Cannon Park Student Accommodation
Project Details
- Hydroponic BioPanel system acts as a rainscreen cladding
- Designed to soften the development, improve air quality, and create biodiversity net gain
- Integrated design process at all stages
- Key part of the architectural aesthetic
Cannon Park Shopping Centre in Coventry has undergone a significant transformation. Led by MPR, the redevelopment project includes refurbishment of the existing shopping centre, construction of a new 780-bed student residence, and the addition of a new 400-space multi-storey car park. Biotecture was brought on board to incorporate living walls into the development.
In 2021, Biotecture installed a 690 square metre green wall on the multi-storey car park as part of the project’s first phase. We then continued to collaborate with the project’s architects, Urban Innovations, and landscape architects, Parkhood, on phase 2; 9 living walls on the student accommodation phase. The vertical greening was an important part of the scheme, helping to help soften the development, improve air quality, contribute to biodiversity net gain.
The living walls are integrated into the building fabric. We worked closely with the design team to ensure that the living walls not only aligned with the desired aesthetics but also met the technical requirements.
We used our BioPanel system which uses Grodan® as the growing medium. Grodan is dimensionally stable, chemically inert, and water retentive resulting in healthier and longer-lasting plants.