grown in water without soil, can be affordable if you opt for a simple DIY setup. You can create a basic raft system using foam boards floating on a nutrient solution. Alternatively, a wick system, where a wick draws nutrient solution from a reservoir to the plants, is inexpensive and easy to set up. These DIY hydroponic systems are suitable for growing various vegetables and herbs.

Shelve system

As the name suggests, shelves are used to create rows of vertical gardens. Similar to wall- or hanging gardens, containers with substrate is used keep the plants in. Pots or trays are stacked on the shelves in a tray of water, or is connected to driplines that provide the plants with water.

A wall garden constructed with PVC pipe. (Source: Pixabay)

Planting a (vertical) garden and watching it grow

Some crops are not compatible with vertical systems – do not try to plant maize or pumpkins in this system. But there are still a multitude of other crops that can be used. Here are a few you can research:

  1. Herbs:

Herbs such as basil, cilantro, mint, thyme, and parsley are vital flavours that are in constant demand. They require relatively little space and grow well in vertical systems. Additionally, herbs are high-value crops because they have a quick turnover, allowing for multiple harvests throughout the year.

  1. Salad greens

Leafy greens like lettuce, spinach, arugula, and kale are popular choices for vertical farming. They are not only nutritious but also have a short growth cycle, making them ideal for continuous harvesting. Salad greens are versatile and are used in various culinary dishes, making them high in demand and a profitable choice for vertical farms.

  1. Microgreens

Microgreens are young edible plants harvested at an early stage. They are incredibly popular in high-end restaurants and farmer’s markets due to their intense flavour and high nutritional content. Microgreens can include varieties like radishes, mustard greens, and pea shoots. Despite their small size, microgreens are considered high-value crops because they can be sold at a premium price.

  1. Strawberries

Strawberries are a popular fruit that can be grown vertically in towers or hanging systems. They have a relatively high market price and are favoured by consumers for their sweetness and freshness. Vertical farming allows for efficient use of space, making it possible to grow a significant quantity of strawberries in a small area.

  1. Gourmet mushrooms

Gourmet mushrooms such as oyster mushrooms, shiitake, and maitake have gained popularity in culinary circles. They can be grown vertically in specially designed containers or shelves. Mushrooms have a relatively high market price, making them a profitable choice for vertical farms.

When choosing high-value crops for your vertical farming system, consider the local market demand, climate suitability, and your expertise in cultivating specific crops. Conduct market research and engage with local chefs, restaurants, and grocery stores to understand their requirements and preferences. By selecting the right combination of high-value crops, you can optimise your vertical farm’s profitability and contribute to the sustainable growth of your agricultural venture.

Shelves can also be used to create vertical gardens. (Source: Vecteezy)

For emerging farmers in sub-Saharan countries, vertical farming represents a pathway to overcome traditional agricultural challenges and create a more sustainable, efficient, and profitable farming enterprise. By harnessing the benefits of vertical farming, these farmers can contribute significantly to the local economy, local supply chain and food security.

J.M. and Marsh, J. (2022) How Africa can develop its own version of Vertical Farming, Agrilinks. Available at: https://agrilinks.org/post/how-africa-can-develop-its-own-version-vertical-farming

Vertical farming in Africa with Tower Farms (2022) Agrotonomy. Available at: https://agrotonomy.com/vertical-farming-in-africa-with-tower-farms/

Vertical Farming South Africa: 4 companies making a big impact (2022) Indoor Grow Farmer. Available at: https://indoorgrowfarmer.com/vertical-farming-south-africa/#:~:text=Vertical%20farming%20in%20South%20Africa,conditions%20to%20accommodate%20vertical%20farming.

B.Bugbee (2015) Why vertical farming won’t save the planet. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISAKc9gpGjw&feature=youtu.be

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25 Best Patio Plants for Beginners to Add Instant Appeal to Their Outdoor Space

Gorgeous, low-maintenance and hardy evergreens for your deck's garden and pots.

By Arricca Elin SanSone and Mariah Thomas

As the weather gets warmer, your patio becomes very enticing — and for good reason. So it's no wonder you'd want to spruce up your outdoor area with low maintenance patio plants. While every part of your home — the office, bedroom and kitchen — can benefit from a touch of greenery, don't forget to add seasonal color to your patio with sun-loving or (low-light) container plants, annuals and perennials.

Before choosing from these plants below, consider how much sun your patio receives and whether you'll be placing plants in your garden or pots. Some colorful blooms, like marigolds, roses and Mandevilla, thrive in full sun (more than six hours a day). Other picks, like the Chinese Evergreen (also known as the Aglaonema), prefer minimal light (full shade means less than an hour or two of sun). And since plants attract our favorite pollinators such as butterflies, bees and hummingbirds, your patio's small garden (and vertical garden too!) will flourish while providing a dose of subtle entertainment when lounging.

While we may deem these patio plants beginner-friendly and easy to care for indoors and outdoors, still take note of your USDA Hardiness zone (find yours here) to see suitable varieties for your region's winter season. Then, browse our assortment of leafy and blossoming plants to bring color to your tropical-inspired room or shady retreat. P.S. They'll look good and make you feel good too!

1

Kalanchoe

Lively Root deems these plants "your favorite colorful succulents." They're long-blooming, easy to grow and thrive in bright, natural light, so they're perfect for open-air patios that receive plenty of sun. Find them in various shades of red, orange, yellow and white to really give your outdoor garden a jolt of personality.

SHOP KALANCHOE

2

Croton

Place these tropical plants in full sun and watch their striking leaves vary in shades of red, yellow, green and pink. Keep them happy by watering them once a week and take note of any mushy leaves or black stems (a sign of overwatering).

SHOP CROTON

3

Dracaena

These low-maintenance plants, also known as Madagascar dragon trees, prefer bright, indirect sun, but can tolerate low light. Their sword-like leaves with bold red or purple edges give them a unique look. Before they grow tall, keep them in small pots to display on your patio's table.

SHOP DRACAENA

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4

Majesty Palm

The long green fronds of this slow-growing evergreen make it a popular houseplant. Keep it in bright, indirect light and see it reach up to 10 feet tall. Since the Majesty Palm is a tropical plant, water it every one to two weeks and increase humidity with a humidifier or by misting your plants as necessary.

