At the 2025 RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, visitors experienced a new take on sustainable design through a striking vertical garden installation. Created by garden designer Adolfo Harrison in collaboration with Armando Raish, founder of Life on Walls, this living wall explored how nature can be meaningfully integrated into built environments.
This was not just a decorative green wall. It was a fully functioning system that merged sustainable architecture with biophilic design. Through structure, geometry, and intelligent planting, the installation showed how vertical gardens can go far beyond aesthetics to become active, responsive parts of our cities.
A Living Wall Designed to Perform
The installation used a unique modular structure known as Living Louvres, with each segment tilted precisely at 137.5 degrees, the golden angle found in nature. This positioning allowed plants to receive consistent sunlight and airflow, while an internal irrigation system delivered water efficiently across the entire structure.
The design was not accidental. It followed natural patterns to create harmony between form and function. The result was a living wall that not only looked impressive but also demonstrated how vertical greening systems can support plant health, improve air quality, and help manage temperature in urban spaces.
Armando Raish: Engineering Nature into Architecture
The system was led and installed by Armando Raish, a pioneer in vertical greening and founder of Life on Walls. With over 20 years of experience in living wall systems, Armando is known for developing intelligent green infrastructure that blends ecological principles with architectural practicality.
His work is grounded in the belief that buildings should do more than house people, they should contribute to the living systems around them. At Hampton Court, he brought that philosophy to life through a design that was technically advanced, scalable, and deeply rooted in natural logic.
Armando’s approach combines sustainability, structural engineering, and a long-term vision for urban resilience. The Living Louvres concept was developed through years of experimentation and refinement, drawing from both natural geometry and real-world environmental needs.
Adolfo Harrison: Creative Vision in Urban Planting
The creative lead behind the overall concept was Adolfo Harrison, an award-winning designer known for transforming spaces with bold, plant-driven ideas. A two-time Society of Garden Designers Judge Award winner and member of the RHS Chelsea Selection Panel, Adolfo is also part of the Cityscapes collective.
His work focuses on making cities more livable, playful, and green — often using planting as a tool to shift how people move through and experience space. His collaboration with Life on Walls brought a strong visual and conceptual identity to the installation, connecting people emotionally to a technical solution.
Why Vertical Gardens Matter Now
Green walls and vertical gardens are more than design features. They are essential tools in the shift toward climate-resilient, human-centred cities. By introducing living systems into our built environments, we can reduce urban heat, support biodiversity, manage stormwater, and improve air quality.
Biophilic design has been shown to benefit mental health and wellbeing, while also increasing building performance. Projects like this show how the principles of sustainable architecture and living infrastructure can be applied in practical, scalable ways.
Building a Future with Living Systems
The installation at RHS Hampton Court was not a one-off artistic gesture. It was a working example of what can be achieved when architectural thinking embraces nature’s own logic.
For developers, architects, designers, and urban planners, it was a reminder that walls do not have to be static or passive. They can grow, breathe, and evolve — contributing positively to their surroundings. With the right approach, living walls are no longer experimental. They are essential.