Back in 2007 Biotecture’s founders Richard Sabin and Mark Laurence started Biotecture with the aim of transforming urban environments and reconnecting people with nature. They developed our revolutionary hydroponic living wall system, which helped to change the perception of living walls from a novelty landscaping feature into a widely recognised cladding material.
The modular BioPanel system we use today remains the most flexible, resilient, and low water use of any fully comprehensive living wall system and it can be seen across the UK including either side of the big screen on Wimbledon’s No.1 Court.
We are passionate about spreading the urban greening message and in 2020 our team developed PlantBox a stackable, modular, freestanding living wall system that can be easily retrofitted without affecting the building structure. The product draws on over a decade of living wall experience and was a finalist of the RHS Chelsea Sustainable Product of the Year 2021. Biotecture are using PlantBox to quickly transform urban areas like Canary Wharf and the product is now available to consumers, retailers, and other landscapers via Growing Revolution.
As a trailblazing company we are always thinking about the future, and we are excited about integrating technology into living walls to help inform building users when maintenance is required and quantify the benefits they will receive.
Our MD Richard Sabin, says: “The first 15 years of our development have been focussed on greening up urban spaces and reconnecting people with nature. Living walls have so many benefits for people and the planet like reducing stress, improving air quality, and increasing biodiversity. Looking ahead over the next 15 years, we want to embed ‘technology into biology’ to quantify that data and show people how the living walls are positively impacting their environment, We see this as another powerful way of demonstrating a return on investment from living walls.”
‘Active air flow’ is another area for development. This involves drawing air through plant roots within the living wall to clean it, through a process known as phytoremediation, before feeding it back into the building spaces as clean, filtered air for the benefit of the occupiers.
Our 15th anniversary marks an exciting milestone for Biotecture. Moving forward we want to remain as pioneering and visionary as when the company was first established in 2007.
“Since our inception in 2007, Biotecture has remained a pioneering provider of living walls,” said Richard. “We have so many exciting new developments underway and a very strong project pipeline. By staying true to our original vision, Biotecture, today, has successfully redefined our urban environments – we are proud to have played a part in reconnecting people to nature.”
To celebrate our anniversary our team came together for a party at the Chichester College campus. We enjoyed a variety of sports and games including a giant inflatable obstacle course, table tennis and volleyball! It was great to bring everyone together and celebrate what we have built over the last 15 years!
