Menu

How can we help you?

Tell us a few details about your project or enquiry and a member of our team will be in touch.







    Opt-in to our mailing list to receive email communications from us.

    Yes PleaseNo Thanks

    By completing this form you agree to us storing your data for the purpose of contacting you. We will not use your personal information for any other purpose.

    The mere insertion of plants into the built environment can enhance comfort, satisfaction, well- being and performance.

    Biophilic Design

    Roadside Living Wall, King’s Cross, London

    • London, United Kingdom
    • 2011
    • For BAM
    • 240m2
    • Maintained by Biotecture
    • Publicly viewable

    Project Details

    • Roadside Living Wall
    • Part of the King's Cross Central Development

    Biotecture Living Walls 10 Year Anniversary BadgeThe living wall at King’s Cross extends for approximately 240m along two walls of an old gas building, near the Eurostar terminal. Completed in April 2011, it was installed as part of the King’s Cross Central Development plan. It contributes to the sustainability goals of the development programme and boosts biodiversity. The limited green space and heavy traffic means the wall is a welcome addition to the area.

    Biotecture worked in association with Argent Development, the company leading the new development plans for King’s Cross. The plan incorporates the Mayor of London’s target to increase green cover in Central London by 5% before 2030. This in turn is part of the wider Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, which encourages the construction of green walls and other green infrastructure.

    Commissioned as visual screening to gas utilities. The wall fronts a busy road and is adjacent to an urban nature park, so the clients were keen to extend greenery into the site and for the wall to be an insect attractant. After a number of different conceptual sketches, a design of horizontal waved banding was chosen, which consisted of matrix planting. On each band or layer, one plant was changed from the banding below, meaning that the plant species gradually change as we go up the wall, with the most sun tolerant plants at the top.

    When the living wall was originally installed in 2011 it benefited from plenty of direct sunlight. A dynamic planting plan was designed, that would change from season to season. In summer, it was populated by pink, purple and white flowers, while fragrant lavender attracts bees and other pollinators. In winter, the pink flowers of Bergenia gave way to deep red leaves and Pachysandra terminalis helps create a dark green foliage with the silver sheen of Stachys Byzantium. However it was always known that as future development of the surrounding sites progressed and new buildings were completed they might cause the living wall to be in shade the majority of the time. In 2016 the planting plan was redesigned and the living wall panels replanted to suit the new site conditions. The original design intention was preserved but some plant species were switched out for more shade tolerant plants, in particular in the lower areas of planting which were the most affected by the shading from the new building opposite.

    To see some other examples of Biotecture living walls installed in busy road areas to help improve air quality you can visit our ‘Highway Living Wall, Southampton‘ , ‘Edgware Road Tube Station Living Wall‘ or ‘Southampton Row office building living facade‘ portfolio pages

    I have been Head gardener at Kings Cross virtually the entire time Biotecture’s green wall has been in situ. During this there have been many challenges with the site and the task of maintaining the wall due to environmental and access issues.
    Throughout this time I have found the team a pleasure to work and communicate with and the standard of the horticultural input and the quick response to any issue is there for all to see in the quality of the wall as it is today, at 13 years old.

    Des Smith Head Gardener, King's Cross Estates Services