Tillandsia SWARM - experimental living plant sculptures by Lloyd Godman based on the principle of super sustainability - © Lloyd Godman

An ecological art - science work utilizing Tillandsia plants which need no soil or watering system, that are used as a biomonitor to log urban pollution levels!

20 May 2015:
Stu Jones, architect Toby Reed, State MP Cindy McLeish and Lloyd visited the Eureka Tower to check the plants today. All plants alive and growing. Since the last visit the building have laid thick plastic grass on the two landings. The artificial grass even has woven in a few stands of brown to give some "reality" of dead leaves. Although there was little wind on the street level, the wind on top and the landings was blowing very strongly, with grains of sand laid on the artificial grass as ballast embedding between the leaves of some of the Tillandsia plants. The plants on both landings at levels 56 and 65 are growing well with more pups forming from the parent plants, as is the cage plants on top level 92. However, of the two species at level 91, only one plant is growing well and the other plant which was the only plant to have flowered during the experiment is struggling. It is possible that this plant cage is located in a rain shadow and may not be receiving enough rain. It still has the growing tip alive and has formed new pups. On the other hand some plants in any location can die for unknown reasons, with the other plant alive it may well be the case. To be certain we would have to install a greater number of plants in the same location for a similar period of time.
The Eureka experiment successfully proves that the Tillandsia plants can be grown with no soil or auxiliary watering system on the tallest of buildings in a city like Melbourne, and opens a portal for installing plants in a creative but effective manner with an extremely high ESD rating on super high-rise buildings. The management  of the Tower have been very supportive of the experiment, accommodating to work with, and there is potential for a  larger project in the future. Unlike larger hard tissue plants, as light weight soft tissue plants, Tillandsias do not pose problems if at anytime they were detached from the building.

25 February 2015

Today Stu Jones and Lloyd Godman visited the plants on all four sites on the Fender Katsalidis designed Eureka Tower with writer for Sourceable Angela Fedele. The air plants have lasted well through a very demanding,dry summer. The eight plants on all four sites are all alive and interestingly the plants exposed at the very top of the structure at level 92 are growing well. The plants on level 56 facing west and receiving the most extreme weather are also growing well and have put on the most growth.

One of the plants in the most sheltered position at level 91 has the least growth. This site receives the least rain and sunlight. However this is also the only plant to have flowered during the experiment period. The plant does have new pups forming. The other plant on this site is growing fine.

16 Oct 2014 - Today I checked the plant experiments on Eureka Tower that had been there since 17 June  - it was wild weather fine saturating rain driving in on the wind  and not the most pleasant place to be at that height. The plants have survived the past 4 months of winters cool,  wild salt winds and apart from some old leaf die back (these are the leaves farthest  from the growing tip) which is probably attributed to the acclimatization to the plants to the new environment they are fine. The Tillandsia at all four locations are growing well. Everything is secure, nothing has blown away and one plant at level 91 is even flowering. The next phase is to see how the selected species of Tillandsia perform in the dryer and hotter months ahead.

17 June 2014. Today we installed some Tillandsia plants in wire cages wired down to fixing points at four locations on Melbourne's tallest building Eureka Tower. Plant cages were installed at level 56, 65, 91 and 92.

Following the success of the Airborne installation of 8 suspended rotating air plant sculptures as part of the Melbourne City Arts Grants Program 2013, where the plants were suspended with no auxiliary watering for 14 months through record heat and long dry periods in central Melbourne we decided to push the plant installation to new heights. Unlike current vertical gardens the plants works offer soil and maintenance free installations.

These are experiments to see how the plants grow at such a height from the ground. As far as I know the tallest plant install on a building in the world - from what I can make out the tallest is Bay Sands Singapore at 55 stories so it is a significant step upwards and opens the a new way of incorporating plants on high rise buildings.

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The tower is named after the Eureka Stockade, a rebellion during the Victorian gold rush in 1854. This has been incorporated into the design, with the building's gold crown representing the gold rush and a red stripe representing the blood spilt during the revolt. The blue glass cladding that covers most of the building represents the blue background of the stockade's flag and the white lines also represent the eureka stockade flag. While the plant cages are designed to protect the plants from being blown away, they are also a reference the only person imprisoned as a result of the Eureka Stockade, Henry Seekamp Editor of the Ballarat Times, who was found guilty of seditious libel.

A plant cage constructed from recycled mesh. Over a period of years, the plants will escape the cage by growing through the mesh.

Plan of Eureka Tower - the green dots show the location of the Tillandsia plants on level 56, 65, 91, 92. Level 91 is an access way to the higher level 92

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SWARM PDF