A natural evolution in living walls.

By Vertical Grounds Design Lab

Design Pillars

Resilience & Biodiversity

The Living Lattice provides abundant soil, and space for plant roots to grow into maturity. With 10x more soil than the leading market systems, plants, roots and soil ecologies have the conditions to thrive!

Sustainable Materials

The Living Lattice is constructed out of cork, a natural material that is sustainably harvested. The modules are supported by a lace-like skeleton which can be designed custom for each client based on their needs.

Architectural Quality

We take detail, design and craft seriously. The lattice-like form and click-in, click-out modular design allows for architectural flexibility and infinite variations. The living lattice is the first modular living wall that can be used in front of windows.

Supported by:

Circular Economies

Sustainable, Circular, Organic Material,

Sustainable, Circular, Organic Material,

Made of cork

The Living Lattice is crafted from cork, an organic, carbon-negative, rot-resistant material. This highly sustainable material promotes healthy plant growth. Cork naturally evolved to protect the interior of trees, making it an exceptional choice for our living walls.

sketch by Frei Otto

Geometry

Inspired by the lattice-like forms found in natures most resilient stuctures, the Living Lattice utilizes a diagrid form-work to create continuous networks of living soils and root structures.

We help you integrate sustainable solutions, and earn green credits (BREEAM, LEED, BNG)

FAQs

  • Living Walls do more than improve our comfort and enjoyment of cities. They also contribute to a healthier local and global environment.

    Habitat Provision: Living walls provide essential habitat for a variety of urban fauna, including insects, birds, and small mammals. By offering shelter, nesting, and breeding opportunities, they can help to increase species diversity in urban areas.

    Plant Diversity: The walls can host a wide range of plant species, from mosses and ferns to flowering plants and even small trees, depending on the structure and size of the wall. This can increase plant diversity in cities and provide food sources for many species.

    Corridor Creation: In urban settings, living walls can create green corridors that allow species to move and disperse across the city. This connectivity between green spaces is crucial for species survival and adaptation, particularly in the face of climate change.

    Air Quality Improvement: Plants in living walls can capture and store harmful air pollutants, improving air quality for urban fauna and flora. Improved air quality can contribute to better health and survival rates for many species.

    Climate Regulation: Living walls help to regulate the microclimate, reducing the urban heat island effect, which can be beneficial for many species. Cooler, more stable temperatures can make urban environments more habitable for a wider range of species.

    Water Management: Green walls help to manage rainwater runoff, which can improve water quality by filtering pollutants and reducing the volume of water entering the sewer system. This can have downstream benefits for aquatic ecosystems.

  • Phase 1: We provide consultations and visualizations of the Living Lattice in your space

    Phase 2: We work with our ecologists and nurseries to design the plants best suited for your site.

    Phase 3. Installation. We comply with building regulations and manage the installation of the Living Wall and irrigation system.

    Phase 4. Maintenance: We source a local maintenance team, train building staff, and take care of maintenance, based on a plan that works for you.

  • The Living Lattice acheives the highest rating for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and Urban Greening Factor (UGI) for Living Walls. The abundant soil allows for a large species selection, making hitting your biodiversity requirments easier.

    Biodiversity credits are often calculated based on the increase in habitat quality and quantity, and the increase in species diversity. The Living Lattice is designed to provide abundant soil, space for deep root growth and good thermal insualtion, meaning compared to conventional market systems, the system can host a larger selection of plants and an increase in overall resilience and biodiversity.

    The Living Lattice can be particularly valuable in urban settings, where opportunities for traditional habitat creation may be limited.

  • Living Walls are not designed to support foliage, they are designed to support roots! Ample soil, and room for roots to grow into maturity is fundamental to a healthy plant in the long term.

    Further, soil is one of the richest sources of beneficial biodiversity. One gram of soil contains between 2000 and 10000 bacterial species. Making the Living Lattice a leading vertical garden system in terms of plant health and biodiversity.

  • Maintenance is an essential part of any Living Wall. We will work with you to create a schedule to ensure your living wall is performing all year round.

    Did you know, for typical living walls the price of the wall will double within 5 years due to maintenance fees? In many living walls it is expected you will have to replace the plants every 1-2 years.

    The Living lattice is designed in reaction to this. With abundant soil, insulating cork material, and explicit drainage, the system is designed to require minimal maintenance, and perform as PASSIVELY as possible.

  • Simply, no! Cork has evolved to be resistant to rot, microbes and moisture! This is why its often used to seal liquids.

  • Although there are a few different forms of Living wall systems, the general problems found in the technology can be summarized as such:

    Little to No Soil: Little to no soil creates a lack of water retention and depleted microbiome. Low insulation around plants allows for freezing and overheating.

    Poor Root Management: Little space stops roots from growing into maturity, requiring replacement

    Intensive to Install: Greenwalls can only be deployed on solid walls and have intensive, often destructive, connections to the architecture

    Made of plastic: most modular living walls are primarily made of plastic. The costs to society from plastic pollution exceed US$100bn per year (Minderoo Foundation, KPMG).

    The Living Lattice was designed in response to these conventional problems.

  • The Living Lattice helps you meet 4 UN Sustainable Development goals:

    • Good Health and Wellbeing

    • Sustainable Cities and Communities

    • Climate Action

    • Life on Land

Our mission is to make our cities greener and healthier — we leverage design to connect our built world with our natural world.

Mac Van Dam, CEO

Join the movement,

help bring back the benefits of biodiversity to urban life.