As an Architect / Designer, you are always at the forefront of innovative ways to create a more sustainable world. Living walls are an amazing way to do just that, by providing you with the opportunity to design beautiful spaces, as well as maintain biodiversity, sustainability, and green design that conserve energy and resources.

When thinking about Living Walls architects and designers often ask 3 important questions. How much is the overall weight of the finished Living Wall, is it sustainable and will it look good from close up.

We can only speak for our Cortiça Garden Vertical system when we say, 1.6 pounds per square foot, sustainable and YES it will look great from all angles and distances!

The first question is often how much does your Living Wall Weight and how does it anchored to walls?
Our system was patented and designed by industry specialists that knew exactly what characteristics were important, and more importantly how to do it. So when designers ask us how many vertical planters can you use without compromising that weight load, here’s what we say:

Cortiça is made of 100% cork material and it’s light, only 1.6 pounds per square foot or 8.9 pounds per panel. This means that our Cortiça Vertical Garden System will be lighter, making it easy to mount on walls or structures without fear of collapse or structural stress. The fact that the panels are light, requires minimal wall anchoring (video here). So for an architect looking at specifying a living wall into their next project and is concern about how heavy the living wall is going to be, the Cortiça Vertical Garden System is an ideal solution that will result in a beautiful living wall designs that provides both functionality and beauty.

Our Cortiça 32 Cork panels are light weight and can be mounted easily on a wall by 1 person alone.


The second question that designers ask a lot, is about sustainability. Can it be sustainable and good for the environment or will it cause problems in future years to come?

Cork trees are harvested every decade or so, which gives them time to regenerate and adapt to their surroundings before they can be harvested again. The cork is then taken off the trees in sheets without causing any harm to the tree. Our Cork supplier Amorin of Portugal, uses environmentally friendly technique for 90% of its supply-chain and strictly uses biomass, an organic and renewable source of energy for its production, and any waste or scrap products are 100% recyclable. In addition, quality maintenance inspections are performed every six months in accordance with CSTB standards. This ensures that our Cortiça Vertical Garden System is sustainable and friendly to the environment for years to come. Our Living Walls are also sustainable when it comes to the longevity of the plants. With proper irrigation and landscaping care, Vertical Gardens made with our Cork System will last many years, maintaining the beauty and lush of healthy plants.

Cork oak forests are important natural carbon sinks, and also regulate the hydrological cycle, protect against erosion and fire, and foster biodiversity on a par with regions such as the Amazon rainforest, Borneo or the African Savanna.
The cyclical extraction of cork uses a process that does not damage the trees, maintains the vitality of the cork oak tree and fosters the associated economic, environmental and social development, enabling thousands of people to continue to live and work in arid and semi-arid regions. This three-dimensional contribution means that cork is a paradigm case of a sustainable raw material.

The third question Designers ask is will the Living Wall look good from nearby.

From close up, our Cork Vertical Garden system looks neat, clean, and most importantly natural, because is made of real 100% cork material. Plants look like they belong. Its rich dark brown color and organic nature, complement any indoor or outdoor esthetic space and the living wall will look stunning from any distance.

In a nut shell, Cortiça Garden offers living wall systems that are easy-to-install, lightweight, durable and made from 100% recycled materials. Additionally, our Cork Vertical system offer superior insulation properties which can reduce heating costs by up to 30%.

Contact us today to learn more about how Cortiça Garden support and works with Architects, Designers like you. Click here now if interested in learning more about our living wall systems!