Luxury living amidst the greenery

Decades ago, architectural professors used to enlighten their students with the notion that plants have no part in a design. Landscape architecture challenged this overview once architects wanted to incorporate trees in their designs. As a result, today we see several beautiful tree-topped buildings, as landscape and architecture merge ever more this is a good time to summon up the intrinsic worth of integrated greenery.

Rajagiriya is covered in lush green. Thanks to the tropical climate, everything grows extremely fast and year round. The Diyawanna oya recreational area takes it to the next level as more and more buildings take 'Green Building' quite literally. Plants adorn sidewalks, balconies, walls, roofs and entire buildings. Although this can be conceived as a cheap and easy way to mask an otherwise conservative building, the green mask is a great tool in achieving the triple bottom line - people, planet and profit sustainability.

By creating a different yet evenhanded greenscape, the biodiversity in the urban core can continue to flourish. Sustaining a selection of local climate-appropriate plants kept at a minimum, while bringing shade and evaporative cooling can temperate the urban heat island effect.

Being surrounded by plush greenery is a constant reminder of how close we are to nature and how we should reflect on the impact of our everyday actions. Research evidence shows that a view on natural surroundings has a massive influence in reducing stress, so we gain advantage psychologically from being around plants.

Incorporating greenery as a part of the design, a building can trim down its operational costs such as heating, air-conditioning and water usage. A green roof / wall is a great safeguard against heat or cold and filters water at the same time. It's hard to find such a multifaceted sustainable strategy as adding plants to your building. As a window filter, creeping and hanging plants can block extreme radiation of heat and add a lively element to the view. All types of high-tech to Do-It-Yourself projects rely on creepers to vamp a fascia. Hence, there's actually no surface too hard to reach.

Nevertheless, a building's value is a long term calculation and should put into account the impact on its immediate environment. It will still demand a lot of commitment from gutsy architects, engineers and contractors to build more green buildings and weigh the cost benefits over time. Yet, on the short term, it is clear that green buildings score on popularity levels.