Vertical Gardens in India: Where Nature Meets Home Design

Urban areas are getting increasingly crowded and as it grows with it the importance of green spaces. This is where vertical gardens come into the foray as an innovative solution infusing nature into the urban landscape full of concrete. These unique gardens are being added to the landscape of Mumbai thanks to the builders and developers in Mumbai to not only offer a fresh breath of air and visual beauty but also to deliver a range of advantages for both the environment and the people. 

What Are Vertical Gardens?

Vertical gardens in India also known as the living walls or green walls represent prototypical installations where plants grow on vertical surfaces, which include office buildings, apartment complexes, parking garages, shopping centres, and even rooftop terraces. Vertical gardens give the city a clever approach of incorporating greenery in the densely populated urban environments which had sparsely any greenery to begin with.

Impact Of Vertical Gardens

1. Enhanced air quality: The plants in vertical gardens absorb pollutants, including carbon dioxide, and filter particulate matter from the air while converting CO2 into oxygen.

2. Mitigation of the Urban Heat Island Effect: Outdoor living walls play a role in reducing the heat-island effect (a phenomenon where urban areas experience higher temperatures than their surrounding rural areas due to human activities, buildings, and infrastructure that absorb and trap heat, creating localised pockets of elevated temperatures in cities), resulting in a substantial 37°C temperature reduction in the city.

3. Promotion of biodiversity: Vertical gardens can support a variety of plant species, fostering biodiversity in urban settings and are able to create a habitat for insects and birds.

4. Noise reduction: The plants in vertical gardens serve as natural sound barriers, absorbing and deflecting sound waves, effectively reducing noise pollution in busy areas. 

5. Rainwater management: Vertical gardens absorb rainwater, acting as a water buffer with plants and substrate, delaying the discharge of rainwater into the sewage system.

6. Improved indoor climate: The presence of greenery promotes a healthier indoor climate, reducing common complaints like eye irritation, headaches, sore throats, and fatigue, resulting in a noticeable decrease in illness-related absences.

7. Psychological and Health Benefits: Vertical gardens offer not only environmental advantages but also significant psychological and health benefits. The presence of natural elements in green walls is proven to enhance alertness, uplift moods, reduce anxiety, and combat mental fatigue.

8. Energy Efficiency and Temperature Control: When applied to exterior walls exposed to sunlight, vertical gardens not only reduce air pollution but also contribute to a more energy-efficient solution. They effectively lower building temperatures by mitigating external heat and slightly reducing indoor temperature. This dual effect helps in minimising energy costs which is why real estate developers like Sunteck Realty, add vertical gardens as a practical choice for sustainable and cost-effective urban landscaping.