Team digs deep to come up with green solutions
Extensive research went into the design and development of Sino Group's vertical greening system (VGS) to overcome unique challenges presented by the site, climate and scale of the project.
Work began in mid-2006, with a detailed study of similar concepts used in France, Germany and Japan. It was clear, after some study and research, that a tailored greening system would be more suited for Vision City in Tsuen Wan, so the team came up with their own design concept and specifications in collaboration with the contractor and in addition to specialists in horticulture, structural engineering and environmental science.
A small-scale version was installed in a property in Bowen Road using tilted flower pots in a shelf-like arrangement, with the idea that plants could be changed with the season. But the height of the wall presented some problems.
'It was not easy to irrigate manually,' said Thomas Lau, Sino Group's assistant general manager for landscape architecture.
'We realised we would need a more sophisticated system for a large-scale green wall.' Other improvements were needed to simplify maintenance, find suitable soil and eliminate the use of pesticides.
'The system had to be fully organic so as not to pose any hazards for people using the shopping mall.'
Detailed tests were done on site conditions and the local environment. Seven types of plants were chosen according to their need for light, shade and water, plus their ability to grow and thrive. About 90 per cent of the wall will be covered in a wide range of ferns, spider plants and groundcover species, and the rest with colourful periwinkles.
Management of the VGS is a learning process, and there will be constant monitoring and testing.
'We are already thinking how to make things better for future projects,' said Raymond Chen, Sino Group's assistant general manager for projects. 'With a richer palette of plants, we could make the design like a painting.
'We also hope to introduce this system to individual residents in the development, in future.
'There are some technical issues to resolve because plants used on the 10th floor may not be suitable on the 50th floor, but we are working on that to make sure it goes right.'
