WallGarden is a system of vertical growing supported by an online community. My goal is to link the wealth of knowledge of the Dutch growing industry via design to the home gardener for use on a small scale. By using modern growing techniques and efficient space-saving design, I hope to create living walls that will produce fresh air alongside small crops for personal use. WallGarden is especially interesting for people living in dense urban areas and without access to their own balconies, gardens or community plots. Since our homes are warm and lit all year round, you don’t have to wait until summer to use your green thumb.
project:
WallGarden
The indoor vertical garden
WallGarden is a vertical hydroponic garden you can use to grow edible plants and fresh air.
WallGreen - WallGreen is a proof of concept experiement for WallGarden
As an interior architect, I would like to promote better indoor air quality, to educate people about growing their own food, and to create a community of “WallGardeners” with living, green interiors.
The most polluted air we come in contact with is the air inside our homes. This is due to off-gassing from the buildings we live in and the products we own. Until our environment is designed toxin-free, I would like to integrate living plants into the interior that actively improve air quality by removing pollutants from the air. WallGarden will support many kinds of plants, from those that are efficient at filtering out toxins to salad greens, herbs, and other edibles.
WallGreen was a proof-of-concept experiment with similar goals. WallGreen made a noticeable impact on air quality in the space it was installed in, even after just a few days. WallGarden is an expansion of this idea, and will go fully hydroponic and be able to support small crops.
People who want to learn to grow food at home without needing a balcony or garden, who want to improve their indoor air quality, and who would like to have living, growing walls in their home.
Using hydroponics on a large scale is common in the Netherlands, but on a small scale it is virtually unknown. WallGarden will be a collaborative effort between agricultural research, design, and enthusiastic home gardeners. WallGardeners will form a community where they can share growing and crop tips over the Internet and share excess crops with each other.
The innovation lies in the cross-fertilization of several movements at the same time. I would like to combine aspects of:
- Indoor vertical gardening. Currently most vertical gardens are outside, and systems are difficult and bulky to install indoors.
- Hydroponics, which are usually implemented on a large commercial scale, and not accessible to the casual home user.
- Community Supported Agriculture, where the emphasis is on community and sharing of excess crops amongst people working together.
- The power of the Internet to teach and connect people and create real communities alongside digital communities.
The WallGarden platform will link users together and facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experience. On the platform site, you can find instructions for setting up a system, find out which plants are best suited for a WallGarden, share your own growing experiments, and find other users to share your excess crops with. Next to the platform, technology can be integrated so that your WallGarden can stay in contact with you by sending tweets that it needs more water or other maintenance.