SHOP MAJESTY PALM

5

Million Bells

Also known as Calibrachoa, Million Bells have cheerful, bell-shaped flowers that resemble petunias. They can be found in a range of lively hues — yellow, violet, pink and red are just a few options. They're excellent picks for hanging baskets and your vertical garden. Keep it in full sun and fertilize it monthly.

SHOP MILLION BELLS

6

Mandevilla

Mandevilla is a gorgeous flowering vine that requires a trellis. It blooms all season long with little care, and you can bring it in for winter in cold climates when the nighttime temperatures go below 50 degrees. Full disclosure: It is a little messy indoors, as the leaves and flowers drop in lower light levels. It likes full sun, though it benefits from afternoon shade in the hottest climates.

SHOP MANDEVILLA

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7

Marigolds

There’s a reason these sturdy annuals have been popular for decades: They thrive on neglect! Marigolds come in bright colors, including the classic oranges and yellows, but new varieties are available in creamy white. They take the heat, last until a hard freeze, and look good in beds or containers without any effort from you. Just give them full sun.

SHOP MARIGOLDS

8

Lavender

Lavender has beautiful purple spikes and silvery foliage; it’s drought-tolerant once established. Give it full sun, and plant a variety that will survive in your hardiness zone so it returns next year. Edge your patio with it, or plant it near seating areas so you can enjoy its classic scent.

SHOP LAVENDER

9

Fuchsia

Got shade? Fuchsia thrives in full shade. This stunning annual comes in saturated tones of red, purple and pink. It looks best in containers or baskets. Hummingbirds adore this plant, too. This plant is best purchased at a local nursery, as its delicate nature makes it difficult to ship intact or germinate from seed.

SHOP FUCHSIA

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10

Ornamental Grasses

Look for short varieties to add architectural interest to pots; tall types offer great screening if used to edge the patio in the ground or in pots. Most are perennial, but read the tag to be sure. Most need full sun.

SHOP ORNAMENTAL GRASS

11

Hydrangea

This stunning shrub comes in many different sizes and types. A hydrangea’s bloom appears in early to mid-summer and lasts until a hard freeze. They're extremely easy to dry for floral arrangements or wreaths, with most types needing some sun to flower best (they like afternoon shade in the hottest climates). Make sure to plant one that is suited to your hardiness zone.

SHOP HYDRANGEA

12

Lobelia

Blue, purple or white lobelia looks wonderful in baskets or mixed containers. This annual needs mostly shade, though it will tolerate a little morning sun. It blooms best in cool weather, so if it starts to look ragged in mid-summer, trim it back and it should rebound in the fall.

SHOP LOBELIA

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13

Succulents

For a sunny patio, succulents are a fun option! They come in hundreds of sizes, shapes and colors and require almost nothing from you. Some are cold-hardy and will survive winter, but if not, you certainly can dig a few up to pot and display on a sunny windowsill.

SHOP SUCCULENTS

14

Torenia

The pretty purple, pink or white blooms of this plant attract pollinators, and they last all the way to frost. Torenia flowers are lovely when cascading from pots on a shady patio. Some have a slightly grape-like scent.

SHOP TORENIA

15

Roses

Every garden needs at least one rose! These colorful flowers bloom from early summer to a hard freeze. You'll find an array of varieties, so read the tag and look for those that will survive in your hardiness zone. They bloom best in full sun.

SHOP ROSES

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16

Sweet Alyssum

With tiny white, blush-pink or purple flowers, low-growing sweet alyssum looks beautiful draping over the sides of containers. Plant it where you can catch a whiff of its delightful honey-sweet scent. It’s another favorite of pollinators. It needs full sun but will take some shade.

SHOP SWEET ALYSSUM

17

Berries

Think outside the box: New types of strawberries have been bred to be more compact and ornamental, and new varieties of blackberry and raspberry bushes have no thorns! Plant these as a low border or in decorative pots. They prefer full sun.

SHOP BERRIES

18

Aglaonema

For sheer drama, nothing tops an aglaonema! The heart-shaped leaves come in striking reds and pinks, making this plant a favorite accent in pots or along borders. Enjoy them as annuals or dig up the tubers before winter and store them in a cool, dark place to plant again next year. They’re shade lovers.

SHOP AGLAONEMA

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19

Angelonia

Angelonia plants love the heat! These annuals have tiny orchid-like flowers that come in pretty pastel and deeply saturated shades. Some types are upright, and others cascade from baskets or containers. Give them part to full sun.

SHOP ANGELONIA

20

Cherry Tomatoes

If you’ve never grown vegetables, cherry tomatoes or any dwarf tomatoes are a good place to start! Many new varieties are compact so they work well in containers — and they’re pretty, too! Give them full sun.

SHOP CHERRY TOMATO PLANT

Arricca Elin SanSone

Arricca Elin SanSone has written about health and lifestyle topics for Prevention, Country Living, Woman's Day, and more. She’s passionate about gardening, baking, reading, and spending time with the people and dogs she loves.

Assistant Editor

Mariah Thomas (she/her) is an assistant editor for Good Housekeeping, where she covers home and lifestyle content. Mariah has more than four years of editorial experience, having written for TLC, Apartment Therapy, Women's Health and Avocado Magazine. She received her master's degree in journalism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and published her first book, Heart and Soul: Poems of Thoughts and Emotions, in 2019. She's also the founder of RTF Community, a platform for creatives of color to connect, learn and showcase their work.

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Modular systems allow for scalable installations, while hydroponic and aquaponic technologies enable soil-less cultivation, maximizing space and resource efficiency .

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Content: STOCK MARKET BSE NSE

Delhi: Vertical gardens drain crores, droop

Meanwhile, the RTI response also showed that the Corporation has not conducted any study about whether these gardens help in controlling pollution.

Published: 17th May 2022 08:02 AM  |   Last Updated: 17th May 2022 08:02 AM   |  A+A-

Express News Service

NEW DELHI:  The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has spent over Rs 5 crore from 2017 to 2022 on vertical gardens, the response to a Right to Information (RTI) Act query filed by an advocate revealed. Most of the vertical gardens have now dried up in the absence of due care.

The situation is especially bad in East Delhi. As per the RTI query filed by Siddhartha Malkania, the Municipal Corporation (East) spent more than Rs 1.51 crore on the plantation and management of seven vertical gardens in Shahdara zone, and most of them are in poor state. EMCD also installed a vertical garden for Rs 1.66 crore at a primary school in Mayur Vihar Pocket 4. When the Morning Standard visited this school, the garden was found in bad shape.

