Patrick Blanc: Vertical Garden, from Nature to City

Lecture cycle “Understanding the World”

“Contemplating Life in the City: Challenges of Sustainable Urbanism”

Tuesday, October 5, 2010, at 5 PM

French Institute in Prague, Štěpánská 35, Prague 1

As part of the 4th year of the International Festival of Modern and Contemporary Architecture, ArchitectureWeek, taking place from October 4 to October 17, 2010, Patrick Blanc will come to Prague to present his concept of vertical gardens that bring biodiversity to concrete urban walls. This is a new technique for cultivating plants without substrate, which, due to its low weight, can be implemented on walls of any height, in both outdoor and indoor spaces, and under any climatic and lighting conditions.

During his lecture at the French Institute in Prague, Patrick Blanc will discuss the scientific contributions that his vertical gardens offer from the perspective of sustainable development and the environment, as well as the methods of their practical implementation.
And what is their secret? A metal structure is placed against the supporting wall, which serves as a base for a 10mm thick PVC tarp, on which two layers of 3mm polyamide horticultural felt are attached. This felt mimics the moss that grows on rocky walls and serves as support for the roots of many plant species. A network of tubes that supply nutrients and minerals necessary for plant growth is electronically controlled. The polyamide felt is saturated with this nutrient solution, which due to gravity reaches the lower part of the structure. The system functions as a closed loop: plants take the nutrients they need, and excess moisture is collected at the bottom of the structure in a drainage channel, from where it is recirculated.

Patrick Blanc is a renowned botanist, researcher at CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research), and a specialist in tropical forest understory plants. His vertical gardens have seen many successful implementations, such as at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris, Trio Building in Sydney...with the participation of renowned architects like Jean Nouvel and Edouard François.

Simultaneous interpretation – Free entry