Charlottesville’s Landmark Hotel – Perfect location for a Vertical Garden

I’ve seen lots of images of roof gardens topping contemporary buildings but there is also a movement to create vertical gardens in European cities.  The picture of what I suggest for the Landmark Hotel is so completely clear, amazing and impressive that I’ll start there and then we as a community can begin the discussion of how to make it happen in our town.

Imagine the whole, currently very ugly and unfinished, Landmark building sheathed in plants.  Certainly the view from the balcony of Live Arts would be glorious!  It would be like having an arboretum in the middle of the Mall.  These planted panels are designed to be quite light and to use drip irrigation to keep them watered and because of the building’s orientation there could be a North Wall, an East Wall, a South Wall, and a West Wall – each with different planting themes.

And of course such a project has to be paid for!  My suggestion is that the cost of constructing every 16×8 foot panel (or what ever standard size is determined to be best) be sponsored; by local organizations, institutions, businesses, departments or clubs at UVA, families and individuals.  On the accompanying website (which would tell the names of the plants and all the cool horticultural details) each sponsor’s panel would give his/her/their access information.  Eventually when the building is finished perhaps the vertical garden panels could be incorporated into the final design.  What a beautiful addition to the C’ville Downtown!

Anyone who likes this please pass it on and share it with the building’s owners.

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