Meanwhile, the RTI response also showed that the Corporation has not conducted any study about whether these gardens help in controlling pollution. The Municipal Corporation (North) refused to provide the amount spent on vertical gardens but stated that it has installed 27 of them. “This information is voluminous and is readily not available,” the NDMC said in response.

The Municipal Corporation (South) fared better, with the gardens found in healthier conditions. A total of 10 vertical gardens have been installed by the corporation since 2017, at a cost of more than `2.40 crore. The civic body said that though the life of these vertical gardens has expired, 70 percent greenery still exists.

According to Vikrant Tongad, founder, Social Action for Forest and Environment, these types of gardens are not suitable for Indian weather and instead add to plastic pollution. “We opposed it with strong reasons. The weather in Delhi NCR doesn’t support vertical gardens,” Tongad said. “It is successful in European countries. They look visually appealing here but have no environmental value. The carrier is plastic, which releases more pollutant gases and is carcinogenic.”

Tongad added that people also pilfer the plastic boxes in which the plants are grown. “Many cases of the plants being stolen have been reported. This is wastage of public money,” he said. The Morning Standard tried to get in touch with the EDMC and NDMC officials, but got no response.

South civic body fares better than others
The Municipal Corporation (South) fared better, with the gardens found in healthier conditions. A total of 10 vertical gardens were installed, at a cost of more than Rs 2.40 crore.

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Robotic maintenance solutions, such as climbing robots for plant inspection, are being developed to further reduce labor and improve sustainability .

These innovations support the integration of vertical gardens into both residential and commercial buildings, enhancing their practicality and appeal .

**Energy Efficiency** is enhanced by vertical gardens through their insulation and cooling effects.

**Energy Efficiency** is enhanced by vertical gardens through their insulation and cooling effects.

**Energy Efficiency** is enhanced by vertical gardens through their insulation and cooling effects.

By reducing wall temperatures and providing shade, green walls decrease the need for air conditioning in summer and heating in winter, leading to significant energy savings .

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Content: Categories
News

10 Exquisite Indoor Plants for a Serene Home Oasis

Indoor gardening has become a popular trend, offering a calming retreat within the chaos of modern life. Not only do indoor garden plants enhance the beauty of our living spaces, but they also contribute to our well-being purifying the air and uplifting our mood. If you are looking to transform your home into a tranquil oasis, here are ten exquisite indoor plants that will do the job.

1. Monstera Deliciosa (Swiss Cheese Plant)
With its iconic split leaves resembling a piece of art, the Monstera Deliciosa brings a touch of tropical elegance to any space. Its lush green foliage and easy care requirements make it an ideal choice for plant enthusiasts of all levels.

2. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
The graceful white blooms of the Peace Lily symbolize peace and tranquility, making it a popular choice for indoor gardens. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, but it also purifies the air and thrives in low-light conditions.

3. Fiddle Leaf Fig (Ficus Lyrata)
The large, violin-shaped leaves of the Fiddle Leaf Fig add a touch of sophistication to any room. This plant thrives in bright, indirect light and is a favorite among interior decorators.

4. Snake Plant (Sansevieria Trifasciata)
Renowned for its resilience and air-purifying properties, the Snake Plant features striking, upright leaves in various colors and patterns. It can tolerate low light and irregular watering, making it perfect for busy individuals.

5. Philodendron Birkin
The glossy, dark green leaves with creamy-white pinstripes of the Philodendron Birkin create a captivating visual appeal. This low-maintenance plant thrives in moderate light conditions, making it a versatile choice for any indoor setting.

6. ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas Zamiifolia)
The glossy, waxy leaves of the ZZ Plant add a touch of sophistication to any room. It thrives in low-light environments and is tolerant of neglect, making it an excellent choice for beginners.

7. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum Comosum)
The Spider Plant’s arching foliage, adorned with tiny plantlets resembling spiders, adds a playful charm to any indoor space. It is easy to care for and excellent at purifying the air, making it a versatile addition to any garden.

8. Pothos (Epipremnum Aureum)
The cascading vines and heart-shaped leaves of the Pothos plant make it a classic choice for hanging baskets or trailing accents on shelves. Its adaptability to various light conditions and forgiving nature make it a favorite among indoor gardeners.

9. Calathea Orbifolia
The Calathea Orbifolia mesmerizes with its silvery-green leaves marked with intricate patterns. This plant thrives in moderate indirect light and appreciates consistent moisture, adding an artistic touch to indoor spaces.

10. Aloe Vera
Beyond its medicinal properties, Aloe Vera’s succulent foliage adds a refreshing touch to indoor gardens. It thrives in bright, indirect light and requires minimal watering, making it a versatile addition to any collection.

In conclusion, these ten exquisite indoor plants not only enhance the aesthetics of your home but also promote mindfulness and a connection with nature. Taking care of them provides a therapeutic experience, allowing individuals to unwind and find solace in nurturing living organisms. Transform your home into a serene oasis with these beautiful indoor plants.

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Content: Residential Building Saler Homes / NAC Arquitectos

Residential Building Saler Homes / NAC Arquitectos

+ 38

València, Spain
  • Architects: NAC Arquitectos
  • Area :  273102 ft²
  • Year :  2020
  • Manufacturers :  Alucoil, Saloni, Cortizo, Dioco, Finsa, Placo, ROCKWOOL, Roca, Singular Green
More SpecsLess Specs

Text description provided by the architects. This project is located on Antonio Ferrandis Street and is part of the P.P. Quatre Carreres. The location is especially privileged because it is located on the southern edge of the city, separating two radically opposite plots and scales, admiring the large expanse of an orchard that extends to the Albufera Natural Park and with visual continuity to the sea.

The project is built on a plot of rectangular geometry. The current planning defines the buildable volume, in such a way that two towers of approximately 27 x 17 m are executed, identical in their program and formal resolution, joined by a basement body on the ground and first floors.

The program, essentially residential, contains a tertiary building area located on the ground and first floor, whose orientation is connected to the urban space. The rest of the floors are occupied by the program of 100 dwellings. The ground floor is configured as a space for social relations, generating a route through arcaded spaces and where the swimming pool and children's play area are located. The vertical garden that accompanies the entrance route stands out and winks at the transition between the orchard and the city.

