lowlinenyc:Hi there, my name is JosephBlau, and as Andrew Engel mentioned in his previous post, I pl

lowlinenyc:Hi there, my name is JosephBlau, and as Andrew Engel mentioned in his previous post, I played a major role installation of the Lowline Lab Landscape. Iam the Interior Installations Supervisor for John Mini Distinctive Landscapes,and take much pleasure in being part of the Lowline Lab.  In this post, I’ll detail the behind the scenes process of constructing the hanging living structures,which we call the stalactites of the Lowline Lab. It took some serious thoughtto determine how the stalactites could sustain living plant material and thecorrect materials to use. Through prototypes and trial and error, we came up with a design suitable to hold plant life, look aestheticallypleasing, and accomplish the intended looks of the Lowline Design team. It all begins with theskeleton. We actually found that a cage was our ideal base– a concept we tested in our prototypes. In order to createthe convex shape, and the illusion that they grew out of the solar canopyabove, we used a grinder to cut the frame and manipulate the shape. The openend of the cage was peeled outward, while the small end was closed off to holdthe contents from spilling out like a funnel. Two cages were then fastened bycable clamps, off center, and reinforced by rings of threaded rod. With theamount of weight we expected these structures to hold, we needed to ensure ourframe was sturdy, but would be light enough to maneuver and install.A 1/8” gauged cable was used tohang the stalagmites, secured at 4-8 points on the structure, depending on thesize. These were then hung from a gantry crane which enabled us to complete theremaining steps without handling the weight of the structure ourselves.We used non-woven filter fabricto stretch (like the skin of a drum) around the convex cone, creating what isthe first layer of skin. This is what would retain our substrate.Once attached to the frame by hundreds of zip ties (a painstaking task)we wrapped the structure from the outside with a canvas backed sheet moss. Thisis our outermost skin and base layer for the natural look that would be thebackdrop to the plant design.To fill our stalagmites, wecreated a mixture of mosses that not only had water absorbing properties, butwere an ideal lightweight substrate. Typical interior soil would be too heavy whenat full water capacity, and increased the possibility of collapsing. We foundthat by using moss, we could keep the substrate moderately wet by misting thestructure from the top down, without the substrate becoming too wet or dry. Theonly maintenance requirement was to mist the structures fairly frequently. Ourlargest stalactites still held a considerable amount of weight, about a couplehundred pounds when wet.To further limit the weightload, a hollow core was created, leaving us about 6-8” to plant on all sides.Overall, we spent about a month engineering 5 stalactites, ranging in 3different sizes.When we finally began to addplant material, the look came together. We cut slits in the moss and filterfabric to make pockets in a grid like manner between the frame junctions. Plantmaterial in 4” and 6” pots were planted into the pockets. Once complete, moodmoss was pinned in between to create a more natural wild-like growth pattern.Moving the stalactites was awhole other puzzle. The hanging structures had to be transported withoutdamaging the integrity of the stalactite, and in a manner that could allow usto hang them right into place without adding additional stress to the internalstructure. Custom crates were made to house the stalactites temporarily,allowing them to be suspended, and giving us ample room to water and servicethe stalactites from all sides.      We temporarily hung the structures under askylight while other construction was being completed so that the plants couldacclimate to their new environment. Once it came time to put the stalactites intheir permanent home, the crates were moved to their final destination. After4” anchor bolts were tapped into the concrete ceiling, we used a chain block toever so slowly lift the unorthodox plant sculpturesinto place, where they remain today. Overall, the Lowline Labproject was unlike anything I had ever worked on. It was a true privilege to bea part of a team that is doing something extraordinary for our dense, urban city.John Mini Distinctive Landscapes partnered with Lowline tosource, install, and maintain the landscape at the Lowline Lab and is pumped to contribute to the Lowline Tumblr. A handfulof our experts will regularly posts on a variety of topics – from landscapeinstallations, horticulture, and the impact of green spaces in metropolitanareas. Stay tuned for another post from the lead horticulturist for the Lowline Lab, Andrew Engel.Connect with John Mini Distinctive Landscapes:WebsiteFacebookInstagram/Twitter: JMDLandscapes -- source link

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