Santalaia Building Vertical Garden (Bogotá - Colombia)
The Santalaia Building in Bogotá is an eleven-storey residential building that has greenery covering its entire façade: the largest vertical garden in the world. The project was a collaboration of the companies Paisajismo Urbano and Groncol, and it was completed in 2015.
More than 10 different plant species from compatible families (a total number of 115,000 plants) are covering a total area of 3,100 square metres based on a hydroponic system. The species were chosen regarding their interactions with each other and respecting the biodiversity of the whole vertical ecosystem. To provide adequate watering for the plants a unique system of 42 irrigation stations was designed and installed to recycle wastewater (from the apartments’ showers) and water that is streaming down the walls of the garden.
Besides its obvious aesthetic feature, this vertical garden offers a lot more benefits: it is able to produce oxygen for as much as 3,000 people per year, processes around 775 kg of heavy metals, filters over 2,000 tonnes of harmful gases, and offers air cleansing that compensates for the PMM emissions of about 745 cars and the carbon footprint for 700 people. The plants also improve the building’s isolation, therefore reducing the need for air-conditioning.
Sources:
http://smartcityhub.com/sustainability/turning-polluted-urban-spaces-tropical-forests/
Improved Water management;
Improved Energy management;
Improved Health for Citizens.
Description of the specific objectives:
- Improve the air quality in the city and create a healthier environment for the citizens.
Paisajismo Urbano (Spanish design company); Groncol (Colombian company for green roof and vertical garden design and installation).