Using an elemental compositional mechanism, a resounding, clear, and the formally simple building has been sought. Each of the volumes is generated by a rigorous rectangular plan that expands and grows at each vertex, creating terraces for each house. The facade is conceived as a continuous skin that embraces these terraced spaces following a curved line that characterizes the geometry of the building. To materialize the undulating surfaces, white aluminum composite plates are used.

The alternation of the floors in height of these growths, together with the reduction of the dimensions of the building in the last floors conditioned by urban planning parameters, configures the final appearance of the complex.

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Project location

Address:Carrer d'Antonio Ferrandis, 16, 46013 Valencia, Valencia, Spain

Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Residential Building Saler Homes / NAC Arquitectos" [Edificio residencial Saler Homes / NAC Arquitectos] 28 Jan 2023. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/995303/residential-building-saler-homes-nac-arquitectos> ISSN 0719-8884

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Some designs incorporate renewable energy elements, such as solar panels, to further reduce utility costs and environmental impact .

Title:

Content: Residential Building Saler Homes / NAC Arquitectos

Residential Building Saler Homes / NAC Arquitectos

+ 38

València, Spain
  • Architects: NAC Arquitectos
  • Area :  273102 ft²
  • Year :  2020
  • Manufacturers :  Alucoil, Saloni, Cortizo, Dioco, Finsa, Placo, ROCKWOOL, Roca, Singular Green
More SpecsLess Specs

Text description provided by the architects. This project is located on Antonio Ferrandis Street and is part of the P.P. Quatre Carreres. The location is especially privileged because it is located on the southern edge of the city, separating two radically opposite plots and scales, admiring the large expanse of an orchard that extends to the Albufera Natural Park and with visual continuity to the sea.

The project is built on a plot of rectangular geometry. The current planning defines the buildable volume, in such a way that two towers of approximately 27 x 17 m are executed, identical in their program and formal resolution, joined by a basement body on the ground and first floors.

The program, essentially residential, contains a tertiary building area located on the ground and first floor, whose orientation is connected to the urban space. The rest of the floors are occupied by the program of 100 dwellings. The ground floor is configured as a space for social relations, generating a route through arcaded spaces and where the swimming pool and children's play area are located. The vertical garden that accompanies the entrance route stands out and winks at the transition between the orchard and the city.

Using an elemental compositional mechanism, a resounding, clear, and the formally simple building has been sought. Each of the volumes is generated by a rigorous rectangular plan that expands and grows at each vertex, creating terraces for each house. The facade is conceived as a continuous skin that embraces these terraced spaces following a curved line that characterizes the geometry of the building. To materialize the undulating surfaces, white aluminum composite plates are used.

The alternation of the floors in height of these growths, together with the reduction of the dimensions of the building in the last floors conditioned by urban planning parameters, configures the final appearance of the complex.

Project gallery

See allShow less

Project location

Address:Carrer d'Antonio Ferrandis, 16, 46013 Valencia, Valencia, Spain

Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Residential Building Saler Homes / NAC Arquitectos" [Edificio residencial Saler Homes / NAC Arquitectos] 28 Jan 2023. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/995303/residential-building-saler-homes-nac-arquitectos> ISSN 0719-8884

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The long-term benefits in energy savings and improved building performance often justify the initial investment in vertical garden systems .

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Sky Pool House / Guz Architects

Sky Pool House / Guz Architects

+ 11

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Text description provided by the architects. The client for the Sky Pool house originally intended to make alterations and additions to the existing house. However, after designing for some months they realized that the existing house really did not match their new requirements and it was more ideal to just start from scratch. The site sits on an elevated plot at the end of a small cul de sac, and is considered a prime residential area of Singapore.

In land scarce Singapore, greenery and space for nature comes at a premium, so we conceived a design that satisfied the client’s brief, while giving greenery back to the neighbourhood and house. The layered roof gardens not only provide lush greenery when viewed from each level of the house, but also help to cool the house passively through transpiration of the plants. When viewed from outside, these overhanging plants soften the edges of what is quite a large house.

The house is approached by a short driveway which then leads up to the front door via a series of garden steps, and into a basement garage via a short ramp. This approach was conceived to be as green as possible, with soft greenery enveloping all. The client also requested that he have a rooftop gym and swimming pool, to take advantage of the distant views from the elevated site. By placing an acrylic window in the base of the swimming pool, we allowed light to flood into the atrium void space below.

This atrium was in the heart of the house and allowed light to penetrate into what is quite a deep floor plan. Because it was under a swimming pool, very little heat is transmitted into the building, which is important in Singapore’s hot tropical climate. To also help passively cool the house, we provided large roof overhangs to shade from the tropical sun and rain. Photovoltaic cells also are installed on the roof.

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About this office
Cite: "Sky Pool House / Guz Architects" 20 Mar 2022. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/978737/sky-pool-house-guz-architects> ISSN 0719-8884

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**Aesthetic and Social Value** is a defining feature of vertical gardens.

**Aesthetic and Social Value** is a defining feature of vertical gardens.

They transform bland facades and interior walls into vibrant, living artworks, enhancing the visual appeal of buildings and public spaces .

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Content: NewsEducationSchool Patrol

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Urban garden initiative blossoms at Holloway High School

Posted at 6:14 PM, Mar 06, 2024
and last updated 2024-03-06 19:47:45-05

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — In a effort to tackle food insecurity and help the community, students at Holloway High School in downtown Murfreesboro are cultivating more than just plants; they're sowing the seeds of giving back.

Located in an area with limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables, this urban garden initiative is not only addressing local food deserts but also providing students with invaluable hands-on learning experiences, all while earning college credits.

Under the instruction of Sydney Buvvaji, the Plant Sciences class at Holloway High School is breaking ground, quite literally.

"My favorite part of this class is having the people in my class to help me plant and from what I don't know, someone else may know," said Alexa Sanchez, a high school senior.

Despite initial skepticism about the blend of plant life and science, students like Sanchez are finding a newfound passion for the subject.

From understanding the science of plant growth to hands-on experience in the greenhouse and community garden, students are not only becoming proficient gardeners but also gaining insight into broader agricultural and environmental issues.

"It's more than just gardening; it's about figuring out what produce to grow, understanding how plants function, and what soil they need," said Buvvaji.

The impact of this initiative extends beyond the classroom walls. With a nearby supermarket closure leaving the community with limited access to fresh produce, the garden at Holloway High School emerges as a seed of hope.

