This green wall provides a cooling backdrop for the entrance courtyard at the Postal Museum
Area: 63m2
Location: London
System: BioPanel
Install Year: 2017
Client: The Postal Museum
Architect: Fielden Clegg Bradley
Number of plants: 3,7800
Plant species: 8
Opened in 2017, The Postal Museum in Clerkenwell, London, provides a new home to showcase its extensive archives.
Biotecture’s green wall forms a striking backdrop to an enclosed café courtyard at the main entrance.
The architect and client wanted to integrate a set of historic post boxes into the living wall, clearly signalling to visitors that they had arrived at The Postal Museum before they even stepped inside.
Our approach
Biotecture designed a freestanding living wall using our modular, hydroponic, BioPanel system.
One of the main challenges was integrating the historic post boxes. The brick structure behind the wall was not strong enough to support the system, so we engineered a bespoke steel frame to fix back to. Each vintage post box, weighing between 45–90kg, was mounted onto custom brackets secured to this steel framework.
We selected eight plant species from our tried-and-tested palette. A predominantly evergreen scheme was chosen to avoid clashing with the bold reds of the post boxes and to provide year-round visual interest.
Biotecture has maintained the wall since its installation, and the planting palette has continued to evolve over time, bringing in more seasonal flowering plants to attract pollinators.
Design
Including panel layout, plant design and irrigation design
Horticulture
living walls grown in the nursery for 8-12 plants until fully mature
Installation
Installation of backing board, geotextile drainage layer, irrigation pipework and planted panels
Maintenance
Remote monitoring of the irrigation system, regular visual inspections and horticultural maintenance visits
The results
The completed living wall has transformed the courtyard into a green, welcoming space that draws visitors in and encourages them to pause and explore.
The red post boxes stand out beautifully against the lush planting, and the wall has become a distinctive and much loved feature of the museum.
In addition to its visual appeal, the living wall supports biodiversity, helps cool the air, and reduces local air pollution.
