Many travelers who search for cheap airplane tickets and discount hotel rooms are also starting to look for hotels that have adopted a green look. Living walls reduce overall building temperatures, can aid in the reuse of water, as well as sometimes functioning as urban agriculture, urban gardening, or simply enjoyed for their beauty.
One such hotel is the newly opened Mint Hotel near the Tower of London which features the largest living wall in Europe. This hotel houses a vertical garden that can be seen from its lobby through a glass ceiling. The garden climbs from the second floor to the 11th floor on one side of the building. It also covers parts of the floors nine and 11 on the buildings exterior.
The hotel largest living wall contains 184,000 plants including sedum and wildflowers. The plants were grown off site for six months prior to installation. The entire project took a year to complete.
The idea of installing green exterior walls is not limited to London. The newly opened club tower at the InterContinental Hotel in Santiago, Chile feature a 17,000 square foot living wall on the west facade of the building.
Smaller living walls can be found at the Hotel Indigo Shanghai On The Bund. It has vertical gardens covering parts of two walls in the lobby area.
Hotel Modera, a luxury boutique hotel, in Portland Oregon houses a green wall measuring 63 feet by 15 feet.
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