Radisson Blu goes green!

When Radisson Blu opened its £22 million luxury 218-bedroom hotel at East Midlands Airport, it was keen to have some eye-catching and innovative features.  To help achieve this, the hotel became the first building in the country to feature a Mobilane LivePanel Indoor system, which they installed in their reception area.

The attractive living wall has helped the building achieve the highest ever BREEAM sustainability rating for a commercial hotel in the UK. BREEAM evaluations consider a whole host of desired sustainable features and take into account not only energy-saving factors but also look at the interior environment.  By installing the LivePanel Indoor system in the reception area, not only is the hotel ticking all the right boxes for the assessment criteria but it has also introduced a beautiful talking point that makes it stand out from the crowd.

The panel used by Radisson Blu is 10sqm and contains a variety of plants which were grown off-site and delivered ready for installation. The aesthetically pleasing centrepiece of the hotel reception took just one day to install and the only work needed prior to its installation was the fitting of some growing lights.  Among the many advantages of the wall is that it has its own integrated irrigation system and is self-contained, cutting out the need for any damp proofing behind the system.  The panel contains a specially developed substrate which helps the plants to establish themselves and thrive. The irrigation system is powered by a standard 240v supply and the wall requires minimal maintenance. Any work that is required is done by Hedera Screens, which installed it.

We have been given some great feedback from the hotel on the views that staff and guests have had about the living wall, all of which has been positive.  Our hope is that the LivePanel Indoor system will fire the imaginations of more interior designers and architects, who will be inspired to incorporate one into their latest project designs, whether offices, call centres, health centres, gyms, retail or business centres. Their potential application is immense.