Patrick Blanc
created a new vegetal wall in Paris, rue de la Verrerie behind the main BHV building
Nature has always been important to Parisians - witness the verdant neighborhood parks, the tree-lined quais along the Seine, and the large formal gardens, from the Tuileries to Bercy. The latest trend is the mur végétale - a wall covered with living plants - see also the article of Christa Aue about Vertical Walls in Paris, in BJC
Last year, Musée Quai Branly opened to much ado - in part, because the museum, designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel, sports a wall with more than 100 varieties of living plants - see the interview with Patrick Blanc, the botanist-artist who created this wall.
Then last month, Patrick Blanc, designed a temporary vertical garden on rue Recalmier, near the Bon Marché department store. People came from all over town to see it.
Most recently, Blanc designed a wall for the opening of BHV Homme - the new menswear section of the right bank department store BHV, celebrated mainly for its hardware. The BHV Homme wall is especially welcome, as the narrow street lacks light and color. The plants soften the row of gray building fronts, while announcing the new retail space.
The wall measures 11 meters square, and uses some 500 different plants. The greatest challenge Blanc faced in designing the wall was the lack of light - he used ferns for the bottom portion, which is mostly in the shade.
BHV Homme is located on rue de la Verrerie behind the main BHV building, 75004, Métro: Hotel de ville
Photos: Danièle Weiller
