ArchShowcase Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. National Grid Car Park in Warwick, UK by One World Design ArchtectsMay 1st, 2016 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: One World Design Archtects National Grid’s HQ, National Grid House, on the outskirts of Warwick, within view of the Historic Castle, houses some 2800 staff. It is operational 24 hours a day, every day of the year and is a site which controls and is critical to the power distribution infrastructure in the UK. National Grids commitment to sustainability in all their undertakings has meant that the brief for a new car park on this site would always lead to something extraordinary – with the car park now finished it has literally come alive.
The new car park is a 446 space split level, prefabricated steel framed car park clad in and home to a living wall of 1027 sq.m, making this Europe’s largest. The Living wall is home to over 97,000 plants of over 20 different species. The plant species have been selected to include predominantly Native and Wildlife friendly species, the majority of which are evergreen to provide coverage all year round. The planting of the green wall incorporates Mentha which is a Mint; and this acts as a deterrent for wasps. There are also plants that attract butterflies, such as Hebe pinguifolia “Pagei”, others that provide nectar for Bees (Vinca minor “Bowles Purple”) and others that provide good nesting properties and habitual protection for birds in Winter and Early Spring such as Buxus sempervirens. The living wall is designed to add both to the ecology and biodiversity of the area but also it will flower and bloom adding colour and variety with the seasons. Fruit bearing plants are included – strawberries for instance. The living wall is the most visible sustainability measure, others are embedded within the design and include:
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