Exhibition curated by Thomas Demand, Villa Paloma, Nouveau Musée National de Monaco, 18 september 2010 - 22 february 2011.
As with Blanc's other "green wall projects" the lush vegetation will be a magnet and breeding ground for birds, butterflies and insects. It’s an ecosystem on the outside, with a fully functional spa for humans on the inside.
But don't plants need soil? "No," explains Blanc, the flamboyant botanist prone to green hair, pants, and shoes, who designs his spectacular "Vertical Gardens" all over the world. Earth is no more than a tool. Just water containing minerals and nutrients, along with common daylight and carbon dioxide are necessary for plants to make photosynthesis possible." The plants on his walls grow on two layers of polyamide felt, each 3 millimetres (0.12 in) thick, whose layers mimic cliff-growing mosses and support the roots of many plants. The nutrient solution needed for plant growth flows down the wall and soaks the felt, with the run-off re-injected into the system.
a project by studio Anne Holtrop, Amsterdam (NL) architect
project development by Studio Noach, Amsterdam (NL)
vegetation and planting technology by Patrick Blanc, Paris (FR
construction and development of the building material by RexWall GmbH, Lauenburg/Elbe (DE)
