21 March/22 March 2020 ★ FT Weekend 19
scientist at the Royal Horticultural
Society. “They might survive in poor
light levels, but it will significantly
decrease their metabolisms — you’ll
need to introduce special lighting if
you want them to be active enough to
reduce pollution.”
She also refers to her esearch, whichr
suggests that increasing the number of
houseplants does not equate to a
corresponding improvement in air
quality — six might have the same
effect as 10.
Instead f stuffing your home witho
plants, it is better to introduce them
strategically, placinglarge specimens
near windows, for example, or invest The timber-lined walls of Oliver Heath’s home bring calm, he says
A living wall by Biotecture, which has also created large-scale installations for Heathrow airport and the MTV building
in a living wall, where conditions can
be optimised with lighting and
built-in irrigation.
“Living walls are perfect for proper-
ties and courtyards where square
footage is at a premium,” says Richard
Sabin of Biotec ture, which has
installed large-scale walls for clients
including Heathrow airport and MTV,
and has developed aDIY ersionv
called PlantBox.
In Canary Wharf, a new high-rise
residential development is using
biophilic features as its main selling
point. Named after the 19th-century
i nve n t o r o f a g l a z e d s h i p p i n g
container — the Wardian case — thatenabled exotic plants to survive
the voyage to Britain, Wardian has
beendesigned with plants in mind.
Deep balconies wrap around each
floor of the two towers, giving every
apartment its own garden, and giving
the towers a corrugated look from a
distance. The soaring reception areas
were designed to showcase two large
sunken gardens, which will be filled
with mature silver birches, tree ferns
and shade-loving blooms. High up on
the 55th level of the building, resi-dents will be able to lounge in a sub-
tropical jungle.
“We wanted to build something that
had a connection to the outdoors, and
when we heard about the Wardian case,
with its links to the Docklands and its
impact on horticulture, it seemed like
the perfect source of inspiration,” says
Roger Black of EcoWorld Ballymore, theHouse Home
cIncrease natural light. Consider
enlarging windows or adding
skylights, or at the very least, position
furniture next to windows so that
you can increase your exposure
to daylight.
cMake the most of any outside space.
Add planters and pots to terraces, and
consider vertical planting to maximise
small gardens.
cBring greenery indoors. Houseplants
will help with humidity and air quality
— aspidistras, anthuriums and cycads
are among the most resilient.
Make sure you choose species that
can cope with the light levels. A living
wall can be an effective way to
transform a kitchen, and can produce
a steady supply of herbs and
small vegetables.
cIntroduce elements that have gentle
movement — this can be anything
from a tank of fish to the flickering
flames in a wood-burning stove.
cColour can also enhance our moods
— paint walls in shades you find
restful. The prevalence of blue in
the natural world, from sea to sky,
may explain why so many peopleconsider it their favourite colour.
cUse natural materials where possible
and try to ensure that they have been
minimally processed. The material
should be left as lightly finished as
possible, not disguised by layers of
polluting industrial processes.Natural selection: create your own biophilic design
project’s joint developers.But the
designers faced practical challenges,
such as finding plants that were resil-
ient enough to survive the dry, wind-
swept climate of the upper balconies.
After consulting with specialist nurs-
eries, they it upon a planting schemeh
of waxy-leafed, shallow-rooted
sedums. Grown in lightweightcon-
tainers, these succulents can be easily
affixed to the exterior like cladding
and require a minimum of upkeep.
There is a possibility that biophilic
design is just another manifestation of
the mindful, eco-aware zeitgeist. Butit
helps foster a greaterawareness of the
natural world.
As Wardian prepares to install its
supersized terrariums, hat would itsw
19th-century namesake have made of it
all? He might have approved. Having
spent years struggling to grow plants on
the windowsills of his smog-enveloped
east London home, Nathaniel Bagshaw
Ward eventually admitted defeat and
moved to the then-leafy village of Clap-
ham to create his rural idyll.
hanks to the innovations of con-T
temporary designers, it’s becoming
increasingly possible to create our
very ownrus in urbe.‘Living walls are perfect
for properties and
courtyards where squarefootage is at a premium’
MARCH 21 2020 Section:Weekend Time: 18/3/2020- 18:37 User:rosalind.sykes Page Name:RES19, Part,Page,Edition:RES, 19, 1