As more building envelopes get tighter, the concern for indoor air quality grows. Nedlaw Living Walls offers a product that is intended to improve indoor air quality in commercial and residential applications. Known for its large-scale commercial application products, Nedlaw is in the process of launching its residential product.
“We are going to launch a new residential product: 5ft. tall by 2.5 ft. wide and 4 in. in depth. A lot of our industrial models have bigger footprints, so this is a way to save space,” says Chris Johnston, marketing and sales manager for the Breslau, Canada-based company.
The living walls have an onboard fan which allows it to clean the indoor space – approximately 10 sq. ft. space or enough for clean air for five people. “We draw air through the living wall, plants hold microbes and they clean VOC out of the air with an 85 percent removal efficiency,” Johnston says. The product uses a circulation pump instead of soil for the plants.
Water hookup and a drain is need for the installation, which a builder could do on his own. In addition, the water is recycled within the system. “It is a self-contained system, circulates the water from bottom reservoir and up,” Johnston says. “We have a flow meter so if there is low water more water is added with the water line.”
One major consideration needs to be taken into account when installing a Living Wall in a project: moisture. “We are constantly running water through it so a lot moisture is added to immediate area,” Johnston adds. “Consider materials that are moisture accepting in the wall – not drywall more of a cement board or moisture resistant drywall. It will add 10 percent relative humidity to the area.”
The commercial products are approved by LEED, and the residential options are in the process of getting certified for LEED. Lead time for residential products is about three weeks, with four stand alone options available: 5 ft. by 3 ft., 7 ft. by 4 ft., and 7 ft. by 5ft.
For more information on Nedlaw Living Walls, visit naturaire.com or circle X. – Maureen Alley