Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Three-Story Interior Green Wall Breathes Life into Home

Posted: 25 May 2013 10:00 AM PDT

What looks like an imposing, monolithic black volume from the outside is filled with air, light and greenery on the inside. Casa CorManca is a modern, sustainable home in Mexico City with vertical vegetation spanning three stories in an interior courtyard. The green wall helps control the temperature inside the home, and brings a sense of energy and vitality into the space.

The plot of land the house sits on measures just 39 by 42 feet, so creative measures had to be taken in order to create a spacious home for a family that takes advantage of every inch while also feeling open and airy inside. Local architect Paul Cremoux was focused on sustainable solutions, seeing vegetation and indoor/outdoor interior spaces as a natural way to make the home both practical and visually stimulating.

The green wall stretches up an interior courtyard occupying the center of the home, which has one side open to the sky. Over 4,000 plants in the vertical garden filter the air and create humidity in the dry desert climate. Stairs lead from this airy space to terraces between bedrooms and other private spaces on the upper floor.

The dark slate of the exterior contrasts with the soft, light beech wood surfaces of the interior. Large windows look out from the enclosed spaces onto the courtyard, which brings daylight flooding into the home. The green wall makes up for the lack of space for a yard or garden outside.