Stonecutter Court, close to Fleet Street and Farringdon, is being re-developed into a flexible, user experience-driven office building.

The new development, designed by architect TP Bennett, has strong sustainability credentials and is targeting a BREEAM Excellent rating and WELL Gold standard upon completion.

International construction and consultancy company Mace was appointed to develop the project. As sustainability is one of the biggest drivers of the new development, greening the construction hoarding was important for both the end client and the contractor.

Mace had already used the Biotecture PlantBox living hoarding at nearby Farringdon Road and so understood the benefits it can bring to a construction project.

As well as showcasing the client and contractor’s green credentials, the living hoarding will improve the appearance of the construction, and help improve air quality thanks to the removal of dust, dangerous particulates and harmful pollutants from the air by the plants. This creates a healthier environment for those working on site as well as those living and working in the surrounding area.

PlantBox living hoardings offer a far more sustainable choice than signage, artificial plastic greenery, or photographic panels of foliage, whilst avoiding issues with graffiti.

The principal requirement of this project was that the living hoarding had to be deployed in a relatively short timeframe to avoid disruption to those living, working and commuting in this busy part of London.

The PlantBox system is quick and easy to deploy principally because it is a free-standing system with no structural load on the hoardings. It only requires restraint fixings to the hoarding.

Another criterion was that the living hoarding had to be easy to maintain and continue to look its best for the duration of this 18-month project. The 2.4m standard height PlantBox system is fitted with a Hozelock-connected irrigation system that allows the site team to easily carry our manual watering.

As the system is modular, on completion of the project, the PlantBox living hoarding can be simply moved to the next development or gifted to the local community as part of your CSR outreach, depending on the client preferences.