Living Walls Knowledge Transfer Day - 15 April 2014 (09 /13 ANS Group (Europe)

Please see more details and information on: http://lanyrd.com/2014/livingwalls/

Steve McIntyre, Sales Executive, ANS Group (Europe)

Having studied plant propagation and developed my own nursery business, I started looking at ways of developing green roofs and living walls in 2006. By the end of 2007 we were in a position to install our first living wall. The research did not stop there and has continued and we now have in excess of 300 living walls install globally.
We are passionate about living walls and are committed to sustainability and longevity.
http://www.ansgroupeurope.com/

Transcript

1. “Enhancing native biodiversity in urban settings” ANS Group Europe
2. Bio diverse benefits of Living Walls in Urban settings Air Quality Improvement • Plant leaves filter out pollutants from the air • Also absorb dust particles • Decrease of smog formation • Reduction of durability and corrosion problems of urban infrastructure “Man-made air pollution is responsible for 4,800 deaths from heart attacks a year” (Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor, Feb 2013)
3. Living wall benefits Ecological Aspects • Provide alternative ecological habitats • Create undisturbed homes for bees, bats and birds • Also important habitat for insects • Counters the ‘urbanization’ of our cities “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man” – Albert Einstein Albert Einstein “Living walls are a way of gaining BREEAM ecology points to achieve higher BREEAM scores by incorporating native species ” – (Leading independent ecologist)
4. Livng wall benefits Protection against driving rain and sun radiation • Effective protection against driving rain • 50% of solar energy absorbed by foliage • 30% of solar energy reflected by foliage • Less maintenance of cladding, painting, coatings etc, that are sensitive to UV deterioration “Proven statistics from University of Vienna have shown that an existing structure can increase the warranty from standard 25 years to 100 years because of not being exposed to UV” – (Leading independent ecologist) Temperature regulation and insulation of properties • Reduction of ‘urban heat island’ effect • Keep buildings warmer during winter • Keep buildings cooler during summer “Can reduce the heat of an existing structure by up to 10°C” (Leading independent ecologist) • Mitigates the impact of the temperature difference between inside and outside • Reduction in air conditioning
5. Living wall benefits Sound absorption and noise reduction • Plants absorb, reflect and diffract noise • Living Walls that are of a modular design are proven to absorb sound better • Sound levels reduced by around 10dB Social impact • Positive impact on both physical & mental health and wellbeing • Relieves everyday pressures of crowding and noise • Positive impact on crime reduction • Unlikely to be abused by graffiti • Provide security as a dense and natural barrier • Seasonal variations in colour, growth, flowers and perfume “Plants help to reduce sick leave by up to 60% by de-stressing us, reducing headaches and various other minor ailments” (eFIG)
6. “To give back what was once removed” Our Mission
7. Practical demonstration of biodiversity in a Shopping Centre All our plants chosen for any living wall are chosen by experienced plantsmen to perform in their given location, aspect, micro climate and benefit current local bio-diversity with the intention of encouraging greater numbers of wildlife into the local area. Located on the Cheshire Oaks Living Wall we have used plants which are evergreen, giving cover for hibernators in the winter months. Foraging creatures may find hibernating insects in our living wall which can provide a vital food source for local bird life, migrators and mammals when other food sources are hard to find. In the spring months we have early flowering plants providing early precious nectar for pollinating insects especially Bee’s which are in great need of our help. Our early flowering plants could make the difference between success and failure to the local bee colonies and other pollinating insects such as butterflies and moth species. In the summer months our living walls provides greater numbers of growing plants which reduce the amount of local Co2 and as a bye product produce large amounts of Oxygen helping to maintain a cooler temperature and fresher air for us and all living creatures to breath. When the temperatures drops in autumn many insects and other micro life forms will make their way into the living wall to help stay warm this is due to our living walls maintaining a slightly warmer temperature than the surrounding area providing a welcome home for insects, micro-organisms, birds and mammals. Soil fauna such as beneficial micro-organisms e.g nitrogen fixers also make their home in the living wall compost which in turn helps to promote great numbers of micro-organisms and not only improves the fertility of the living walls compost but also the surrounding soils which is of great benefit to the entire ecosystem of the local and surrounding areas.
8. This large Shopping Centre has indigenous planting & wildflower meadows which creates significant bio diverse activity
9. Native planting is selected for the local urban area
10. A busy street in Sheffield now has over 9,000 indigenous plants in the wall
11. Case study: Westfield, White City, London
12. Bio diverse benefits around essential urban mechanics
13. Case study: Fermoy Road
14. Case study: Wilkinson’s Sutton High Street
15. Case study: Tesco, West Bromwich
16. Case study: Birmingham New Street Station Note the wildflowers
17. Case study: Birmingham New Street Station
18. Case study: Prestatyn
19. Roofs as well as walls can be used to increase biodiversity in urban settings
20. BioGrufe BioGrufe is our bio-diverse range of products. Modular green roofs can be designed using plants that create a suitable habitat for specific insect species, and we can even incorporate bee-hives, bird boxes and insect hotels as part of the system.
21. Biodiverse Wildflower Roof
22. Case Study: Residential project in Newquay
23. Case Study: La Fontana Care Home
24. Case Study: Hadley Learning Centre
25. Our vision of the future
26. The end or just the beginning Thank you for taking the time to involve yourself in our passion Aldingbourne Nurseries Church Road Aldingbourne Chichester PO20 3TU United Kingdom +44 (0)845 505 5555 enquiries@ansgroupeurope.com www.ansgroupeurope.com