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Benny Chuang, Company Director, Metrochain Ltd
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A new breed of environmentally conscious Hong Kong contractors is giving new meaning to the term “urban jungle.” Leading the way is Metrochain Ltd, which has built its name producing and designing vertical green walls for some of the city’s modern structures.
Set up in 1997, Metrochain initially specialised in hard landscapes, but a special client request led the company to come up with an innovative idea. “In 2005, a client asked if there was a way of extending limited green areas,” says Benny Chuang, Company Director. “We had no idea, but we put our heads together and designed our first green panel that was a mere 1.5 metres in size, and the vertical green wall concept was born.”
Metrochain has since become a leading designer of vertical green walls in Hong Kong, introducing the concept into some of Hong Kong’s newest architectural structures, including one of Hong Kong’s newest hotels, Hotel ICON.
“Vertical green walls can be designed to suit various designs, by using plant species of varying sizes and colours, which are planted into removable perspex modules or cells in the overall system,” says Mr Chuang. “The lightweight and flexible design of the vertical green wall also enables its installation into any new structure and onto most existing walls. We can also provide structural calculations to ensure total structural safety of the system,” he says.
Iconic Design
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The 230-square-metre green wall at Hotel ICON in Tsim Sha Tsui lays claim to being the largest natural wall feature of its kind in Asia
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A vertical green wall is set up with various combinations of standard modular units that provide flexibility in the design of the finished pattern, using different plant species and easy installation procedures. Installed on structurally sound concrete or brick walls using Metrochain’s proprietary designed mounting kits, the standard modular units are easy to replace and rearrange. Plants grow in the modules using soil-free nutrition ingredients, organic and inorganic fillers. The irrigation system is controlled automatically either by timers or moisture sensors to ensure even irrigation of all plants, especially for very high vertical green walls.
One of its more recent projects was inside the new Hotel ICON, which opened in Tsim Sha Tsui earlier this year. “People entering the hotel lobby are drawn to the wall, which starts at ground level in the hotel’s restaurant, aptly called Green, soaring 18 metres to the floors above. At 230 square metres, it is the largest natural wall feature of its kind in Asia,” he says.
The company’s expertise in greening roofs and slopes has earned it several plaudits. In 2006, Metrochain received a Hong Kong Eco-Products Awards Notable Mention. Another project, at Vision City in Tsuen Wan, received a Quality Building Awards 2010 Honourable Mention.
Cutting Carbon Footprint
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The recently completed 28-storey mixed-use development, 18 Kowloon East, uses vertical green walls on nine floors of the building
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As architects and developers start to recognise the benefits of green walls, demand is increasing. More recently, the company took another green step by sourcing locally grown plants. “We realised that we could also no longer continue leaving such a large carbon footprint from importing plants and flowers, such as tulips from Holland. So we established our own R&D facility and nursery out in Fo Shan,” says Mr Chuang.
“We investigated all Hong Kong native species potentially suitable for inclusion into vertical green walls and discovered 200 to 300 species that were not only hardy enough to be used, but many with different coloured foliage and uniquely shaped leaves that would also provide contrasting colours and patterns for the designs of vertical green walls.”
In another project at the recently completed 28-storey mixed-use development, 18 Kowloon East, vertical green walls surround nine floors of the building. A dedicated green sitting area was also built on the rooftop for employees working in the building.
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Metrochain’s proprietary mounting units provide flexibility in the green wall design
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“The impact of the wrap-around green vertical walls at 18 Kowloon East is immediate at street level. However, 18 Kowloon East is also the first development in Hong Kong to consider workers beyond their immediate office environment and provide a green, environmentally attractive and dedicated sitting out area above at street level, where they can meet colleagues at lunchtime or simply find a quiet space to read and contemplate.”
China Green
The green wall concept has also been creatively applied to other infrastructure, such as noise-barrier walls along busy highways, recreational facilities built on a former landfill site, as well as the walls of a waste collection point.
Metrochain hopes to expand its business beyond Hong Kong, including in other parts of China. “Our company will continue growing and developing the Chinese mainland and Macau markets with local developers and architects and we hope to introduce more green into Hong Kong, the mainland and Macau.”
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