It's time to...
CHOOSE YOUR DIY SYSTEM
DIY Friendly
Not DIY friendly to very DIY friendly
Maintenance
Hard to maintain to easy to maintain
Cost
Most cost effective to least cost effective
Drainage & Irrigation
Complex drainage to simple drainage
Integration
Challenging to integrate to easy to integrate
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This rating system is an evaluation tool to help determine the best green wall system for you.
This design involves in-ground plantings which grow upwards along the façade structure.
DIY Friendly
Drainage & Irrigation
Cost
Maintenance
Integration
PROS
• Easy to construct
• Requires the least materials
• Budget friendly
• Very easy to integrate
CONS
• Low aesthetic appeal
• Limited plant selection
• Slow and uneven plant growth
This design utilises a support structures to assist plant growth by providing an anchor for plants to attach to.
DIY Friendly
Drainage & Irrigation
Cost
Maintenance
Integration
PROS
• Easy to construct
• Lightweight support structure
• Budget friendly
• Very easy to integrate
CONS
• Low aesthetic appeal
• Limited plant selection
• Slow and uneven plant growth
This design involves modular box panels that are filled with inorganic substances, wrapped and supplied by a fertigation.
DIY Friendly
Drainage & Irrigation
Cost
Maintenance
Integration
PROS
• Easy to construct
• Versatile and scalable
• Most visually appealing
CONS
• Expensive to install
• Requires some technical skills
• Waterproofing may be required
This design is made of a textile material such as felt, geotextile, old burlap, tarpaulin, or a suitable cloth.
DIY Friendly
Drainage & Irrigation
Cost
Maintenance
Integration
PROS
• Easy to integrate and maintain
• Lightweight
• Preferable for edible plants
CONS
• Limited irrigation options
• Frequent fertigation required
Planter boxes are the main element in this design, and are attached to a support structure.
DIY Friendly
Drainage & Irrigation
Cost
Maintenance
Integration
PROS
• Versatility allows for unique designs
• Preferable for edible plants
• Can be made from recycled materials
CONS
• Limited irrigation options
• Frequent fertigation required
• Requires some technical skills
This system is fun and reasonably cost-effective. The design upcycles old guttering to become the primary structure.
DIY Friendly
Drainage & Irrigation
Cost
Maintenance
Integration
PROS
• Fun design
• Easiest to irrigate
• Made from upcycled materials
• Cost effective
CONS
• Substrate depth may restrict
plant choice.
• Requires some technical skills
This system takes advantage of old pipes, such as PVC piping, as the key component of the system.
DIY Friendly
Drainage & Irrigation
Cost
Maintenance
Integration
PROS
• Fun design
• Easiest to irrigate
• Made from upcycled materials
CONS
• Substrate depth may restrict
plant choice.
• Requires some technical skills
This system is made of wooden boxes that are stacked together which allows the unit to potentially be free standing.
DIY Friendly
Drainage & Irrigation
Cost
Maintenance
Integration
PROS
• Made from upcycled materials
• Large depth for root growth
• Potentially freestanding
CONS
• Wood may deteriorate
• Weight loading may be an issue
This website was developed in collaboration with UTS Shopfront at the Centre of Social Justice and Inclusion and the student Visual Communication team from the Faculty Design Architecture and Building at the University of Technology Sydney. Aaron Davis, Beth Sacco, Emma Lai, Leeanne Takashima and Lucy Ward were supervised by Claudia Leigh.