"This area, in general, doesn't have as much access to fresh produce," said Buvvaji.

By partnering with the Patterson Park community center, students are ensuring that the fruits of their labor reach those in need, bridging the gap in access to nutritious food.

"It leaves you with a good feeling being able to help your community," said Braydon Johnson, a high school senior.

As the initiative gains momentum, the school is set to receive a donation of used tractor tires to repurpose as raised garden beds, further expanding their capacity to grow fresh produce.

They will also be hosting a plant sale on April 5th!

Proceeds will help cover the cost of gardening expenses for the next school year.

In urban planning, vertical gardens are used to beautify infrastructure, discourage waste dumping, and foster community engagement through greening initiatives .

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Content: Green Thumbs Made Easy: The Smart Indoor Garden System for a Lush and Healthy Home

The smart indoor garden systems market has witnessed significant growth due increase in spending on home remodeling, and recovery in the construction sector.

PORTLAND, OR, UNITES STATES, February 13, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Smart indoor garden systems are innovative technology-based solutions for growing plants indoors. They provide a controlled environment for plants to grow, ensuring that they receive the right amount of light, water, and nutrients for optimal growth and health. With the use of sensors, artificial intelligence, and automated systems, these gardens make growing plants inside a home, apartment or office, easy and convenient.
The global smart indoor garden systems market size was valued at $105,627.0 thousand in 2019, and is projected to reach $176,559.1 thousand by 2027, registering a CAGR of 8.4% from 2020 to 2027.

Factors such as rise in urbanization coupled with increase in disposable income in the developing countries such as India, China, Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam drives the residential and commercial construction activities, which, in turn, is expected to fuel the growth of the global market. On the contrary, unfavorable climate conditions is one of the major restraints of the smart indoor garden systems market. Conversely, technological advancements in smart indoor garden systems is expected to provide lucrative opportunities in near future.

Get Sample Copy of “Smart Indoor Garden Systems”@
https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/9791

Depending on type, the floor garden segment garnered the largest smart indoor garden systems market share in the in 2019, and is estimated to register a CAGR of 8.2% during the forecast period. This is attributed to the fact that floor garden offers better space allocation, as smart indoor plant systems require about 20% less space.

On the basis of technology, the self-watering segment is anticipated to grow rapidly, during the forecast period due to surge in urban population and rise in residential and commercial construction projects. In addition, many companies are involved in the development of the self-watering smart indoor gardening systems, which notably contributes toward the growth of the global market. For instance, in August 2020, Canada based firm AVA Technologies launched Byte, an self-watering smart indoor gardening system. It is basically a soil-free pod with advance self-watering systems.

By end user, the residential segment garnered the largest share in the smart in 2019, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.7% during the forecast period, owing to increase in residential construction activities around the globe. For example, the Government of South Korea has decided to develop two new towns to balance development in Gangnam and Gangbuk areas. Such expansion and setup plans for new cities boost the demand for residential real estate amongst investors, which, in turn, will fuel the growth of the market. Hence, such factors provide lucrative opportunities for the market growth.

Region wise, the market of smart indoor garden systems is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. North America was the highest revenue contributor in 2019, however, Asia-Pacific is expected to exhibit the highest CAGR from 2020 to 2027. This is attributed to the fact that emerging economies in the region are witnessing commercial infrastructural development and increase in residential construction projects. Moreover, rapid economic recovery significantly drives the market growth in this region.

For Interesting Discounts Direct Purchase Here @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/9791

Key players operating in the global smart indoor garden systems industry have adopted business expansion and partnership as their key developmental strategies to strengthen their foothold in the global market. For instance, in April 2019, BSH Hausgeräte GmbH, a subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH and Plantui, established partnership to expand their presence in Europe and increase their extensive global distribution network and boosts product development.

Key Players:
The key players profiled in the smart indoor garden systems market report include Aero Farms, Agrilution GmbH, AVA Technologies Inc., BSH Hausgeräte GmbH (Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH) CityCrop Automated Indoor Farming Ltd, Click & Grow LLC, EDN Inc., Grobo Inc., Plantui Oy, and SproutsIO Inc.

Key Findings Of The Study
• The report provides an extensive analysis of the current and emerging smart indoor garden systems market trends and dynamics.
• Depending on type, the floor garden segment dominated the smart indoor garden systems market, in terms of revenue in 2019, however, wall garden is
projected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period.
• By end user, the residential segment registered highest revenue in 2019.
• Asia-Pacific is projected to register the highest growth rate in the coming years.
• Key players within the smart indoor garden systems market are profiled in this report, and their strategies are analyzed thoroughly, which help to
understand the competitive outlook of the smart indoor garden systems industry.
• The report provides an extensive analysis of the current trends and emerging opportunities of the market.
• In-depth smart indoor garden systems market analysis is conducted by constructing estimations for the key segments between 2020 and 2027.

David Correa
Allied Analytics LLP
+ +1 503-894-6022
email us here
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Their presence can increase property values and attract occupants seeking healthier, more attractive environments .

**Educational and Community Applications** are expanding, with schools and community organizations incorporating vertical gardens into curricula and public projects.

**Educational and Community Applications** are expanding, with schools and community organizations incorporating vertical gardens into curricula and public projects.

**Educational and Community Applications** are expanding, with schools and community organizations incorporating vertical gardens into curricula and public projects.

These initiatives teach students about sustainability, food production, and environmental stewardship, while also providing hands-on learning experiences and supporting local food needs .

Title:

Content: Africa Has Its First Chief Heat Officer. Five Things Should Be On Her Agenda

24 February 2023
analysis

Freetown's heat officer can set an example to Africa and the world as temperatures and risks rise.

Eugenia Kargbo has an unusual job: she is the city of Freetown's chief heat officer. Her role in Sierra Leone's capital is the first of its kind in Africa. She has been tasked with raising public awareness about extreme heat, improving responses to heat waves, and collecting, analysing and visualising heat impact data for the city, which is home to 1.2 million people.

Freetown is increasingly threatened by dangerous temperatures. In 2017, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ranked Sierra Leone third, after Bangladesh and Guinea Bissau, on its list of countries most vulnerable to climate change.

The risks are concentrated in its capital and largest city, Freetown, where some 35% of the population live in 74 informal settlements like Kroo Bay, often in disaster-prone areas like the seafront or hillsides. Houses are densely built and typically temporary structures made of "heat trapping" materials. Services that supports cooling, such as water and electricity, are usually inadequate.

