Your Ultimate Guide to Green Walls in Dubai
Green walls is one of the fastest growing trends in office interior design in Dubai and in the UAE over the past few years. The fast paced modern world of business has seen yet more benefits in using green wall construction within their interior design. Plant walls in Dubai have been used as part of larger building projects for some time; but now, offices make use most of this trend especially with today’s technology.
The use of living walls in Dubai, especially within office interior has been proven to raise productivity as well as offer numerous benefits to the business. But what are these benefits and how can your business make the most of this not-so-new trend? Well, we are here to help and answer all of the most frequently asked questions on the topic.
Although, we at Planters, have published a number of blogs about living green walls, we wanted to provide our readers with a more thorough guide.
We have put together this comprehensive list of all your frequently asked questions.
What is a living green wall?
When we hear of interior designers talking about the use of a living green wall within the office décor and the many benefits that are associated with them, what exactly are they talking about? Well, a green wall system is a structure that makes it possible to introduce plants to an office while utilising only a minimum of floor space. Put simply, a living green wall is a way of combining a number of plants and allowing them to grow in a vertical structure that is used to transform the aesthetic of everyday office spaces.
The vertical green wall system uses plants to create a living piece of art that serves as a statement and also benefits the business and environment. Often found as part of the décor in hotels and restaurants, this functional piece of décor is now transforming offices and work spaces across the region. It is now becoming more common to see plant walls in Abu Dhabi offices and vertical gardens in Dubai work spaces. Wherever they are installed, you can be sure that the business is benefiting from this new trend.
What types of plants are used in living green walls?
The type of living green wall will no doubt vary from one client to another in order to work with their décor and to make the best use of their individual space. There is, however, a ‘standard range’ of plants that are commonly used in the creation of both outdoor and indoor green wall systems, same goes with Planters. Depending on the client, we sometimes use other varieties; but here are the most commonly used plants for interior green walls in Dubai:
- Aglaonema Maria – This attractive plant is one of various different types of Chinese evergreen. The Aglaonema Maria is a great plant for growing in areas with lower light which makes them perfect for use in offices or work spaces. It is also a plant that requires very little maintenance.
- Aglaonema Maria Christina – Another plant from the Chinese evergreen family and therefore, easy to maintain and it thrives in low light.
- Aglaonema Sumatera – The last in the common varieties of Chinese evergreen on our list is the Aglaonema Sumatera which, like the others, is a great low light plant and is easy to maintain. Unlike the other two, however, the Sumatran has a striking red colour through the leaf. This is a great plant to use if you want to add some colour or variety to your vertical green wall design.
- Boston Fern Plant – Another plant that is commonly seen in living green walls is the Boston Fern Plant. With a spread of attractive fern leaves, this can really build the character of a green wall design. They are not just an aesthetically pleasing choice but they are also great air purifiers.
- Epipremnum Aurem Marble Queen – From a species more commonly known as the Devil’s Ivy plant, the Marble Queen is a very hardy and an easy-to-care-for plant. This is also a great air purifier and due to its hanging nature, can be used in a number of interesting ways.
- Philodendron Scandens – This plant is well known for having beautiful heart shaped leaves which make it a great addition to any design. A great climbing plant, this can also add some texture to your chosen green wall. These plants thrive in a hot humid environment which makes them great for use in green walls in Dubai offices.
- Scindapsus – With a very similar aesthetic to Devil’s Ivy (Marble Queen), this plant can be used alongside the others in this list to create amazing green wall designs. They are hardy and easy to maintain, as well as fast growing climbers.
And if you wish to install outdoor living green walls for your office or business, below are some of the plants you can choose.
- Alternanthera Amoena
- Alternanthera ficoidea
- Alternanthera versicolor
- Asparagus Sprengerii
- Carissa Grandiflora
What are the different types of living green walls in Dubai?
While there is almost no limit to the number of designs and dimensions that a living green wall can have, we can break them down into three different types based on the green wall systems they use:
Indoor Fixed Green Walls – This type of indoor green wall system requires access to a water supply and a drainage point.
Indoor Freestanding Green Walls – These freestanding green wall units contain their own built in irrigation system. Having a built in irrigation system means that there is even less need for watering and a lower level of maintenance.
Outdoor System – This type of system is great for creating attractive outdoor living wall designs as well as meeting the specific needs of an outdoor living green wall.
How long do living green walls last?
With the maintenance packages available at industry leaders like us, your new living green walls can really last as long as you want them to. We at Planters, for example, are passionate about our products and services that we provide, including our maintenance packages which allow us to do those tedious tasks for you. We can help your vertical garden look its absolute best for as long as it is in place.
