Living Wall now Growing at Natural Habitats

Pre Release
April 9, 2009

Natural Habitats is standing by its claim that they are New Zealand's leading landscape specialist in Greenwall Technology by installing its very own living wall at the front entrance of their Head Office in Ellerslie, Auckland.

"The result is stunning, once you see the Greenwall, it inspires you to create more of these vertical gardens. The great thing about the Greenwall technology is that it has internal and external applications," says Graham Cleary owner and managing director of Natural Habitats.

The external Greenwall that has been installed at the Natural Habitats head office covers an area of eight square metres and is planted in New Zealand natives, including rushes, grasses, spreading plants and succulents.

Natural Habitats has cemented its place as being at the forefront of environmental landscape solutions by being the first company to offer an integrated design, install, management and maintenance service of Greenwalls. The Greenwalls are built to New Zealand building codes and horticultural best practices, using technology under licence from the Greenwall Company based in Australia.

After more than a decade of research and installations, Greenwall Company has produced an unequalled product that is like cladding and able to be vertically stacked to any height, "It can be incorporated into most new building designs and can even be installed on established walls. It is very lightweight, well proven technology that absolutely knocks the viewers socks off" says Graham.

So why install a Greenwall? There are a number of financial, social and environmental benefits, as well as the sheer wow factors they bring to buildings.

Firstly, a greenwall creates a "green space' while using minimal floor space. This provides an instant, textural, green solution to architectural facades. The Greenwall enables the incorporation of a large number of beneficial plants without taking up valuable floor space. According to Australian Green Building Council, a square meter of Greenwall is equal to ten indoor plants! The Greenwall clearly brands the building and its owners as "green".

The Greenwall also produces thermal insulation of the building and improves air quality. To add to this, there is a reduction in noise pollution and the Greenwall can be used to aid grey or black water purification. The Greenwall's inbuilt reticulation system ensures maximum resource efficiency in the current water sensitive climate.

From a commercial perspective, the Greenwall adds instant aesthetic value to interior and exterior spaces. Additionally the Greenwall adds value to its tenants and can increase the inhabitant's productivity.

Greenwalls aligns itself to another form of sustainable landscaping called Green Roofs. Natural Habitats was one the first companies to design and install a Green Roof in New Zealand at the Quay West building in Auckland in 1995.

Greenwalls are certainly at the leading edge of contemporary and Greenbuilding landscape design. The majority of potential interest will stem from environmentally concerned building owners, developers and architects.

Natural Habitats' very own Greenwall can be viewed at 8 Sultan St, Ellerslie, Auckland.

For further information:
Pip Patterson
Natural Habitats
pip@naturalhabitats.co.nz
(09) 970 3488 (021) 731292