SustainableCommunity
SustainableCommunity
Green Curtains Around Tokyo
Jul 29th, 2010
Now that the green curtain is up and growing I’m spotting more and more of these leafy coolers everywhere! Following are a few examples found during a recent afternoon bike ride touring about Tokyo.
This massive green curtain covers nearly an entire wall of an office building on Tokyo’s west side. As the day progresses, it surely bears the brunt of the afternoon sun. The leaves of the green curtain provide much needed relief from it as well as the heat radiated up from the adjacent sidewalk and busy thoroughfare nearby.
Made up of what looks to be a few different kinds of plants, the vines originate from large planters evenly spaced along the base of the wall. Each planter has its own water source (see detail photo above) and the vines are assisted in their scramble up the side of the building by the usual green netting.
The next two green curtains while considerably smaller certainly have a similar effect. (And should be duly inspiring to give it a go at home!) The first one (pictured above) is well leafed out and already has a very nice sized goya on it. (Another benefit of planting early and training the vines sooner rather than later!) Starting from the simple planter boxes at the base, these vines provide more than a little relief from the sweltering heat of a Tokyo summer.
The second one is a bit sparser, and I suspect is grown as much for its fruit as for its shading. This curtain partners goya and cucumber on a bamboo shade. All three help keep the interior of the house cool, and provide something cool and crunchy for the dinner table. (Well, I wouldn’t really recommend eating the bamboo shade, but with the right recipe it might work.)
Related Posts
Don’t forget to read up on How to Construct your own Green Curtain – Part 1 and Part 2!!
Find out more about green roofs, green buildings and check out our exposé LEED versus CASBEE: A Comparison Between Two Green Building Certification Systems!
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About the Author
Joan Lambert Bailey writes about her food and farming adventures at Popcorn Homestead and Everyday Gardens. To see what else she’s been up to, check out her other greenz posts, too!
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