Patrick Blanc's Vertical Gardens of Paris



 


Recently I visited Paris and made it my mission to visit all of Blanc's vertical walls before I left. 
I am so inspired by the way he designs spaces like this as they really add a richness to the city in an aesthetic sense and are also very good in terms of environmental aspects. In all of the vertical walls we saw birds flying in and out of their nests within the shrub. This is something I hadn't even considered happening before I saw it.
Blanc creates these walls with his patented technology called 'the Mur Vegetal' This is a combination of PVC pipes and felt that allow the plants to be planted without soil. The use of felt also allows the plant roots to grip much better.
Musee de Quai Branly

This is probably the most seen vertical wall due to the fact it is right next to the Eiffel Tower. It holds 150 species and 15,000 individual plants and only needs to be pruned once yearly.


L'Oasis d'Aboukir




I really love the varying textures throughout this vertical wall and the way that some of the plants cascade, giving the appearance that they are flowing. This instillation was created as a landlord wanted to brighten up his neighbourhood. It was reported that this cost US$175,000 to install. 


BHV Homme



This wall is just outside a department store, I think this is a really great location because the wall really brightens a narrow dark road and creates a natural oasis. 


Boutique Azzedine Alaïa Paris, 5 rue de Marignan


To access this green wall I had to go through a designer boutique and into this courtyard. When talking to one of the boutique workers I was surprised when he mentioned a maintenance team came monthly to prune, water etc. the wall. This is very unusual for a Blanc wall to require.


Rue D’Alsace



Photo courtesy of Patrick Blanc


Unfortunately I didn't get to see this vertical wall as when I arrived in this area I saw another wall that was dead and had assumed it was this one. I'm really disappointed because this wall has such a rich, moss like texture.

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