VERTICAL GARDENS ON THE M30 MADRID, SPAIN
Category:
GREEN WALLS
Project general details
Nominator
Investor
Supplier
Architect
MADRID CITY COUNCIL
MADRID CITY COUNCIL
MADRID CITY COUNCIL
TERAPIA URBANA AND INES
Location (City)
GPS
Country
Region
Year of nomination
MADRID
data
Spain
Europe
2024
Project specifications
The M30 living wall is a pilot project focused on the improvement of the environmental conditions of the main ring road in Madrid, M30. It´s the first stage of a larger project in which the technical and landscape design would be based on the capacity to improve the quality of the air, improve the biodiversity, and also the perception of the city. All the living walls would be monitored with an advanced control system that remotely controls the main parameters of the living wall; this advanced control system jointly with a complete maintenance schedule makes a fantastic performance of the living wall, with a very low ratio of replacement plants, despite of the hard climate conditions and exposition to the pollutants. Also, the living walls are based in the Fytotextile® system, whom have developed the landscape design taking into account the capacity of plants to fix pollutants (NOx, Co2, PM10, CO, etc, also tested, as part of a Study of Metabolic capacities of these plant species.
Object type
Green wall area (m2)
Year of completion
Project in operation?
Administrative and civil construction buildings
3279
2023
YES
Green wall specification
Method of establishment of vegetation
All the living walls would be monitored with an advanced control system that remotely controls the moisture, temperature and conductivity of the soil in different sectors, it also manages the pressure, CE and Ph, reading of climatic conditions and alerts; this advanced control system jointly with complete maintenance schedule makes a fantastic performance of the living wall, with a very low ratio of replacement, despite of the hard climate conditions and exposition to the pollutants. The irrigation system is remotely controlled 2 times per week, to check and adapt the irrigation cycles to the real needs of the living wall: irrigation cycles, nutrients, climate conditions… Regarding the maintenance on-site, a monthly visit would be required. Once per 3-4 months would be required a maintenance session to prune, apply treatments if it´s required, check manually the moisture, clean weeds, dead flowers, etc. Also, a technical visit to the technical room would be required to check the compo
Vegetation
The landscape design has been developed considering the capacity of plants to fix pollutants (NOx, Co2, PM10, PM2.5, CO); having said this, once the microclimatic studio and sunlight studio was completed by Terapia Urbana, the results were combined with a selection of plants based on scientific papers and research to get a palette of plants. This palette of plants was tested out to measure the capacity of each one in a hermetic chamber to know the capacity to improve the air, as part of a Study of the Metabolic capacities of these plant species. At the same time, a complete studio for the pollutant fixation is been carried out by an external corporation in order to get the measurements of the decrease of the main values on site. On another matter, the capacity to improve the biodiversity into the cities was taken into account selecting the plants: many of the selected plants would have the “RHS plants for pollinators” classification.
Vegetation layer
The Vegetation layer would be in fact the complete Fytotextile ® system; it´s a multilayer system that is focused on the health of the plants and easy maintenance too. The main advantage of the system is the aeration of the roots, which means that the exterior layer improves the pass of the air through this area to get an optimal balance of air and water in the soil. This advantage would be very relevant due to the main objectives of the project: improve the quality of the air and increase the biodiversity. Thanks to this optimal balance between air and water we get a very healthy performance of the plants, which will help to achieve the objectives: 1. Reduce the air pollution. 2. Improve the biodiversity in the city. 3. Improve the environmental comfort of the city. 4. Improve the aesthetic of the city and the psychological perception.
Retention layer
The retention layer would be formed by the mix of organic soil and coco fiber soil. This mix of soil retains enough water and improves the aeration of the roots, mainly because of the property of the coco fiber-based soil; also, the lixiviation of this type of fiber is very good for the health of the plants. Regarding water retention, each fully planted living wall would be able to retain up to 4 l/m2 due to the water retention capacity of this soil. It´s a crucial factor for hot climates like Madrid, in which we can reach easily the 38-40ºC in summer (even higher). The content of water would be managed through the advanced control system that gives us alerts in case we have a decrease of moisture due to the hard climate conditions, also because of the hot air from the asphalt.
Filtration layer
The filtration layer won´t be required on this installation, as the living wall system doesn´t require such type of layer.
Drainage layer
The excess of water is collected in a linear gutter along both sides of the living wall. The PVC gutters are connected to 6 different drainage supplies in different points of the living walls, in order to correctly manage the flow of recovered water of the living wall. Having said this, a recycled water system is now been developed to recover this water to be used for the living wall; it will significantly reduce the need of water for the living wall for the long term.
Separate layer
The separate layer would be the auxiliary substructure, that works as a rain-cladding system. This rain-cladding system was designed to fix the modules per column that will allow to register the supporting wall (as a door) if it´s required (once per 2-3 years). The auxiliary substructure was formed by galvanized steel profiles, fixed to the supporting wall, with hinges that allow the opening of each column of modules: Manufacture of galvanized steel frames: 824 units, 90 cm wide and different heights from 2.4 m to 5.2 m. Execution of anchorages on existing walls: 4979 units. The system was installed on both sides of the M30 along the Illustration Avenue; so, the first step was repairing the wall defects and application of corrosion inhibitor and anti-carbonation painting.
Protective layer
The back layer is a synthetic waterproofing layer that protects the wall avoiding contact with water. The rest of the layers are strongly fixed to the back layer. This back layer is extremely strong, giving a traction test result of over 550 kg/m2 as per the tests carried out at the University of Seville and Applus.
Root layer
The Fytotextile® system consists of a multi-layer system formed by a matrix of pockets designed for semi-hydroponic cultivation. The system is formed by the following layers: Breathable layer: The exterior layer is made of a very stable material, very breathable too, that improves the aeration of the roots. Intermediate layer: It´s made of inorganic and organic fiber Back layer: The back layer is a waterproofing layer that protects the wall avoiding contact with water. The root layer is the intermediate layer, allowing an optimal distribution of water due to the matrix potential of the layer. It means that we avoid the preferential ways of water, so we get a homogeneous distribution of the water along the surface. This intermediate layer allows the plant roots to grow very quickly: just in a few weeks, the plants create a new layer of roots between the intermediate layer and the back layer, to form a micro-ecosystem in which the plants are related to each other.
Project video
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