As an architect whose work includes researching ways to reduce heat in African cities, I think the creation of an Heat Officer position is a good move. The world's cities are almost all getting hotter and, as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned, temperatures will only keep rising.

But, while this is a global challenge, African cities are unique. The significant proportion of urban dwellers who are poor and those whose living conditions do not provide adequate shelter from the elements make the African context unique and deserving special attention.

With these realities in mind, here are five things I'd suggest should be on the agenda of both Kargbo and any other heat officer appointed elsewhere on the continent in future.

1. Take a diverse approach to urban greening

Nature-based approaches are a great way to address increasing temperatures linked to climate change. Scholars have established positive links between green infrastructure, temperature moderation and even health outcomes in African cities as well as elsewhere in the world.

This has informed a growing number of tree-planting initiatives and the development of urban parks. But it is important that municipalities move beyond only these kinds of spaces. African cities are becoming densely populated; that means less space will be available for greening initiatives on land.

Vertical systems of building (for example on walls, roofs, columns) and urban infrastructure (for example on bridges, road furniture) should be explored to make up for the lack of space on the ground.

In the last few years, I have led the design and development of experimental vertical gardens in low-income areas of Nigeria and Tanzania. We have shown that these vertical gardens reduce wall temperature of residential buildings by as much as 5°C in Dar es Salaam. The gardens have other benefits like providing fresh vegetables for household consumption. Similar ways of growing vegetation vertically have been seen elsewhere in the world, including in Mexico City.

2. Strengthen the link between heat and health

Exposure to extreme heat usually comes with health problems - and can even kill people, as I and many other scholars have documented. It exacerbates underlying health conditions.

One area of concern when it comes to the heat-health nexus in African countries is that mosquito numbers increase in higher temperatures. This means malaria and other diseases transmitted by mosquitoes might become significant problems for Freetown and other African cities.

These health problems are further complicated by the fact that many city dwellers across the continent can't access adequate and affordable health care. Community health initiatives within cities and efforts to ramp up health services in qualitative and quantitative terms must be integral to heat adaptation plans and actions.

3. Focus on early warning and improved awareness

It is far better to be proactive than reactive. Heat vulnerability patterns within Freetown and other African cities must be studied and used to make sense of weather predictions in order to inform warning systems.

In the warning systems, for example, an alert level can be triggered when the weather forecast shows three or more consecutive days with daytime maximum temperature and humidity above a threshold of, say, 30°C. Other levels of alerts can correspond with higher temperatures. This sort of system has been implemented in Toronto, Canada, with good outcomes. A recent study of urban areas in Ontario (the province where Toronto is located) shows that early warnings may have meant fewer heat-related illnesses severe enough to warrant hospital or clinic visits.

4. Encourage the transfer of knowledge

Cities can adapt to heat faster when they share knowledge and experiences. Some scholars argue that inter-city collaboration and knowledge-sharing can enhance municipalities' resilience and improve urban residents' skills to deal with heat-related issues.

Kargbo's work will generate many lessons that can be shared with other African cities; she, too, will learn from other cities' successes and failures.

5. Let locals lead

While there is plenty to learn from more developed countries outside Africa, it is important to also draw from local indigenous knowledge and practices. An examination of knowledge and awareness about climate-related and environmental problems in African traditional society shows there is much to be learned from indigenous systems.

Top-down approaches are not enough. They must be complemented by bottom-up approaches in the planning, funding, execution and assessment of heat adaptation initiatives.

Inclusion is also important because it shifts power to those who are most affected by heat - people living in low-income and informal areas are disproportionately affected. Involving them enhances the impacts of initiatives and interventions.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Olumuyiwa Adegun is a Senior Lecturer, Department of Architecture, Federal University of Technology, Akure.

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Singapore's Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai Illustrates the Vision of Architecture in Nature

Singapore's Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai Illustrates the Vision of Architecture in Nature

The Singapore Pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai illustrates the city's aspiration towards a sustainable future that merges architecture, nature, technology and culture. Under the title "Nature.Nurture.Future", the pavilion designed by WOHA Architects and landscape design practice Salad Dressing showcases a sample of Singapore's urban environment that epitomizes its City in Nature vision. The multi-layered green space creates a self-sufficient ecosystem highlighting ideas of sustainability and resilience through the marriage of technology and nature.

+ 15

This contribution to Expo Dubai speaks of Singapore's focus on nurturing a sustainable future, showcasing the possibilities of integrating nature within urban environments. Featuring more than 170 varieties of plants from diverse habitats in Singapore and set within different layers of greenery, from hanging gardens to vertical walls, the pavilion creates a tridimensional green space, taking visitors through tropical rainforests, mangrove areas and forest streams. Potable water produced through the on-site solar desalination process is used for drip irrigation, minimizing water consumption.

To carry for the greenery, the pavilion uses three prototype climbing robots that traverse the green walls, inspect the plants' health, and collect e environmental data. Developed by Singapore-based start-up Oceania Robotics, the robots represent a possible solution for maintaining vertical and skyrise gardens, very common in Sin Singapore's contemporary architecture.

Related Article

Grimshaw Architects Designs Sustainability Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai

The pavilion will feature various multimedia experiences depicting environmental challenges and Singapore's approach to tackling them. The program of events features talks exploring the future of cities, digital exhibits, as well as film screenings and light shows. A curated selection of activities will be available online, allowing people unable to travel to the Expo to experience the project virtually.

Debuting on October 1st, Expo 2020 Dubai brings together an array of national contributions, educational institutions and businesses exploring the theme "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future", with a strong focus on sustainability.

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Cite: Andreea Cutieru. "Singapore's Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai Illustrates the Vision of Architecture in Nature" 29 Sep 2021. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/969262/singapores-pavilion-at-expo-2020-dubai-illustrates-the-vision-of-architecture-in-nature> ISSN 0719-8884

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Content: Monday, 27 June, 2022, 1:59 AM
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Greener cities are critical to regional sustainability

Published : Monday, 27 June, 2022 at 12:00 AM  Count : 73
SARA AL-MULLA

From megacities to metropolises, cities of all kinds are experiencing an unprecedented spectrum of threats associated with climate change, necessitating a serious debate on the importance of transitioning toward greener cities in order to remain sustainable and resilient.

