DIY Living Walls
Urbanstrong offers a wide variety of living wall systems of varying shapes and sizes to fit different needs and budgets including DIY living walls. Budget-wise, we are able to accommodate an extremely broad range. For example, we’ve managed all from $300 projects for apartment dwellers to $300,000 projects for major corporations. We also offer to work as a consultant to a growing DIY crowd: some clients want to get involved by choosing and sometimes purchasing their own plants. Other clients, generally those who have worked with plants in their homes and are well-versed in greenery, prefer to completely custom-design and assemble their own green walls. We offer several options.
Living Frames – Plants As Art
For urban apartment dwellers and suburban homeowners looking to place a living wall in their home, Urbanstrong has a line of Living Frames in different sizes and colors. This is a highly adaptable and practical solution for any small-budget project and for lease-outs or renters as they will be able to take the framed pieces with them when they move. As the Biophilic home design trend gathers steam, more and more people are turning towards indoor Living Walls and Moss Walls as an option for functional art.
The sleek, modern display frames do double duty as self-watering pots. Tucked inside is a reservoir which, once filled via a small hole in the top of the frame, holds up to four weeks of water (depending on the humidity of the room). Inside the unit, a highly absorbent cloth wicks water to all parts of the frame passively irrigating the plant roots. Most importantly, no electricity or pumps are needed. The frames are available in charcoal, white or silver. For an extra fee they are also available with custom image wraps. The fixed-size frames are dead simple to install. They are hung on the wall just as with any other artwork.
Custom-Sized Living Walls
Larger living walls can be built using some of the same components as the fixed frames. First, horizontal gutters made from anodized aluminum are mounted onto the wall in a stacked column. After that, each row of gutters is connected using flexible hoses. These gutters act as both the living wall’s structural frame and irrigation mechanism once they’re filled with water. Into these gutters sit recyclable foam planting cassettes that each hold nine plants. A wicking fabric dangling into the gutters allows plants to take water only as needed for a steady passive irrigation system. Just like the Living Frames, these Living Walls only need to be refilled with water every 3-4 weeks, depending on how dry or humid it is in the room. A decorative frame available in a variety of color options surrounds the entire system.
Urbanstrong customers can design their own living wall to the height and width they choose. We will custom cut all necessary components to size and ship them to your door. We will install for a fee or ship the system unassembled with an easy-to-understand installation manual and recommended plant shopping guide.
Urbanstrong’s Living Wall Panel Installation @ Rosé Wine Mansion. NYC 2018
Free Design Consulting – Plant Selection
With each order we provide a list of suggested plant species that will work well in this system so people can use their own plants from their local farmers market or nursery. Green thumbs who are knowledgeable about plants will enjoy experimenting with their own favorites. Be sure to let us know what works for you and tag us in your living wall IG posts @urbanstrongNYC
Design Consulting – Lighting
People who want to enhance their space with a living wall need to remember that all living plants require light…it’s their food. For low light tropical plants, we recommend a minimum of 150 foot-candles of light. The light should be evenly distributed across all plants on the living wall. Even for walls near a window or a skylight, supplemental lighting may still be required for the winter months, certainly in northern cities. The amount of supplemental lighting required needs to be measured. This can be done by a professional lighting consultant conducting what’s called a photometric analysis. During this study they also take seasonal lighting changes into account.
Or consumers can do a basic study themselves with a handheld light meter. Simple, cheap, easy-to-use handheld light meter Urbanstrong can recommend a number of different LED fixtures. There are several on the market that run very efficiently, and one is certainly bound to suit your design preferences.
Example Output of a Photometric Analysis.
Pricing and Delivery Costs
If you’re curious about pricing and delivery costs, let us know the approximate size of the wall you’re thinking of, or send us a photo of your space. You can fill out this contact form or email us at info@urbanstrong.com.
For example, a client in Brooklyn Heights purchased and planted her own greenery for this Living Frame in the entry way of her condo.
