The new Pérez Art Museum Miami, designed by Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron—some of the most-well-regarded architects of our time—features a series of immense columns, dipping from a huge awning, and covered in specially selected greenery. The man behind these designs, and a pioneer in the field, is Patrick Blanc. Dezeen nabbed an interview with the green-haired French botanist behind the new (and highly regard) design trend of living walls, also known as walls capable of growing and sustaining themselves through built-in-irrigation systems. The hanging gardens in Miami are particularly innovative, as Blanc explains, because, unlike his previous collaboration with the architects (a single wall covered with plants) the columns had to face a variety of weather conditions, because of their 360-degree exposure. The result is a specifically curated collection of foliage on each column, as the plants wrap around.
Blanc isn’t shy about being the best—and first—at this specific type of ecodesign, though he’s happy to see his influence branch out.
"Everybody in the world is doing vertical gardens,” he says in the clip. “Of course, 20 to 25 years ago, I was the only one. But I am happy because with this idea I created a new vision of the interaction between human beings, the town and plants."
Check it out above.
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[via Dezeen]
