Bringing Nature Back to the City
The shortage of land reserves in Israel has led to a significant increase in construction in recent years. A creative solution is therefore necessary to preserve our environment, which will remain green as an aesthetic value and as an ecological fabric contributing to our health by purifying the air.
Until recently, tenants of 4 or 5-story buildings cultivated a garden at the entrance of the building, or at least could enjoy the trees from their window. But as the demand for residential towers and offices increases in cities, the trees no longer touch our window and green areas have significantly decreased. Those living on the 30th floor of a tower have no proximity to nature anymore. Residential towers therefore require a balcony with a garden, but maintaining gardens at height becomes almost impossible and requires advanced technologies.
Green Wall Israel, a global pioneer in landscaping and vertical agriculture, which has been operating in Israel for over ten years, aims to restore nature in the city. The concept developed by the company over the years is ‘blue and white’ in origin and is gaining momentum worldwide and in Israel!
Building Gardens Vertically
The method works like this: instead of building small gardens in smaller areas of the city center, Green Wall proposes to build the same gardens vertically on the walls of buildings, regardless of their height. This method does not take up space on the balcony and avoids the distribution of urban areas over expensive land reserves.
In recent years, the increased awareness of air pollution and the dangers it has caused has led state authorities and green organizations to try to limit development and industrialization at the expense of public health.
“Because we are all looking for solutions to the thorny problems of pollution,” says Maggie Abecassis of “Green Wall Israel,” “we have forgotten that the solution to this problem lies in nature itself. So what we are really saying is simple: Let’s reclaim nature and integrate it into the city.”
“A wall mounted to the height and width of one or several residential towers is actually a living fence that produces oxygen and reduces toxins present in urban air, such as smoke, soot, and dust.”
In general, the advantage of a green wall inside or outside the building is significant in terms of quality of life: the green wall provides acoustic and thermal insulation and protection against electromagnetic radiation. The installation is quick, cutting-edge technology allows for optimal conditions for plant growth, and maintenance costs are reduced. “10 square meters of green wall” eliminates “the same amount of pollutants as a 15-meter tree,” notes Abecassis.
According to Guy Bar-Ness, the founder of Green Wall Israel and CEO of VerticalField International, “the GreenWall technology is marketed worldwide and is based on a wear-resistant infrastructure.”
For each project, the type of vegetation is adjusted according to the location, lighting conditions, humidity, winds, and the nature of the population and structure. “We have a number of technologies for growth, from small plants to trees,” says Bar-Ness. “There is, for example, a ‘natty wall’ for offices. Instead of harmful candies and snacks, we install a wall with vegetables, lettuce, or herbs in the office, and workers pick and eat them… and it works! Instead of cookies or wafers, people eat lettuce all day. There are also beautiful green walls of strawberries and tomatoes that yield crops every 3 or 4 months and walls of greens, herbs, or spices that grow all year round. In other words, it is also a solution for those who want to grow things organically, but there is no void. It’s fresh, enjoyable, and ‘green.’ A win-win for everyone.”
Green Wall Israel, owned by Guy Bar-Ness and led by Maggie Abecassis, was founded in 2009 and has a nursery specializing in vertical gardening. Today, the company employs around twenty people, including agronomists, landscapers, installers, and project maintenance staff. In 2015, the company was revealed to represent Israel at the prestigious Expo Milano, where it established the largest vertical field in the world: an organic field for growing wheat, corn, and rice, 82 meters long and 12 meters high. This domain brought the company into the ranks of newspapers and press editions worldwide and, thanks to a unique development, it has won numerous awards.
To date, Green Wall has established over 350 projects across the country, including for high-tech companies such as Microsoft, Apple Herzliya Pituach, Facebook Israel, Check Point, Intel, Verint, and Oracle; for real estate companies, hotel chains, government offices, local authorities, and more.
Planning is carried out by the company’s agronomist, and each project is accompanied by a team working on construction and maintenance. The importance of planning and executing the project in advance will provide the client with peace of mind and satisfaction over time at the lowest and most cost-effective maintenance cost. Green Wall offers a long-term warranty for its products and plants grown on the wall.
“Nature is designed to purify our air. It is one of its objectives. The growing pollution around us continues to strangle us and endanger our health,” concludes Abecassis.
