Pennsylvania to Unveil Largest Green Wall in North America

Tomorrow, Pennsylvania is scheduled to unveil North America's largest green wall installation. The building, designed by Kim Wilkie, is a public restroom facility at the Longwood Garden's new East Conservatory Plaza. The bermed, arching pod-like complex is open to one side and supports a natural outdoor amphitheater on the other. The interior green wall is a total of 4,072 square feet, which is almost twice the size of the second largest green wall in North America.

The majority of the astonishing 47,000 plants are ferns, which are embedded in a non-soil growth medium. Remote operated drip line irrigation and an array of sensors maintain the plants to help ensure quality control and longevity of the plants. The wall essentially acts like a filter and lung for the complex. An estimated 15,500 lbs of dust and toxins will be removed from the air each year, and the more visitors, the more CO2 for the plants to metabolize and exchange for O2.