Client Background

This new interchange was built on the existing Ashton Bus Station site, making it much easier to change between different types of transport, like trams and buses and offering a gateway to the town.

Featured Solutions

  • Viritopia Living Wall System (Exterior)

Size:     25m2 - 50m2

Industry:     Commercial Building Facades

Project Drivers

Biophilia

Social Impact

Nature, and crime?

The living wall was installed onto the brickwork to give an improved welcome to visitors coming to Ashton-Under-Lyne.  The impact of nature, especially in spaces where nature is scarce, is huge.  In one study in 2001, a correlation was found between highly vegetated urban environments and a reduction of crime in the area.

Plant palettes

Heart-leaf Bergenia among many other hardy evergreens and woody species were used to create the bushy 3D effect, along with several species that will flower in the Spring, with some lasting to late Autumn.  When our design team work on creating the plant selection, there are several factors they consider, including the key project drivers (eg. is it to improve biodiversity), the client’s vision, local ecology and the location.

Lighting

Not only appreciated by passers-by in the daytime, lighting was designed into the project to provide a different perspective of the living wall at night too.