Exterior living wall
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SEGRO and Viritopia’s Living Wall Partnership
With more than 80,000 plants across a number of projects, SEGRO’s living wall portfolio offers environmental impact at scale across the UK.
BACKGROUND
SEGRO’s commitment to sustainability
SEGRO develops and manages warehouses and industrial estates across the UK and Europe. Many of their developments sit in urban environments — places where nature is typically absent.
As part of an ambitious commitment to responsible development, SEGRO holds mandatory biodiversity targets across its development programme and is working towards net zero carbon, with green infrastructure playing a key role in both.
When SEGRO began looking for a living wall partner in 2019, they initially explored hydroponic systems and found that they didn't deliver the ecological performance or longevity desired. Our soil-based system offered better plant health, biodiversity value, and more reliable longevity.
Beginning with an installation on a multi-storey car park, our partnership has now grown to eight projects across the UK, spanning car parks, industrial estates, and office spaces.
STRATEGY
A consistent approach across the portfolio
Across our partnership, SEGRO’s goals spanned:
- Ecological impact: Introducing pollinator habitat and improving biodiversity value across urban sites
- Air quality and carbon reduction: Reducing pollutants and capturing carbon to offset emissions
- Aesthetics and biophilia: Creating visually distinctive developments that are attractive to tenants, including interior installations that bring nature into office spaces
- Brand recognition: Integrating SEGRO's logo into the living wall design to visually tie the brand to its sustainability policy
We delivered on SEGRO’s ecological goals by using plant species that attract local pollinators, naturally filter the air, and look beautiful year-round. For branding purposes, we worked with signage partners to integrate SEGRO’s red “O” logo directly into several green wall installations.
“We have listened to our customers, employees, suppliers, investors and other stakeholders to understand what’s important to them and how we can be a force for good beyond the buildings we create and own. Setting ourselves demanding targets, we will lead by example while supporting and challenging our suppliers and customers.”
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PORTFOLIO
SEGRO and Viritopia’s projects to date
Viritopia has delivered eight living wall installations across SEGRO's UK portfolio since 2021, ranging from large exterior façades to compact interior features.
SEGRO Bedford Avenue, Slough
At 230m², this multi-storey car park exterior green wall is one of SEGRO’s largest. It holds 22,080 plants total, which extract 529kg of gas and 299kg of carbon from the air each year.
SEGRO North Feltham, London
This 96m² exterior wall was the first to feature SEGRO's red "O" logo. It holds 9,216 plants with a custom design using different species to create varying textures and colours.
SEGRO Deptford Estate, Rainham
This 115.5m² exterior wall was installed as part of SEGRO's ongoing programme to “green” their estates. Like North Feltham, it features SEGRO's logo.
SEGRO Bestobell Road, Slough
This refurbishment project targeted a BREEAM Excellent rating, incorporating renewable energy, natural materials, water reduction measures, and two square living walls holding 5,184 plants.
SEGRO Park Tottenham, London
At 200m² and with 19,200 plants, this installation contributed to the development achieving BREEAM Outstanding, EPC A+, and carbon negative status for regulated energy use. The plants produce 340kg of oxygen every year and, with the soil, trap 26kg of dust.
SEGRO Park, London
We installed interior living walls in two units at the estate. One sits behind a kitchen area; the other greets visitors at the building entrance. Both bring a sense of nature into the office.
SEGRO V Park, London
Holding 1,120 plants, this interior living wall serves as a focal point and conversation starter in the office space.
SEGRO Auriol Drive, Slough
At 200m² and with 16,000 plants, this car park exterior wall was designed for biodiversity and air quality. The greenery has been a welcome presence — a security officer who works opposite told us that watching birds and bees visit the wall is one of the highlights of her shift.
IMPACT
Green infrastructure is good for both nature and business
Across eight projects and more than 900m² of living wall, Viritopia has helped SEGRO build a portfolio of developments that are green, attractive to tenants, and aligned with their sustainability targets — demonstrating the value of green infrastructure for property developers.
The walls have become a recognisable part of SEGRO's brand while delivering ecological value across the UK.
- Tenant appeal
The green walls signal high-quality, sustainable spaces to prospective tenants. - BREEAM contribution
SEGRO’s green walls contribute to BREEAM Outstanding and BREEAM Excellent ratings. - Branding
Green infrastructure is a visible reminder of the brand’s commitment to sustainability. - Biodiversity
Exterior installations attract pollinators and support biodiversity targets. - Air quality
The plants and soil across SEGRO's portfolio filter dust and extract pollutants. - Carbon extraction
SEGRO’s Bedford Avenue estate alone absorbs over 400kg of carbon dioxide each year.
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SEGRO and Viritopia’s Living Wall Partnership
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UK
“Our experience with Viritopia has been consistently positive. The team is always helpful, responsive, and easy to reach, and they complete all work within the agreed programme. We appreciated the initial feasibility reports demonstrating the carbon reduction potential for the green walls. One of our favourite projects was Auriol Drive, which received great feedback internally and has been showcased throughout the business.”
Caitlin Feeney
Assistant Manager, Technical Development SEGRO
Project gallery
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Updates
An ongoing partnership
We maintain SEGRO’s installations with regular visits for plant trimming, treatments, and swapping in replacements. We also remotely monitor the irrigation systems 24/7. These services keep the walls looking and performing at their best, and are all covered within our maintenance contract.
Beyond maintenance, we consult on green infrastructure opportunities across the portfolio. We’ve also developed a cumulative environmental impact dashboard that SEGRO uses to track and communicate progress to stakeholders.
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