What are the benefits of living green walls?
For all the associated challenges and maintenance requirements that living green walls have, there are also a large number of ways that they can benefit your business.
Here are a few of the main benefits that living green walls offer your business:
Productivity – One of the most important aspects of any office is the productivity of the workforce. When employees are more productive, then the output is higher and the return on investment is higher. Living green walls have been proven to increase productivity by up to 15%. Our blog on How can living green walls increase employee productivity by 15% explains it more.
Health – Utilising the plants’ natural ability to remove various toxins and gasses from the air that we breathe, plant walls create large surfaces of air purifying plants that help create a fresher atmosphere. This cleaner air helps maintain a healthier workforce. There are also more psychological effects such as increased creativity and sense of well-being which all go towards bettering the health of your employees. Learn more about the Psychological effect of plants here.
Aesthetics – Living green walls are not just great for the health of your workforce but they are able to bring a dramatic yet natural aesthetic touch to your office décor. Used as a statement piece or standalone walls used as partitions, these vertical gardens can add much needed beauty to meeting rooms, hallways or reception areas. Clients will also appreciate a great aesthetic as it says a lot about your business.
Business – Of the many benefits attached to installing living green walls in your office or workspace, most of them will help your business. While some of these benefits focus on a healthier and happier workforce, there are also more direct benefits to business. Living green walls are a great business investment as they offer a number of money saving properties. While the initial cost can sometimes be high, you will start saving money on energy costs including both heating and air-conditioning from the moment your plant walls are installed.
Do plant walls thrive in hot weather?
It is understandable that any office owner or manager will want to know if their living walls anywhere in the Middle East will thrive or die due to the hot climate. The temperature of your office space will always be taken into account when deciding which plants to use in your green wall as well as where in the office interior will it work best and thrive most.
While interior designers and landscape contractors in Dubai like Planters will do what they can during the design phase to ensure the best plant choice and design for your space, there are still ways that you can keep your living green wall looking great during the hotter months. Options like installing a remote monitoring system are great albeit at an extra cost. The other choice is to get the professionals to maintain your wall for you, this will keep it looking great longer.
How do you maintain living green walls?
The exact amount and type of maintenance that your living green wall should require will depend on your choice of design, the size of your wall and the type of plants used. It will also differ depending on what type of green wall system you choose to install. While getting the professionals to do it for you is the best choice, there are some things that you can do to lessen the amount of maintenance needed.
The first step is to choose the right plants for your plant wall. Industry leaders like Planters will help you select the plants that will take into account your various needs. This includes what plants will live longest and thrive most in your office environment. Offering these plants sufficient sunlight and keeping them regularly maintained will have them last much longer and looking much better.
Professionals like Planters will always ensure that your living green wall is installed in a way that makes it easy to access when it comes time to maintain it.
What are the cons of installing living green walls and will the benefits outweigh them?
Whenever you are looking into any type of design change that will affect your business and workplace, it is important to weigh up the pros and cons. Here are the pros and cons of installing living green walls for your space in Dubai.
Pros
- It serves as an air purifier.
- It improves the employees’ health.
- It means less sick days.
- It boosts the employees’ productivity.
- It provides an attractive space.
- It dampens noise.
- It can serve as an insulation.
Cons
- It can provide slight disruption during installation.
- It requires maintenance (depending on the types of plants and green wall system used)
- The initial cost can be moderately high.
At the end of the day, the decision will still depend on you. If you think the cons is too much to bear, then we suggest to delay until your circumstances (or finances) allow you to have one in your office. However, if you feel that your business can benefit more from having one installed, then make sure to contact the best living green wall contractor so you won’t be wasting your time, effort and money into something that won’t be beneficial for you and your company.
What are the challenges of having living green walls?
While the pros of installing a vertical garden or green wall system in your office clearly out-weigh the cons, there are still some challenges that are attached to having them. These challenges mainly come in the form of maintaining them. So, it is a wise decision to allow the company that installs them to take that job off of your hands. The other challenges attached to installing living green walls in your office are with possible allergies and of course space and light.
While vertical gardens are created in a way that they have a very small footprint, they can sometimes be hard to access if they are quite tall. They can also require large amounts of light depending on the type of plants used to create them. Luckily, most if not all, of the challenges associated with green wall systems can be overcome by having the professionals design, install and maintain your green walls for you. This will ensure that all of your plant wall’s nutritional and maintenance needs are met.
