High-pressure green wall puts Advanced Piping Systems to the test

Across Australian cities, you might have noticed a ‘growing’ number of green walls – sometimes called living walls, vertical gardens, or plant walls – sprouting on the exterior of high-rise buildings.

Offering a range of benefits for both a building and its occupants alike, intricate irrigation systems are required to keep these green walls flourishing.

Recently, Advanced Piping Systems’ team of HDPE experts (and green thumbs) supplied a pressure piping system for a green wall on a luxury apartment building in the award-winning Central Park precinct of Sydney.

A high-pressure brief

Located on the site of the old Kent Brewery, positioned between the suburbs of Broadway and Chippendale, the $2 billion Central Park precinct was completed in 2019.

A mixed-use site, it comprises student living, a multi-level shopping centre, commercial office space, child-care facilities, multiple hotels, green space, and more than 2,000 residential apartments.

Advanced Piping Systems was contracted by an urban landscaping company to supply a pressure piping system for a high-rise green wall irrigation system installed on one of the major apartment buildings within the precinct.

“The green wall was enormous and needed a lot of water to keep alive,” Nathan Craig, Managing Director of Advanced Piping Systems said.

“This is because high rise buildings catch a lot of sunlight, and store energy which can make vines wilt.”

Upon reviewing the brief, Nathan realised that a critical element had been overlooked in the design phase.

“The designs had already been done and a small detail had been missed,” he said.

“For the water to come out of the high-rise irrigation system, it had to be run at high pressure to overcome gravity.

“The system needed to be able to handle pressures of up to 25 bar.”

In addition to ensuring the piping system was able to handle high pressures, it was also important that the system met sustainability standards to maintain the building’s 5-star green rating.

To do this, the watering system needed to be supplied with reclaimed water to minimise water wastage.

Going over and above

To meet the brief, Advanced Piping Systems supplied:

• 63mm and 32mm PN25 EF joiners; and
• SDR7.4 PN25 spigot fittings, including equal tees, 90-degree and 45-degree elbows, end caps and threaded transitions.

Nathan said Advanced Piping Systems’ reputation for stocking ‘non-standard’ fittings was “put to the test”.

“PN25 fittings had only just become available but we recognised they were the ideal product for this job,” he said.

“PN25 has the ability to take water from the hidden water recycling unit and boost it to the top and upper apartment levels of the irrigation system.”

It wasn’t just the type of fitting that was challenging – it was the quantity required, too.

“The large quantities required meant that we had to airfreight extra fittings in from Europe, which is always challenging when running to tight deadlines,” Nathan said.

“The airfreight got stuck in customs due to a small clerical error on the original documents.”

To make up for lost time and ensure there were no further delays, Nathan filled two oversized cases with fittings and caught the first flight out of Adelaide to Sydney, hired a car and drove to the brewery apartments site and met the project manager at the gatehouse.

“We went over and above, surprising them with literal airfreight delivery,” Nathan said.

“While some may say PN25 PE100 pipe work is overkill for a rain water irrigation system, the system works very well.

“It was such a success, we’ve since been engaged by the landscaping company many more times.”

Advanced Piping Systems’ team of irrigation experts can supply a range of fittings for your next project ⁠— in stock and ready to go from our warehouse. Contact us for advice and a quote today.