Project overview
One of London's major tourist attractions and located at the top of fashionable Park Lane, Marble Arch also has the rather dubious distinction of being one of Transport for London's (TfL's) priority hot-spots for traffic pollution.
As part of an initiative to reduce PM10 pollution by a third by 2015, the Department for Transport has launched a Clean Air Fund to help introduce new initiatives around London to tackle air pollution and reduced the threat of hefty fines from the European Union. These initiatives include trials of green walls, ivy screens and additional tree and shrub planting in high pollution areas around the capital.
TfL highlighted their Crossrail storage site at the top of Park Lane as one area that would benefit from an installation of green ivy screens on the boundary hoarding. Our team subsequently delivered 145 linear metres of ivy screens retrofitted on to the existing hoarding. As well as targeting an improvement in air quality the installation will also reduce traffic noise and enhance the appearance of what is considered a very desirable residential area.
Technical details
The ivy screens were installed by cutting slots in the existing wooden hoardings, then securely fastening the screens using specially design brackets. Irrigation for the screens was achieved using pressure-regulated drip lines placed along the ivy troughs inside the compound and automatically controlled using a battery-power timer connected to an on-site water point.
PARK LANE