The largest indoor vertical garden in Europe by Terapia Urbana in Spain
The old Tabacalera building, today the Civic Center of Castilla-Hermida, a space created by the city council in Santander, on the north coast of Spain, houses the largest interior vertical garden in Europe.
The project was conducted by FDA Arquitectos and the installation of the living wall has been carried out in June 2020 by Jardinería Diego. The technical project has been studied by Terapia Urbana using our modular Fytotextile® RF system with a Bs2d0 reaction to fire classification.
A total of 22564 indoor plants supplied by Corma and 32 different plant types, with an average of more than 41 plants per m2. The different types of plants were carefully selected from a previous sunlight study, taking into account the hours of direct and indirect natural light received from each level throughout the day in the different seasons.
The main idea of the landscape design was influenced by the distribution of the building that allows us different points of view, from different levels. A wicker structure combining the coexistence of the combined horizontal and vertical line format, and the “drip technique” inspired by American abstract expressionist painter Jackson Pollock revealed the final result of the design.
Santander breaks the European record for indoor vertical gardens
Although the upper part of the living wall receives natural light from the building’s light well, a preliminary study was carried out and auxiliary lighting was installed to ensure that all plants receive optimal lighting during the day. Artificial light is controlled by sensors, in this way, in case there is not enough natural input, artificial light performs the compensation.
Advanced remotely controlled irrigation technology has also been used in this vertical garden. An environmentally friendly recirculated irrigation system guarantees optimal water consumption by giving necessary information such as the humidity levels of the substrate at different levels of the garden, the temperature near its surface, the pH levels, EC values, and possible incidences through specific sensors.
As our client, we are convinced that this garden will become the preferable meeting place for future users of the Castilla- Hermida Civic Center in Santander, Spain.
Are you thinking of including a living wall in your project and need professional technical advice? Do not hesitate and contact us!
