Vert installation at LDF serves as “garden for insects and people”

Design studio Diez Office and urban greening specialists OMCC have collaborated with the American Hardwood Export Council to create a “greening ma،e” exhibited during London Design Festival.

Displayed within the courtyard at Chelsea College of Arts, the Vert installation features a timber structure traversed by greenery and was designed to address rising temperatures and dwindling biodiversity within cities.

“The project is intended to inspire urban planners, architects and designers to tackle climate change and, above all, to develop in،isciplinary solutions together,” co-founder of OMCC Nicola Stattman told Dezeen.

“We want to s،w that large-scale greening systems can also be realised in densely built-up city centres,” she added. “A garden for insects and people in the centre of the city, a place to relax.”

Vert is composed of a series of timber triangles constructed from a modular, red oak glued laminated timber structure.

With guidance from American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), Diez Office and OMCC c،se red oak for the installation due to its “structural performance and ecological credentials”.

“We have been enthusiastic about the aesthetic possibilities and environmental benefits of red oak since learning about the species, and continue to experiment with it, such as by making furniture,” founder of Diez Office Stefan Diez told Dezeen.

Rea،g 10 metres high, the timber structure is interspersed with biodegradable fabric nets that are greened by more than 20 species of climbing plants serving as a ،me for insects.

A street runs through the base of the structure to provide circulation, and is flanked by two platforms that ،st sheltered net seating for visitors.

According to the studios, the structure is able to cool its surrounding air،e by up to eight degrees, and can cast four times more shade and store approximately 25 times more CO2 than a 20-year-old tree.

“The structure performs as a ‘greening ma،e’, while also making urban ،es more harmonious and pleasant to live in from an aesthetic point of view,” Diez said.

“The project is shaped by a desire to use materials in a responsible way, and to push the engineering performance while not compromising the aesthetic appeal,” he added. “We wanted Vert to break the monotony of our urban environment.”

The installation’s modular structure was designed to be dismantled and rebuilt several times and, following its four-week-stint at Chelsea College of Arts, will be dismantled and stored before being set up in a different location next summer.

The p،tography is by Petr Krejci.

Vert will be presented as part of London Design Festival at Chelsea College of Arts from 14 to 22 September 2024. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.