Skygardens as Living Machines

A look at how interiorscapes can be more than pretty

Katelyn Cooper

Skygardens and the Green Skyscraper

Whats the first thing people
think when you say design a green
building?
GREEN ROOF!
But in skyscrapers the roof is
very little of the overall square
footage.
Skyscrapers also put the people
that occupy them very far away
from the ground and natural
landscape.
So the landscape must be
brought up and into the
skyscraper itself.

Benefits of Skygardens
Add beauty to the interior space
Provide calming environments
for occupants
Skygarden atriums can be used
to circulate air w/ in the building
Vegetative Cooling
Absorb harmful toxins in the air
Produce clean air and oxygen
Plants can also be used to filter
waste water and return it as
clean as drinking water

Plants as Air Filters

Not only do plants take in excess
carbon-dioxide and produce
oxygen, they also remove harmful
chemicals from the air such as:
Formaldehyde
Xylene
Benzene
Carbon Monoxide
Nitrogen Dioxide
Ammonia
And more

Some Recommended Plants

Tropical Plants recommended by NASA for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement

Azalea

English Ivy

Bamboo Palm

Philodendron

Pothos

Corn Plant

Systems for Air Purification with Plants

NASA developed a method using
activated carbon in planter boxes
that works like this:

Water Recycling with Plants

Recycled Grey water can
be used to water plants
within the building. The
plants themselves also
purify the water further
so that the excess water
that is not absorbed by
plants can be released
into the environment free
of harmful chemicals and
excess nutrients.

Waste Water Purification with Plants

Dr. John Todd of the University of
Vermont has designed and
implemented several waste water
treatment systems which use
natural elements including, plants,
snails, fish, and micro-organisms
to clean and purify water. The
company he co-founded, Living
Technologies Inc. designs, builds,
and implements these systems all
over the world. These systems
handle what is classified as black
water and at the end of the
process produce water as clean
as Class 1 drinking water.

Waste Water Purification with Plants

The Living Technologies Inc. system is
based on the same concept as natural
estuaries. The Living Machine operating
in Burlington Vermont is comprised of a
series of tanks about 14 feet deep, each
with a slightly different ecosystem. The
black water that starts in the first tank is
so noxious that plants can grow in it, so
it is covered by a 18 inch thick layer of
soil and grasses. When the water moves
to the next tank it is clean enough to
allow plants to grow. When the water
makes its way through the system in one
to three days it comes out so clean that
it only have to be chlorinated to remove
pathogens.

This system treats 80,000

gallons of South Burlingtons
200,000 gallon daily
wastewater output.

Building Implications
The Adam Joseph Lewis Center
for Environmental Studies
While not a skyscraper this
building uses a water treatment
system designed by Dr. John Todd
that is similar to the one
discussed earlier. In this case the
Living Machine has been
implicated on a much smaller
scale. It is operated and
maintained by students at Oberlin
College. It is a teaching tool as
well as an example to the
community.

Foster & Partners: Commerzbank Headquarters

Skygardens are a major
feature in this skyscraper.
From every floor there is
access either by view or
physically to a skygarden.
They are not utilized as air
or water filters intensively,
but they do provide a
uplifting atmosphere.

Hamzah & Yeang: Elephant & Castle Eco-Tower

From the renderings of this
project it looks like it is
literally bursting with plant life,
but the idea behind this design
is a city in the sky, so the
gardens are to make the tower
feel more like a streetscape.

Hamzah & Yeang: Al Asima Shopping Village

Situated in the hot humid climate
of Kuwait this tower integrates
vegetation throughout to help
cool and move the air.

Sources
http://www.vermontguides.com/1999/5-may/may3.htm
http://www.enviroeducation.com/interviews/john-todd/
http://www.mcdonoughpartners.com/projects_academic.shtm
lvarez Garreta, Ariadna. Skyscraper Architects. Barcelona: Atrium, 2004.
Hweler, Eric. Skyscraper. New York: Universe Pub., 2003.
Snyder, Stuart D. Environmental Interiorscapes :A Designer's Guide to

Interior Plantscaping and Automated Irrigation Systems. New

York: Whitney Library of Design, 1995.
Yeang, Ken. The Green Skyscraper :The Basis for Designing Sustainable

Intensive Buildings. Munich; New York: Prestel, 1999.