Currently, those living in urban areas make up just over half the global population. But this figure is projected to increase exponentially to a whopping 68 percent by mid-century, according to the UN. The modern urban landscape poses complex challenges for cities, as they are vulnerable to climate-induced hazards that threaten their economies and infrastructures and the well-being of their residents.

An influential 2018 report titled "The Future We Don't Want" - published by C40 Cities, the Global Covenant of Mayors, Acclimatise and the Urban Climate Change Research Network - revealed the manifold threats that cities are facing and will continue to face in greater intensity as a result of climate change. The report stated that 70 percent of cities are already feeling the wrath of climate change in the form of heat waves, rising sea levels, wildfires, storms and droughts. The fact that 90 percent of urban areas are coastal also poses a significant vulnerability to flooding due to rising sea levels and mass destruction from tsunamis.

By 2050, more than 45 percent of the global urban population is projected to live in cities with extreme summer temperatures of at least 35 degrees Celsius, leaving residents susceptible to dehydration, heatstroke, sleep loss, stress, cardiovascular disease and even death.

Many cities are currently counteracting these challenges, such as the case with Seoul, which implements a number of successful interventions when temperatures reach 33 C for two consecutive days. They include advisories to residents with practical advice and guidance to employers about allowing their outdoor workers to take breaks. The city has also installed shaded cooling centers in public locations, planted 16 million trees and expanded its green space by 3.5 million sq m.

The urgency of addressing climate change in the Middle East and North Africa has never been more critical, with UN experts projecting an urbanization rate of 59 percent by 2030. The region is already fraught with high temperatures, droughts, limited rainfall and scarce agricultural lands, and it is considered among the most water-stressed regions in the world. Climate-induced water scarcity alone is projected to cost MENA countries as much as 6 percent of their gross domestic product by 2050, according to the World Bank.

All of these challenges have important policy implications for city governments on how to balance economic growth while reducing environmental impacts and maximizing population well-being. The International Finance Corporation estimates the climate-centered investment opportunity for the MENA region to be $1.7 trillion.

Many cities have already implemented a vast range of interventions to bolster their resilience and successfully transition into greener cities. Chief among these actions is establishing a dedicated agency to plan, coordinate and manage climate-related strategies across the country. Regular extensive assessments of vulnerabilities and climate-related risks will inform decision-makers on the urgent and critical interventions needed.

Cities should also upgrade their infrastructure to ensure resilience in the face of extreme climate events, such as the flooding of drainage systems. Shifting to climate-smart infrastructure is an important step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and conserving resources. For example, a number of cities are currently relying on renewable energy and solar energy to power large buildings.

Meanwhile, the government of Dubai has issued regulations for "green buildings" that elaborate on a number of climate-friendly solutions, including creating vegetated rooftops, reducing hazardous waste, limiting pollution and improving energy and water efficiency. Many cities are also experimenting with vertical forests, whereby a variety of plant species are grown on buildings, such as the ones in Milan, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Utrecht.

Investing in climate-efficient public transportation and promoting the uptake of hybrid or electric vehicles will offer cleaner alternatives to fuel-reliant vehicles that amplify air pollution. To illustrate, the city of Santiago in Chile invested in electric-powered public buses, which do not generate emissions and cost a remarkable 70 percent less to operate than diesel-fueled buses. In tandem, guidance should be issued to enterprises on how to decarbonize their operations and shift toward electrification and digital solutions.

Launching mass greening and reforestation projects across cities can yield a number of benefits, such as cooling them during summer months and improving biodiversity. This can be done by planting trees to line streets and boulevards and creating gardens, grassy areas, public parks, flowery meadows, miniature urban forests and allotments. For instance, many cities offer allotments for urban farming and recreational gardening projects managed by residents, with an abundance of evidence pointing to improved physical and mental well-being, in addition to the growth of local, seasonal and organic produce.

Additionally, many countries, such as the UAE and Singapore, are capitalizing on vertical farming projects to maximize agricultural yield while relying on climate-friendly solutions to efficiently utilize water and energy.

City governments should also be creative with their public education campaigns to nudge the desired behavioral changes by residents, focusing on recycling, metered consumption and the reduction of wastage. Furthermore, MENA countries should invest in cutting-edge research and innovations related to climate change, which will empower cities to navigate an uncertain future and adjust their climate action plans accordingly.

When imagining the cities of tomorrow, a rather ambitious idea should be explored to include sustainability. By transforming its cities into greener cities, the MENA region can navigate the coming decades with enhanced resilience and competitiveness.
Source: ARAB NEWS

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Community engagement in vertical gardening fosters social interaction, a sense of ownership, and collective responsibility for urban green spaces .

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Content: One Cool Earth is a non-profit providing school gardens and outdoor education

PASO ROBLES — For the first time, Paso Robles Joint Unified School District entered a district-wide contract with One Cool Earth (OCE), a local non-profit dedicated to creating garden programs for schools. Now, all seven of the District’s elementary schools feature a school garden with educational opportunities.

Evie Kinkade, OCE Director of Communications and Operations, commented, “That was an incredible and bold move for the District because before that, we were in only two schools. To have the District level say, ‘this is a perfect program we want for everyone,’ that was huge.”

Following the contract agreement in January, three new gardens were built, and an update on the program was provided at the Tuesday, Mar. 8 school board meeting. Since their partnership started, OCE gardens have served 3,600 taste tests, harvested and distributed over 300 lbs of garden produce, and taught over 350 lessons in the gardens.

Getting through this together, Paso Robles

Since its founding in 2001, OCE has held onto the same vision: Every Child Deserves a Place to Grow. They offer outdoor education allowing students to benefit from hands-on science taught in their school gardens. OCE has been working toward a more sustainable future for our community for 21 years but has seen more growth in the last year than any year prior.

“I find they’re [students] motivated because they are excited to be there,” says Kinkade, “they almost don’t realize that they are learning because we do it in such a hands-on way.”

OCE utilizes its Earth Genius Curriculum in the gardens as part of its educational promise to the districts. The curriculum is aligned with what students are learning in the classrooms but takes it a step further. It includes nine series, including:

  • Alive and Well in Watershed
  • Drought Tolerant Landscapes
  • From Seed to Table to Compost
  • Flow of Water in Ecosystems, Food-Systems, and Homes
  • Bugs, Humans, and Soil
  • All About Cycles
  • Food, Water, and Drought
  • Different Climates, Different Habitats
  • Grow, Cook, Eat

Each school garden is partnered with an OCE garden manager who is responsible for helping maintain the garden and lead lessons.

