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living wall | texas 1 loop

2018 | austin, tx

Texas State Highway Loop 1, or Mopac, is a major highway in Austin, Texas that spans 25.5 miles through the city. In an attempt to block road noise, the city constructed 7 miles of sounds walls in 19 different locations along Mopac. However, these walls have begun falling apart and physically and visually create an unpleasant barrier to the neighborhoods around them.


The Community Living Wall is an intervention, designed to sit in front of the existing Mopac wall to promote the gathering of human and animal communities in Austin while also serving as a heat and sound buffer between highway and neighborhood. The wall is composed of individual modules which are designed to hold one plant and to be ergonomic and portable. People select a plant from a list of native species which are chosen to attract local animals, and then plant them in the module which is hooks onto the wall system and watered through a drip-line.  Emphasis on community involvement is used to educate individuals on native plants and animals, but also to show by example the positive effects small interventions can have on the ecosystems of Austin. 

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