A shopping center in the Italian town of Rozanno has recently claimed a rather unusual Guinness record, for the world’s biggest vertical garden. Growing on the walls of the commercial complex, the unique garden covers an area of 1,263 square meters and is made up of about 44,000 plants.

Just o be clear, the thousands of plants covering the sides of Rozanno’s shopping center were not planted in the ground next to the building and simply grew to cover the walls, they actually grow on the building itself. Italian architect Francisco Bollani, who was in charge of the project, says it took his team a whole year just to grow all the 44,000 plants, and another 90 days to place them on the walls of the commercial building. Although it might seem like the walls are covered with soil from which the flora grows, the walls were actually lined with metallic containers that hold the plants. Using these Lego-like metal pieces made the vertical garden a lot easier to build then with classic methods, but it also increased the cost of the project to a total of €1 million ($1.3 million).

Photo: Daniela Minardi

The vertical garden of Rozanno is definitely a magnificent sight to behold, but its purpose extends beyond aesthetics. Shopping centre director Simone Rao said: “This is sustainable architecture, which can combine beauty with energy saving while respecting the environment.”  The plant life growing on the walls of the building helps regulate the temperature inside, and by reducing direct sunlight, it helps keep energy consumption to a minimum. This man-made wonder also absorbs carbon dioxide and keeps ambient noise to a minimum.

Photo: Tutto Green

The previous record was held by a vertical garden in Madrid, Spain, which covered “just” 844 square meters. I guess it’s time to get planting, if they want it back.

Photo: IGN

Photo: Eco Seven

via Physorg