There’s no small amount of irony in the revelation that the latest innovation by DIRTT (Doing It Right This Time) would seem to run on copious quantities of that very stuff (dirt), but in fact requires only a mere square of peat. The product in question is DIRTT’s Breathe Living Walls and the method of nutrient delivery for these plant-sustaining modules is not the earthy soil most familiar to green thumbs indoors and out, but rather the aforementioned peat-based medium, “designed for the cultivation of horticultural plants, usually combined with a biofungicide to prevent root diseases. It is airier than dirt, does not compact and lets in more oxygen.”

Breathe Living Walls. Designed by DIRTT.

Healthful Walls and Low Maintenance

Breathe Living Wall comes in standard modules designed to accommodate three sizes of plants: 6×6”, 3×6”, and 3×3”. As with all DIRTT products, Breathe Living Wall is primed for easy integration. They can be incorporated as a component of new construction with existing DIRTT products, attached onto retrofitted DIRTT walls, and mounted to any flat conventional wall system (gypsum, concrete, stone, etc.). The irrigation system for Breathe Living Wall modules is designed to minimize mess and fuss: a top-level fill point works on a trickle-down principle. As water passes through the horizontal troughs, it comes into contact with a device beneath each plant that promotes capillary action. An overflow feature at the end of each line of plants protects against spillage and re-routs excess water to the next trough.

The variety of plants appropriate to Breathe Living Wall runs the gamut. Choices vary depending on the particular decor and lighting conditions, but DIRTT promotes species that have a naturally high capacity to filter out VOCs. This talent for innate cleansing of office air is just one attribute of Breathe Living Wall. Others include reducing the strain on HVAC systems, lowering energy costs, saving money, and boosting workplace morale. For who among us would not be the least bit enchanted, their mood made a good bit brighter, in the presence of a living, breathing wall of textured green?

About the Manufacturer: The clever acronym DIRTT stands for “Doing It Right This Time,” a reference that, in no small measure, indicts the throwaway infrastructure of offices past, especially that substance especially odious to DIRTT, drywall, of which they say they’d like to see it “sleepin’ wit da fishes.” DIRTT’s principal commodity is movable walls—the backbone of entire modular office systems. DIRTT’s walls are sustainable, durable, and—perhaps best of all—re-locatable. DIRTT also produces all manner of doors, floors, and associated accessories and infrastructure.