Green walls at Westfield Newmarket

28 November 2022

Green walls at Westfield Newmarket

We have started harvesting rainwater to maintain our native green walls, rooftop gardens and sky pool in Westfield Newmarket.

As we enhance our Westfield destinations our architects are using biophilic design to
bring people closer to nature, the benefits of which have been shown to enhance feeling
of wellbeing and reduce stress.

When our team designed Westfield Newmarket, we incorporated seven external green walls, rooftop gardens and a sky pool to create a calming, restorative place. To create a connection to the land on which our centre sits, two green walls are planted with 100% native vegetation found around the Tamaki Makaurau coastline. We believe the larger of these two walls is the biggest native green wall in the country.

To maintain some of these green spaces and the sky pool while also reducing our environmental impact, this year, we started using five 15,000 litre rainwater harvesting tanks in the centre, allowing us to collect up to 75,000 litres of rainwater at any one time.

“We want to maintain the biophilic design elements of the centre using harvested rainwater as much as possible because it means we are creating places that connect and enrich our communities, and doing so sustainably and responsibly,” said Pete Jones, Senior Facilities Manager.

“The rainwater we harvest will water three of our green walls, our rooftop gardens and
hanging baskets, as well as top up the sky pool when needed. We also believe we will harvest enough rainwater to support some of the flushing water in the amenity blocks.

“Overall, we hope to reduce our water usage and environmental impact, while continuing
to create a beautiful environment for our customers and community and contributing to the local biodiversity of the area.

“Green walls are planted at a much higher density than conventional gardens on the ground and as such provide food and habitat for birds, bees and insects. I’ve even seen some birds nesting in our green walls. With our green walls now maturing, since they were originally planted in 2019, they look fantastic and their benefits will continue to be felt.”