Financial services company, PNC, has found a way to save energy and make a big green marketing statement with a massive green wall installation on the south-facing wall of One PNC Plaza at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Wood Street in downtown Pittsburgh.

The 2,380 sq. ft., soil-based wall – think doubles tennis court – features a variety of regional plants grown into living art on its 602 panels.  The 24 plants in each 2×2 sq. ft. space are estimated to offset the carbon footprint of one person.  The vertical garden, similar to a green roof, will help to cool the 30-story building.  Preliminary studies show the south-facing living wall will be 25 percent cooler behind the wall than ambient temperatures.

PNC’s green wall is mounted with a stainless steel bracketing and panel system anchored directly into One PNC Plaza’s reinforced concrete masonry.  Other details:

• the wall weighs approximately 24 tons when fully saturated via an internally controlled irrigation system.  It is estimated that the wall will require just 15 minutes of watering once a week.
• PNC acquired all hardware, plants, materials and installers within a 500-mile radius of downtown Pittsburgh.  Of the eight varieties, some plants will change in the winter and some will bloom in the spring.

The wall is a product of Green Living Technologies (GLT) of Rochester, N.Y., and designed by Kari Katzander of Mingo Design of New York. Plant Connection is the US Distributor and Lead Grower for Green Living Technologies.

PNC states it has more newly constructed buildings certified by the United States Green Building Council under its LEED program than any other company in the world.

source: prnewswire.com