Waterfalls and buildings are not natural bedfellows, though as ever it's the crazy-cool Chinese architecture that's leading the way. Observe the astonishing Guiyang Liebian Building in action. I've picked a fairly obscure video to minimise sarcastic commentary and offensive comments because really this needs neither criticism nor contempt. It's big enough that it simply is:
Much as I love this, it's not going to be a practical solution under most circumstances. But as anyone who has seen the results of a leaking overflow pipe knows, there is nothing that brings the green so reliably, so persistently and so effortlessly as a vertical waterdrop. Here's one I was walking past on the way into work this year:
It's like a green bleed across the bleak brown brick. Although if you click through you'll see it's screwing up the brickwork, washing out mortar, enlarging that crack along the bottom, all that. That's because our waterfall needs a few more features.
Firstly it needs a rill; this is the watertight track the water runs through, closed and watertight on three sides with the top open to the air.
The it needs a spray absorption zone, like a thin strip of green wall, to keep the moss in, get the best green benefit and keep moisture off the brickwork.
Finally you need a water source. A toilet overflow is not a great option! It would be much better to use rainwater, perhaps from a storage tank on the roof, supplemented by tap water as needed (use a ball cock like for a regular water tank) - as long as it gets a bit of a settle there shouldn't be too much trouble from purification chemicals.
Then, boom! You've got a no-frills version of this:
That ones in Mayfair, by the way - it's by Scotscape - loads more pictures of their living wall prowess through that link! Although, allow me to make some minor adjustments:
Here is one tucked into an angle on one of my favourite buildings in Oxford Court Quarter. My roof-tank is a touch dramatic; you could doubtless manage with a smaller, shallower tank. I've got it going into a tank at the bottom, you'd need a grid over that to avoid watery accidents (although (and speaking of which) it may prove more of a challenge to persuade city drunks not to use it as a urinal). The various chunks are galvanized tank contruction, so they won't last for ever, but the pieces should be quite straightforward to make. The same grids that cover the bottom tank (which contains a small water lily and some areation plants) retain the soil for the moisture absorption zone planting. An enclosed overflow takes any extra water into the drainage system. It might create a little knock-on water damage, but the urban cooling alone should make this worth the bother. You might even get urban frogs and dragonflies evolving, there's something to look forward to.
Speaking of which, let's end on a note of wild fantasy. Singapore Changhai Airport Jewel, half real, half an architectural concept-bubble. Click through, set to full screen, and let the future unfold.
Much as I love this, it's not going to be a practical solution under most circumstances. But as anyone who has seen the results of a leaking overflow pipe knows, there is nothing that brings the green so reliably, so persistently and so effortlessly as a vertical waterdrop. Here's one I was walking past on the way into work this year:
It's like a green bleed across the bleak brown brick. Although if you click through you'll see it's screwing up the brickwork, washing out mortar, enlarging that crack along the bottom, all that. That's because our waterfall needs a few more features.
Firstly it needs a rill; this is the watertight track the water runs through, closed and watertight on three sides with the top open to the air.
The it needs a spray absorption zone, like a thin strip of green wall, to keep the moss in, get the best green benefit and keep moisture off the brickwork.
Finally you need a water source. A toilet overflow is not a great option! It would be much better to use rainwater, perhaps from a storage tank on the roof, supplemented by tap water as needed (use a ball cock like for a regular water tank) - as long as it gets a bit of a settle there shouldn't be too much trouble from purification chemicals.
Then, boom! You've got a no-frills version of this:
That ones in Mayfair, by the way - it's by Scotscape - loads more pictures of their living wall prowess through that link! Although, allow me to make some minor adjustments:
Here is one tucked into an angle on one of my favourite buildings in Oxford Court Quarter. My roof-tank is a touch dramatic; you could doubtless manage with a smaller, shallower tank. I've got it going into a tank at the bottom, you'd need a grid over that to avoid watery accidents (although (and speaking of which) it may prove more of a challenge to persuade city drunks not to use it as a urinal). The various chunks are galvanized tank contruction, so they won't last for ever, but the pieces should be quite straightforward to make. The same grids that cover the bottom tank (which contains a small water lily and some areation plants) retain the soil for the moisture absorption zone planting. An enclosed overflow takes any extra water into the drainage system. It might create a little knock-on water damage, but the urban cooling alone should make this worth the bother. You might even get urban frogs and dragonflies evolving, there's something to look forward to.
Speaking of which, let's end on a note of wild fantasy. Singapore Changhai Airport Jewel, half real, half an architectural concept-bubble. Click through, set to full screen, and let the future unfold.
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