Business Park Living Wall, Exeter

In 2016 the MET Office embarked on a project to revolutionise environmental sciences in the UK with a £97 million new supercomputer that was 13 times more powerful than the previous system and capable of 16,000 trillion calculations per second that would help scientists to better understand the workings of our climate.

A new 30,000 ft² facility was required to house this new equipment. Stride Treglown were employed as the lead designers and Willmott Dixon were engaged and design and build contractor for the geometric, sci-fi inspired building at the Exeter Science Park that fulfilled the client’s brief to create an instantly recognisable landmark that would reflect the pioneering work done inside the building.

The South Façade of the long low computer building is clad with a Biotecture Living Green Wall. The building was designed to achieve a BREEAM “excellent” certification and sustainability was an important driver throughout the project so it was important to choose a living wall system produced using sustainable materials and with a proven record of long term sustainable plant health.

Biodiversity was also very important for the site in Devon and rare devon and cornish plant species were planted on site. The Living wall planting plan was also designed to include native species highlighted in the clients biodiversity guidance. Flowering species like Primula veris and Armeria maritima provide a food source and shelter to pollunating insects.

The Living wall planting design was created in wavy line shapes inspired by the met office logo and plants with longer fronds and leaf shapes like ferns and carex were chosen to provide movement when caught by the wind.

The project has won several prestigious awards including “Highly Commended” in the Science, Management and Stewardship category at the Landscape Institute awards in 2018.

To see some other examples of our business park living wall projects you can visit the “Thorpe Park Retail Park Living Wall, Leeds” and “Silverlink Shopping Park Living Wall, Newcastle” project portfolio pages.