There are few things that inspire the feeling of wealth like ivy-covered walls. That feeling is a holdover from Victorian England. At the time, having a well-manicured garden was a sign of wealth, and many estates incorporated the greenery of their gardens onto their homes. The ivy-covered brick look was brought to America in its early days, and the connection with wealth continued when it was used for the country’s first Ivy League universities.Besides aesthetics, there were some really compelling reasons to grow ivy on the sides of brick buildings. Before the advent of air conditioning, living walls were a great way to help regulate temperatures. A modern study found that walls without ivy had an average maximum temperature 36 percent higher and an average minimum temperature 15 percent lower than ivy-covered walls. Regulating temperature swings isn’t only good for the comfort of the people inside a building; it turns out it’s also beneficial for the structures themselves. The “thermal blanket” that ivy-covered walls create can actually help preserve walls from damaging frosts, particularly older brick walls with less advanced mortar...
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- - Volume: 24 - WEEK: 49 Date: 12/4/2024 3:47:47 AM -