■ Fire-Escape Ecosystem //
Vertical Garden, Fair Street Housing, London, United Kingdom
GROSS.MAX + Mark Dion
GROSS.MAX and Mark Dion propose a “delirious Piranesi in bloom”; a vertical garden hanging from a salvaged fire escape installed along the wall of an 1890 London tenement. Planted with strata of native and exotic plants, this hanging garden launches an ecological gradient up the building’s façade to reveal what GROSS. MAX refers to as the “artificiality of contemporary nature”. The salvaged fire escape is considered here both structurally and symbolically. AS A SCAFFOLDING FRAMEWORK, IT IS AN ORGANIZING STRUCTURE THAT CAN ACCOMMODATE A MODULAR PLANTING STRATEGY; ITS CROSSBEAM AND STAIR STRUCTURE ALLOWS FOR INSTALLATION AND ONGOING MAINTENANCE, AS WELL AS FUNCTIONING AS A SUPPORT FOR AN IRRIGATION SYSTEM. And as a symbol of London’s cul-
tural diversity, the suspended horizons visually extrude the building’s floor layout onto its exterior façade and metaphorically express the diversity of its occupants as a lush spectacle. Each stratum of planting displays different vegetation types and corresponding soil compositions. Plants are selected for their vigorous growth, cultural value and attractions to wildlife. They range from Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii) to London Rocket/Fire Weed (Sisymbrium irio) – a plant that thrives in building rubble and has survived many major disasters in London. A cultural reference to the local breweries is provided by Hop (Humulus lupulus), which is designed to wind up along the fire escape’s structure. Other plant species represent the import of herbs and spices that were shipped into nearby docks in the times of the British trading empire. The soil mixes range from a sandy mix to heavy clay, representing the sedimentary banks of the meandering River Thames. All plants are watered by means of a simple drip irrigation system and occasional spray irrigation via perforated pipes. Water regimes range from dry beds that require no irrigation, to water-circulated planters that boast aquatic wetland plants. Fine nozzles spray the lush planting of ferns and mosses; a micro-climate that is not unlike the famous fog of London itself. Occasional artefacts such as birdhouses and rain barrels focus interest within the overall structure. While the fire escape scaffolding structure designates a particular planting gradient, its porosity allows water and wind to assist the migration of flora and fauna between the levels, thus creating an artificial platform for ecological diversity to achieve its own balance.
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13.03.2007 16:00:41 Uhr