Copyright Takenaka Corp.

Takenaka Corp., a leading Japanese construction company, unveiled on July 31, 2009, its new panel system that allows the use of a much wider variety of plants, even bushes and trees, than the usual vines used to cover the walls of buildings for greening purposes.

The new system involves a unique planting panel made of four layers: (1) a surface panel with planting pots made of fiber-reinforced cement that makes them durable and safe; (2) a heat-insulating board; (3) a middle base made of bonded textile that is good for holding water but still allowing drainage, air permeability, and the use of fertilizer; and finally, (4) a bottom board made of recycled material. The design allows plant roots to grow freely all over a wall, so the system makes it possible to maintain a beautiful vertical greenscape over a long period.

The panels can support many types of plants, even conifers such as black pine, evergreen broad-leaved shrubs such as camellia, deciduous broad-leaved trees such as dogwood, and bushes like hydrangea. An automatic system allows the control of water volume and watering frequency year round from a control panel. Fertilizer is applied as needed after being diluted in the watering tank. Besides this, a dry construction method is employed to install the panels, so the surround area is unaffected.

Starting on the southern wall of its research laboratory in 2006, the company has also been testing the new system in other places, including the International Media Center for the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit in 2008. The installed price is around 150,000 yen (about US$1,550) per square meter. The company plans to use it on the buildings it designs and constructs.

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Takenaka Corporation official website
http://www.takenaka.co.jp/takenaka_e/

Posted: 2009/11/10 06:00:15 AM

TAG Eco-product/Business , Ecosystem , Manufacturing industry