The living wall of greenery

A garden suspended over the quai Branly

Content

A hanging garden

A pioneering act guided by the works and reflections of Patrick Blanc, the green wall of the musée du quai Branly — Jacques Chirac was unrivalled for many years. It remains one of the largest in the world today, both in terms of its surface area and the number of plants it houses.

Covering one of the façades of the building along the quai Branly, the green wall is part of the architectural setting created by Jean Nouvel. It became an emblem of the musée du quai Branly — Jacques Chirac, as well as being an attribute of Parisian heritage. Intended to be a celebration of the continents of Africa, Oceania, the Americas and Asia, the new wall was designed using 376 species from all over the world. Many of them coming from mountain ranges (Moroccan Atlas mountains, Drakensberg in Southern Africa, the mountains of Chilli and Argentina, etc.), they can adapt to the climatic conditions of Western Europe. An ode to the living, to encounters and openness, the future green wall will carry the universalist message of the musée du quai Branly — Jacques Chirac for decades to come, all while providing oxygen and embellishment for the city.

The wall in figures

  • 1,022: the surface area of the green wall (m²)
  • 730: the covered surface area (m²)
  • 22: the height of the green wall (m)
  • 47: the length of the green wall (m)
  • 15,000: the number of plants sown
  • 376: the number of plant species making up the green wall
  • 2004: the date of the green wall's creation