ASSESSING PLANT SELECTIONS FOR VERTICAL GREENERY SYSTEM ON COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS IN AN URBAN SETTING

Abstract

Vertical greenery describes a system that allows plants to grow on a facade of a building. The system is classified into two: Living wall and Green façade. In Malaysia, a Vertical Greenery System (VGS) has been practice for about eight years. Though the method is no longer new in the
landscape architecture profession, technical knowledge on VGS and selection of plant species is in need of more research. This paper documents the application of VGS on commercial buildings in an urban setting with the objectives of providing information on the implementation of VGS and
identifying plant species used in VGS of commercial buildings. It is common knowledge that rigorous urban development can cause environmental issues such as urban heat island, noise, and air pollutions and others. Therefore, one of the ways to reduce environmental problems is by
adopting more landscape solutions. To further probe into it, the study had data collected using a review of literature, personal field observation and interview of experts. The finding indicates that the VGS implicates not only environment, but also aesthetics quality. Hence, the result suggests
that quality urban scape can be enhanced through landscape solutions, while VGS is one of them.