Ark Tindal Primary School chooses Green Screens to create a healthier and greener learning environment
- Mobilane Green Screen
- Location: Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Dealer: InLeaf
| Location | Birmingham, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Project type | Instant greenery for a primary school entrance |
| Solution | Mobilane Green Screens |
| Project partner | InLeaf |
| Application | Air quality improvement, urban greening, biodiversity and a healthy learning environment |
| Environmental impact | Up to 40-60% reduction in fine dust particles (PM10) behind ivy-based green screens, per research with Staffordshire University, across 18 linear metres of new green façade |
.
Schools in dense urban areas often face poor air quality, a lack of greenery, and declining biodiversity. Children are especially vulnerable, since their lungs are still developing and they spend much of the day playing outdoors. Fortunately, greenery can measurably ease these pressures, even with little ground-level space. Ark Tindal Primary School in Birmingham, which serves children aged 3 to 11, therefore introduced 18 linear metres of Mobilane Green Screens with Hedera helix, wrapping around the windows, playground and main entrance. As a result, pupils, staff and visitors are now welcomed by an attractive green façade that lifts the site’s visual appeal and environmental quality.
Ark Tindal Primary School Chooses Mobilane Green Screens for New School Entrance
The school’s entrance needed a transformation, to create a warmer, more welcoming atmosphere and support pupil wellbeing through greenery. However, the area lacked natural vegetation, and a traditional planting scheme would have needed more space, time and budget than were available. Therefore, the school needed a solution that could deliver an instant, visible green result while also helping to clean the air. InLeaf, specialist installer and Mobilane project partner, selected Mobilane Green Screens in heights of 1, 2 and 2.2 metres, mounted using Mobilane wall brackets and positioned around the front-facing windows in bespoke wooden planters. As a result, the greenery blends seamlessly with the existing architecture while still delivering an immediate visual impact.
Several characteristics of the Mobilane Green Screen system were decisive for this project:
-
- Pre-grown panels planted with Hedera helix (ivy), providing full coverage from the moment of installation
- Modular heights (1 m, 2 m, 2.2 m) with 0.75 m extensions, adaptable to window and entrance layouts
- Mounted with Mobilane wall brackets, suitable for straightforward installation against existing façades
- A cost-effective and faster-to-install alternative to a full living wall system
- Low-maintenance, sustainable planting once established
Charlotte Atherton, Director at InLeaf, sums up the thinking behind the choice: “Greenery was a natural choice to add to the site. In urban areas, plants and greenery can be lacking, and Green Screens bring an instant sweep of nature to the school.”
The Green Screens Fulfil Multiple Functions at Once Around the School Entrance
The choice for Green Screens at Ark Tindal Primary School delivers results on several fronts at once. Around the entrance and windows, the screens now form an instant, mature green boundary, so pupils, parents and visitors no longer face a bare façade. The Hedera helix used also has proven air-purifying properties. For example, research with Staffordshire University shows that ivy-based green screens can cut fine dust particles (PM10) by up to 40-60% behind the screen. This makes Hedera helix particularly valuable in urban areas such as Birmingham, where traffic emissions affect local air quality.
By installing Green Screens around playgrounds and entrances, schools like Ark Tindal Primary can therefore create measurably cleaner, localised air for children — which matters, because particulate matter can contribute to respiratory conditions and can worsen asthma symptoms in young children.
The Green Screens Deliver Five Concrete Results for Ark Tindal Primary School
1. Instant greening of the school entrance
Because Green Screens are pre-grown, the school achieved a fully green façade from the moment of installation, without waiting years for planting to mature.
2. Improved air quality around entrances and playground
Thanks to the bespoke wooden planters and modular wall-mounted screens, InLeaf was able to complete the installation quickly and with minimal disruption to the running school.
3. Enhanced biodiversity in an urban setting
In an area that otherwise consists largely of hard surfaces and brick, the green façade now offers food and shelter to insects and small wildlife.
4. A more welcoming, healthier outdoor space
Pupils, parents, staff and visitors are met with an attractive green entrance rather than a bare façade, supporting a more positive first impression of the school.
5. Fast, low-maintenance installation
Where pupils enter the building and play outdoors, the ivy-covered screens help capture airborne particulate matter.
“We’re thrilled with the result. It makes a huge difference to the building’s façade. The client was delighted with the installation.” — Charlotte Atherton, Director, InLeaf
The Key Results of This Project at a Glance
-
- 18 linear metres of new green façade at Ark Tindal Primary School
- Instant greening effect thanks to pre-grown Hedera helix panels
- Contribution to cleaner local air around entrances and playground
- Increased biodiversity in a built-up urban area
- Cost-effective, low-maintenance alternative to a full living wall
Why Mobilane Green Screens are effective for schools and other buildings
What has been realised at Ark Tindal Primary School is equally applicable to other schools and nurseries, office buildings, municipal buildings, healthcare facilities, residential developments, sports facilities and public spaces. Mobilane Green Screens are suitable for both new and existing façades and can be adapted in height and configuration to fit windows, entrances and playground boundaries. This makes the system a practical option for schools and local authorities that want a measurable contribution to air quality and biodiversity without the cost and lead time of a full living wall. See the Mobilane Green Screens product page for technical specifications.
InLeaf Worked Together with Ark Tindal Primary School on a Green School Entrance
InLeaf specialises in green solutions for schools, healthcare facilities, businesses and public spaces, with a strong focus on sustainability, biodiversity and wellbeing. At Ark Tindal Primary School, the company was responsible for the design advice and installation of the Green Screens and bespoke wooden planters. Mobilane, in turn, supplied the Green Screen system, including the pre-grown Hedera helix panels and wall brackets.
Frequently asked questions
Mobilane Green Screens are pre-grown panels of Hedera helix (ivy), mounted on wall brackets against an existing or new façade. They deliver an instant green result, without the years of growth a traditional planting scheme requires.
Green screens for schools improve local air quality by capturing airborne particulate matter. They also increase biodiversity and create a more welcoming, attractive entrance for pupils, staff and visitors, as shown at Ark Tindal Primary School.
Once established, Hedera helix panels require limited maintenance, making Green Screens a low-maintenance and sustainable greening solution compared with many other planting systems.
Yes. Green Screens are lightweight and mounted using wall brackets. This makes them straightforward to install against existing façades, as demonstrated at Ark Tindal Primary School.
Green Screens offer a faster, more cost-effective way to achieve a green façade than a full living wall system. They still deliver an instant, fully covered green result.
Technical Specification of the Green Screens
For this project, Mobilane Green Screens were chosen. View the technical information here. The screens were supplied in heights of 1, 2 and 2.2 metres, complemented with 0.75 metre extensions, and were fully grown at the moment of installation around the windows, playground and main entrance of Ark Tindal Primary School in Birmingham.
Mobilane also helps green your site
Looking for a fast, green solution for a boundary at a business park or drive-through location? Contact Mobilane or one of our specialised partners. Together, we’ll find a solution that fits your location, ambitions and sustainability goals. More information is available at www.mobilane.com.
