Greenwatching

The only thing I appreciate more than a beautiful building is a beautiful building covered in vegetation. A stone wall dripping with wisteria. BOUGAINVILLEA providing a pop of colour to a simple stucco facade. Virginia creeper creeping up a brick wall. these are a few of my favourite things.

What is it about plants interacting with architecture that I find so appealing?

One, I like the way plants bring variety and softness to the crisp, clean lines of a structure. They break formality and introduce a measure of organic geometry—unbuttoning the building’s top button, as it were.

Two, greenery reminds us that nature wears the pants. While humans are indeed capable of conceiving and creating magical structures, our finest efforts pale beside the exquisite construction of, say, a leaf. Nature humbles humans and, at the same time, adds dignity to our work.

And three, climbing plants lend movement to the stillness of a building. Leaves rustle, plants swing, vines sway—they teach architecture how to dance. And they do it with colour, panache, and charisma.