living walls

Living walls — sometimes called green walls — are interior walls of vegetation commonly found in office and academic buildings, among other shared spaces. Living walls are part of the general biophilic design movement, which incorporates the natural world.

The walls became particularly voguish in the early 21st century amid a greater focus by landlords, governments and companies on worker health. Living walls are said not only to be natural coolants for buildings, thereby aiding energy efficiency and cutting down on carbon emissions, but also more healthful for people.

These health benefits can come by way of better air quality and from the supposed relaxative qualities that plant life provides.

Living walls don’t come cheap, though. They can run to at least $200 a square foot, meaning that the larger the wall — and they do tend to run large — the pricier. These walls can contain from several dozen to several thousand plants each.

As far as maintenance, living walls are generally self-caring, with the soil-like substances undergirding them providing the nourishment the plantlife needs.