This living wall in the heart of Camden provides real colour and interest to match the MTV brand. The detail around the windows is a triumph of coordinated design.
Project Details
This is our second project for MTV. The first living wall on the same campus was carried out in 2011 following a competitive Tender process for Morgan Sindall, and was a great success. MTV expanded their campus which meant the original courtyard living wall needed to be dismantled and removed. We were asked to return this to our nursery and we were able to recycle it back into new living walls for the new studio building.
Faithdean were appointed as the Design and Build Main Contractor for the new works by MTV. We were then engaged by Faithdean to deliver the new living wall including all of the façade support requirements. We needed to coordinate with them throughout the design process with particular emphasis on the interfaces with other façade elements.
For the planting design MTV wanted us to take a bold approach. They wanted the living wall to be evergreen but also to see colour and interest that would match not only their brand but also the vibrancy of that part of Camden. Camden Council were also interested in us including plants that had been proven to have the ability to reduce air pollution.
Highlights
- Vibrant living wall planting design.
- Over 300m2 of living wall complete with approximately 18,000 plants on two aspects – South and West.
- Second project for the same ultimate client.
- Seamless interface detailing.
- Fully maintained by Biotecture since installation.
- Bespoke corner panels designed to fully wrap the building.
Our Approach
During the design stage we worked through all of the interfaces with the Main Contractor in 3D CAD. This enabled all of the flashing, gutter and head details to be fully designed and integrated. Our Project Managers worked closely with the site team to ensure that the tight programme of work and the high quality of design demanded were continuously met. To learn more about how Biotecture work in partnership with clients and building contractors to deliver successful, robust living wall installations you can visit our partnerships page.
The living wall planting design was based on a series of overlapping circles in a variety of sizes to contrast with and highlight the overall geometry of the building. Within the circles we included a number of plants with strong coloured foliage and seasonal flowers set against a darker green background. The colour palette is a variety of greens highlighted with red, plum and lime. At some times of the year there will also be pops of purple, pink, lime and cream flowers to provide a celebration of colour in this cosmopolitan area.
As we had previously installed a living wall on site we were able to design the irrigation for the new living wall re-using a number of key elements of the existing irrigation equipment including the controller. This allowed for greater efficiency of use of materials and for the client to have the benefit of not having to purchase new equipment.
“The green wall looks really good, not only catching the eye of our staff but also, which is very important, the eyes of thousands of tourists and residents of Camden… Please thank the maintenance team.”
Dave Bennett Director – Planning and Design/Office Services, Viacom International Media Networks
Key Benefits
