Green wall

**Green Wall Basics and History:**
– A green wall is a vertical structure covered by vegetation with a growth medium like soil or hydroculture felt.
– Also known as living walls or vertical gardens, they can be indoors or outdoors, freestanding or attached to existing walls.
– Stanley Hart White patented a vegetation-bearing structure in 1938, and Patrick Blanc popularized green walls in 1986.
– Notable installations have increased in recent years, with the largest green wall covering 2,700 square meters as of 2015.

**Types of Green Walls and Media:**
– Green walls are categorized based on the growth media used: loose media, mat media, and structural media.
– Media-free green walls eliminate the need for soil substrates and watering systems, using plants attached to wire mesh frames.
– Freestanding media and loose media systems have different portability and maintenance requirements, while sheet media and structural media offer unique characteristics and benefits.

**Function and Benefits of Green Walls:**
– Green walls in urban areas reduce building temperatures, serve urban agriculture, and aid in water management.
– They provide insulation, reduce energy demands, cleanse air from VOCs, and improve air quality by absorbing pollutants.
– Benefits of green walls include improving air quality, reducing urban heat island effect, enhancing biodiversity, absorbing sound, and increasing property value.

**Plants, Phytoremediation, and Air Quality Improvement:**
– Studies show green walls absorb pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, enhancing indoor climate and reducing CO2 levels.
– Green walls aid in managing stormwater, reducing building temperatures, and purifying air from VOCs and mold.
– They have therapeutic effects, aesthetic benefits, and can optimize plant growth conditions for air purification and pollution reduction.

**Research, Studies, and External Resources:**
– Research focuses on green infrastructure for air quality improvement, urban heat island mitigation, and the effectiveness of green walls in cities.
– Studies highlight the biofiltration of indoor air, impact on health and discomfort symptoms, and the benefits of vertical gardens in urban settings.
– External resources like the Green Infrastructure Resource Guide, air pollution-eating moss, City Tree for cleaner air, and Wikimedia Commons provide further information on green walls.