Vegetation contributes to cleaner the air, lowered carbon dioxide levels, increased well-being and security. In growing cities, the horizontal space for vegetation becomes smaller and the only way to increase the greenery in the city is through vertical cultivations. The Umeå-based company, Vertisà, therefore offers vertical gardens for both indoor and outdoor environments, with local fauna that attracts local insects and create a local ecosystem. A win for both the eye and environment.
Urbanization means that cities are growing and densifying, which leaves little space for green areas in the city, something that is required to create a sustainable city with a living ecosystem. Vertical gardens are the solution to this and Vertisà has developed a system that lowers energy costs, carbon dioxide emissions and with significantly lower maintenance costs than competing players.
It is well known that plants and greenery in general contribute to purifying the air, lowering carbon dioxide levels, increasing well-being and security. However, growing vertically creates another dimension. The vegetation on the walls acts as extra insulation and can reduce energy consumption by up to 30%. For a property owner, green facades mean a smart, cost- and carbon-dioxide-reducing investment at the same time as the roofs are left free for the installation of, for example, solar panels. In addition, it contributes to safety-creating green environments with vegetation and vitality in the cityscape.
- The vertical vegetation also counteracts costly graffiti, something I learned about at the world congress on smart cities in Barcelona, says Rosario Garcia Gil, founder and CEO of Vertisà.
There are many vertical farms on the market, unfortunately it can be costly to maintain these. Vertisà's patented technology and irrigation system enable cost-effective, reliable and maintenance-friendly green walls. The system can also be adapted to all types of climates, including the Nordic one. With their knowledge in arctic plants, seeds, modular systems, cultivation, irrigation, etc., which is based on world-leading research at SLU in Umeå, Vertisà has created a system that requires less maintenance, which lowers costs. In addition, they strive to use local plants that are naturally adapted to the climate, which also reduces the need for maintenance.
The vertical gardens from Vertisà can be adapted also to cold climates.
The idea for Vertisà started taking shape in 2012 when Rosario read The Vertical Farm, Professor Dickson Despommier's book on vertical gardens, which back then was then considered a futuristic book. Rosario went to Valencia and told her father that they were going to buy a plastic tube to grow lettuce. Together they created the seed of Vertisà. Rosario went back to Umeå and visited the incubator Uminova Innovation and presented his idea, the possibility of growing food vertically. She was taken into the incubator and was able to start developing the product.
Initially, the target group was private individuals, to create a product for home cultivation that could be bought at, for example, IKEA. The idea developed, became bigger and instead of targeting private individuals, the focus became entire cities.
- To bring about change, we have to work faster, think bigger, says Rosario.
The vertical gardens are to complement urban wall facades with beautiful vegetation, in other words it is about architecture, art and plants. Vertisà therefore collaborates with artists to create beautiful facades that highlight the green vegetation but are also beautiful when the plants come to rest.
- Vertisà's green walls appeal to more than just the eye, also the climate, the planet and the city's inhabitants get pleasant experiences, says Johan Hedengran who is a business developer at Uminova Innovation and who works to support Vertisà.
Vertisa's vertical gardens are designed to please both the eye and environment.
There is no doubt that Vertisà has an exciting product. The company received the SKAPA award in 2021, is on IVA's 100 list in both 2021 and 2022 and was a finalist in Venture Cup North. In addition, Vertisà has been granted funds by Vinnova within "Innovation Startups" and now they are looking for a sustainable and serious customer who wants to be the first with a vertical plant wall, all year round, in an outdoor environment in a Nordic climate.
- We are looking for the right partner, someone serious who dares to be a leader. We know that many actors want to meet us, but we want to be able to choose and ensure a credible actor to avoid greenwashing and to be able to learn from each other in the longer term, says Juha Niemi, marketing manager at Vertisà.
The funds from Vinnova will, among other things, finance project management and large-scale manufacturing of modules for future installations. Vertisà currently has a project with the Baltic Group that will start in 2024 and is also in dialogue with three other players about future projects.
- Our dream projects are where we are included from day one and get to be involved in the planning to create green city centres where vegetation is integrated into the urban environment, but of course we can also work with existing facades, says Rosario.
Vertisà means "green and health" and with the system they have developed the company lives up to its name. The vertical gardens allow the biotope of local plants and pollinating insects to be stimulated, thus creating beneficial urban green spaces. The future is green and the company's goal is clear: to complement urban wall facades with beautiful vegetation, a win for both the eye and the environment.
On photo: Rosario Garcia Gil, founder and CEO at Vertisà.
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International Business Developer
nina.rismalm@umea.se +46 70 256 82 84Umeå
International Business Developer
helena.nasstrom@ri.se +46 73 275 10 83Örnsköldsvik
