green walls
Green archway at Six Abrey,
Kloof, KZN
Pula Water Systems was
the nominated contractor
for the Gro-Wall arch which
was built at the entrance
to The Leigh Keal Group
building in Kloof, KZN. Avid
Architecture softened the
space and enhanced the
front façade to the offices
by including a solid green
archway serving as a portal
into the offices.
G
ro-Wall is
a modular
product with
individual
plant access
and both
vertical and
horizontal
system
expansion
with easily installed drip
irrigation within the
framework.
The construction company
involved on the Leigh Keal
Group project, Construction
ID, built the concrete
columns around which the
Gro-Wall framework was installed. The modular frame covers three sides of the
columns and three sides of the top beam. The total coverage of this arch is 48m 2
and the framework holds 21 pots per m 2 . The beam is 8m high and is fitted with
a ‘library rail’ to allow for ladder access and ease of maintenance.
There is no drainage installed along the top of the arch. Watering is done at
night and set at a low rate so there is little run-off. The advantage of having
a soil based plant pot in the wall is that there is high moisture retention. The
irrigation and installation were outsourced to GreenEarth Landscapes. The
planting design and placement was done by Rockscapes, with only varieties of
Plectranthus spp (six different species) used on this eye-catching archway.
Photographs courtesy Pula Water Systems