There are examples of vertical greenery in many places, but the 12 metre high, free-standing column shape is a new development. The seven exotically planted green sculptures improve the microclimate and contribute to a sensual room atmosphere in the Zurich Innovation Center of Givaudan.
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At the customer’s request, various commercial and rare plant species were tested for six months on a three-meter high sample column. Finally, more than twenty different plant species were selected according to their growth type, such as horsetail, hanging or climbing.
Our company signed the contract under various terms, such as supplying fully overgrown green sculptures. The 1.5 meter high stainless steel segments were pre-cultivated during 6 months in the greenhouse under ideal climatic conditions. The biggest challenge throughout the project was the low temperatures in October 2018, the date of installation. Neither the facade was completely closed nor the heating was ready for operation. During the first weeks of operation, the temperatures in the building regularly dropped to 10° Celsius.
Already two years before the implementation, our planning department created the functional principle for the irrigation system. Today, each column segment can be irrigated individually and as required and monitored by sensors. Lightsphere developed a hop-shaped lighting system that supplies the plants with the light spectrum filtered out by the insulating glazing of the atrium roof.
Since the installation, the column-shaped vertical gardens have been monitored at two-week intervals by our greening technicians and maintained as required – including a green guarantee.

The work was created in collaboration with Bauart architects and Schrämmli landscape architects.