ANS Global, one of the world’s leading providers of living walls and roofs for commercial and residential buildings, has been working in collaboration with Waltham Forest Council to deliver a healthier environment for residents of Walthamstow.
The scheme to install the new green living wall around the Asda supermarket, part of The Mall Walthamstow retail centre, is a key element to the council’s Air Quality Pilot Project in Selborne Road, which has been paid for by the Mayor of London’s Air Quality Fund; and ANS Global is supplying plants that filter out dust, as well as the harmful pollutants produced by traffic.
While many of our urban streetscapes are barren and lacking any greenery, the alternative in Walthamstow benefits from ANS Global’s installation of thriving plants. Amongst the species featured are Luzula nivea, Fragaria vesca, Pachysandra terminalis or "Green Carpet" and Hedera Helix, also referred to as "Green Ripple". All have been hand planted by its team of horticulturists at its own nurseries – which then enhance the local environment visually, as well as absorbing noise.
The living wall is also encouraging biodiversity in the form of insects, bees, birds and even bats. Indeed, ANS Group is also able to offer bird, bee and bat boxes, together with insect hotels fully installed into the living wall modules. Its in-house design team will work closely with the client to ensure nesting boxes are installed on the right elevation and that the correct dimension of box is used for the bird species.
The Senior Engineer responsible for The Mall Walthamstow, Stuart Laidlaw, recounted: “When the local council first approached us about the possibility of a green wall being installed on the property, our major concern was about the system having the correct certification. Essentially you have to be sure that it is not going to cause any deterioration to the fabric of the building, and in particular introduce damp into the structure, but we were very satisfied with the ANS Global solution. The project has gone well and looks very good.”
Amongst the ways in which ANS Global ensures there will be no issue with damp ingress into the structure is by fitting a breathable waterproof membrane as part of the build-up and employing treated, FSC certified battens to create a ventilated cavity.
Cllr Clyde Loakes, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment said: “Air quality remains a major concern across Waltham Forest, which is why we are supporting a number of projects to improve conditions in some of the most polluted parts of the borough.
“Living walls are proven to be an effective way of purifying polluted air and also help to improve the surrounding local environment. This project is one of a number of ways that we are encouraging residents to think about how they can improve air quality and take up more sustainable modes of transport.”
Rebecca Marjoram, Marketing Manager at The Mall Walthamstow, added, “We’re thrilled that The Mall is able to host the Living Wall, as part of our commitment to reducing impact on the environment.”
ANS Global’s patented ANS Living Wall System is manufactured from 100% recycled material incorporating organically grown media and can be included in BREEAM rating.
Backed by a 10-year comprehensive warranty, the proven modular solution can be built up and around any structure to any size; it incorporates a fully automatic irrigation system with liquid feed adaptor, so maintenance is low. It is possible to specify units that require no extra plumbing, that are self-contained with their own water tanks hidden away in the base section – or, they can be connected to rainwater harvesting systems. ANS Global can also monitor a watering system anywhere in the world by logging on remotely to the irrigation control system.