Feedback from students is overwhelmingly positive, “They love it — they look forward to having garden time,” says Kinkade.

She adds, “Generally when students come out to learn outside, they’re excited. It switches it up from the monotony of the classroom.”

Many of the schools with gardens have developed lunch garden clubs, where students are allowed to spend their lunchtime in the garden — for the little ones who can’t get enough of it.

“You definitely get those garden kids that are obsessed with the garden, and every chance they get, they’re out there. You become very familiar with those kids because it’s their ‘thing,'” says Kinkade.

While OCE is currently partnered with 23 schools in the county, PRJUSD and Atascadero Unified School District (AUSD) are leading the charge when it comes to outdoor education. AUSD was the first to sign a district-wide contract with the non-profit, with PRJUSD not far behind.

Each garden includes a composting bin, which were recently revived at the Paso schools with worms, providing another useful lesson for the children to bring home. Produce grown in the gardens is given to students to bring home with the option to participate in a Zoom cooking lesson with their family. The most recent lesson was vegetarian tacos.

OCE offers all its lessons online, with videos and workbooks. To learn more about One Cool Earth, visit onecoolearth.org

**Summary of Key Considerations for Architects:** - **Air purification, temperature regulation, and mental health benefits** are well-documented, making vertical gardens a compelling feature for sustainable building design .

- **Maintenance** is essential and can be optimized through plant selection, automated systems, and emerging robotic technologies .

- **Plant selection** must be climate-appropriate, with native and low-maintenance species preferred for sustainability and resilience .

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Content: Prince’s Landscape Pte Ltd Now Provides Singapore Properties with Vertical Green Walls

Prince’s Landscape Pte Ltd is famous for its vertical wall planters, green walls and flower backdrop in Singapore. The company caters to residential and commercial clients as well.

Singapore, 2023-Jan-04 — /EPR Network/ — Prince’s Landscape Pte Ltd, the leading landscaping company in Singapore is offering vertical green walls to commercial and residential properties. Whether it is a retail showroom or a high rise, the vertical green wall is an innovative approach towards introducing nature amidst the concrete jungle.

The company uses quality vertical wall planters, ensuring the healthy growth of the plants. These vertical walls are easy to maintain, assemble, install, disassemble, and reinstall. The technique used by Prince’s Landscape Pte Ltd ensures the user does not have to spend much time tending and taking care of the plants.

Along with green walls, the company also provides clients with exquisite flower backdrops in Singapore to complement the greenery around them. It’s a long-term investment as a green wall can last up to 25 years.

Vertical walls by Prince’s Landscape Pte Ltd come with some unique features:

  • Custom design to suit the client’s needs.
  • Minimal watering of the green wall plants.
  • Ultra-low maintenance ensured.
  • Quick installation due to a modular system.
  • Use of plants that can survive in a tropical climate.

Why choose a vertical green wall?

  • Reduces waste of energy.
  • Improves air quality.
  • Makes the structure sustainable.
  • The space becomes more fire-resistant.
  • Minimizes ambient noise.

The general installation cost for a vertical green wall by Prince’s Landscape Pte Ltd ranges between $200 per square meter and $1200 per square meter, depending on the design, the kind of plants used and the installation process.

About the company:

One of the oldest nurseries in Singapore, Prince’s Landscape Pte Ltd has 50 years of experience in the industry. Started out humbly as a flower shop, Prince’s Landscape Pte Ltd have evolved into a full-fledged landscape design and installation specialist.

Contact Details

Telephone: 65 6763 7000

Fax: 65 6892 2700

WhatsApp: +65 8838 3479

Email: buzz@prince.com.sg

Address: 53 Sungei Tengah Road, Singapore 698998

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Delhi: Vertical gardens drain crores, droop

Meanwhile, the RTI response also showed that the Corporation has not conducted any study about whether these gardens help in controlling pollution.

Published: 17th May 2022 08:02 AM  |   Last Updated: 17th May 2022 08:02 AM   |  A+A-

Express News Service

NEW DELHI:  The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has spent over Rs 5 crore from 2017 to 2022 on vertical gardens, the response to a Right to Information (RTI) Act query filed by an advocate revealed. Most of the vertical gardens have now dried up in the absence of due care.

The situation is especially bad in East Delhi. As per the RTI query filed by Siddhartha Malkania, the Municipal Corporation (East) spent more than Rs 1.51 crore on the plantation and management of seven vertical gardens in Shahdara zone, and most of them are in poor state. EMCD also installed a vertical garden for Rs 1.66 crore at a primary school in Mayur Vihar Pocket 4. When the Morning Standard visited this school, the garden was found in bad shape.

Meanwhile, the RTI response also showed that the Corporation has not conducted any study about whether these gardens help in controlling pollution. The Municipal Corporation (North) refused to provide the amount spent on vertical gardens but stated that it has installed 27 of them. “This information is voluminous and is readily not available,” the NDMC said in response.

The Municipal Corporation (South) fared better, with the gardens found in healthier conditions. A total of 10 vertical gardens have been installed by the corporation since 2017, at a cost of more than `2.40 crore. The civic body said that though the life of these vertical gardens has expired, 70 percent greenery still exists.

According to Vikrant Tongad, founder, Social Action for Forest and Environment, these types of gardens are not suitable for Indian weather and instead add to plastic pollution. “We opposed it with strong reasons. The weather in Delhi NCR doesn’t support vertical gardens,” Tongad said. “It is successful in European countries. They look visually appealing here but have no environmental value. The carrier is plastic, which releases more pollutant gases and is carcinogenic.”

Tongad added that people also pilfer the plastic boxes in which the plants are grown. “Many cases of the plants being stolen have been reported. This is wastage of public money,” he said. The Morning Standard tried to get in touch with the EDMC and NDMC officials, but got no response.

South civic body fares better than others
The Municipal Corporation (South) fared better, with the gardens found in healthier conditions. A total of 10 vertical gardens were installed, at a cost of more than Rs 2.40 crore.

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- **Technological integration** is advancing, making vertical gardens more accessible, efficient, and adaptable to diverse building types

- **Technological integration** is advancing, making vertical gardens more accessible, efficient, and adaptable to diverse building types

- **Technological integration** is advancing, making vertical gardens more accessible, efficient, and adaptable to diverse building types