Urban Living Wall: engaging new interest in conservation

Kia ora - Danny blogged in March about the Innovative collaboration and a Living wall. This post comes from Elizabeth Guthrey of DOC and she updates us on what is happening with the Urban Living Wall

The Urban Living Wall was launched on Friday 8 May at the corner of Cashel Street and High Street in Christchurch. This green wall is revolutionary; native rocky outcrop plants are housed in 3D printed planter panels made by schools in the area, with design and production led by the Fab lab Chch.

This project is a unique opportunity for schools, communities, companies and individuals to be involved in some of the public spaces in our city. Students are able to learn how to use 3D printers whilst producing something for a tangible project that can be appreciated by the wider public. Some schools are even getting the idea to design their own and follow this concept for a small living wall on their campus.

This project also invites individuals and companies to make a donation towards a 3D printed planter panel with our PledgeMe campaign running until Monday 8 June.

The wall also includes wooden panels for plants to grow over. A felt material from a recycled wool carpet underlay by Cavalier Bremworth was also cut and sewn to make larger planter pockets, with the same swooping design as the rest of the wall. These turned out to be fast and cheap to make, and anyone can easily make these kinds at home with a sturdy sewing machine. We are yet to see how well they perform in retaining water in the hydroponic mix. The launch marks the establishment of the first 8 metres of wall, which will be continually added to until it covers 20 meters of the fence structure.

The South Learning Centre has been a contributor to producing the 3D printed planter panels with their 3D printer.

The Urban Living Wall is a collaborative project between the Department of Conservation, Christchurch City Council, Auckland University Institute of Technology, the Fab Lab Chch, Christchurch schools and communities. Join in and pledge a planter!

Elizabeth Guthrey
DOC

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