Perforated sheet for green wall applications

Abstract

The present invention is in respect to a perforated sheet, to be used for green wall or moss wall applications, where the perforations play an intrinsic part in creating a depth for a substrate in which roots can develop over time. The invention offers two separate but linked methods of doing so. The first of these methods has a flat or a single curved front, where flaps created by the perforations can be connected to a back. The second method make use of overlapping perforations allowing the front to be double curved. Using this method, the substrate depth can vary, enabling optimization of plant / root development and weight of the solution. The overlapping perforations can be of various types, but a Y-shaped perforation is suggested by the present application to be more beneficial.

Description

[0001] PERFORATED SHEET FOR GREEN WALL APPLICATIONS

[0002] FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

[0003] Present invention refers to a sheet with perforations, and methods of producing such sheet, and how to attach such sheet and how to manipulate the shape of the sheet into nonplanar and double curved shapes - with the intended use to contain a substrate for green wall applications.

[0004] GLOSSARY:

[0005] In the present application the following terms, within quotation marks, are used to refer to description following the terms.

[0006] “Green wall”: A vertical or near vertical construction for hosting plant life containing a substrate.

[0007] “Moss wall”: A wall or wall panel where a substantial part of what is visible of said panel after installation is moss that is alive or dead / conserved.

[0008] “Substrate”: A material or mix of materials suitable for green walls. Typically, but not limited to, mineral aggregate / granular substrates such as volcanic rock and sand. Or board materials such as mineral-wool etc or organic matter such as soil, humus, coconut fibre etc. So called biochar is also commonly used as one part of a granular or soil substrate mix.

[0009] “Supporting structure”: Any structure on which an installation of a green wall can be done. It could be a wall or lattice or any type of vertical or near vertical composition.

[0010] “Double curved”: A sheet or surface which, partially or completely have curves in all surface directions, such as a sphere or saddle, or isolated single or multitude of, protrusions or indents on an otherwise flat sheet. In this application referring to the macro shape of the three-dimensional structure due to buckling and bending of the sheet, not actual material bending in all directions, which also could occour but is not fundamental to present invention.

[0011] “Single Curved” : A sheet or surface which inherently is flat in one surface direction.

[0012] “Direct Connection” or “Connected Directly”: The terms are used interchangeably, referring to attachment of the front to the back, where present invention makes it possible to achieve a zero distance between front and back, while allowing a suitable volume inscribed by front and back.“Slit”: A perforation or part of a perforation that is elongated. A slit may be linear, curved, segmented, bent or have any imaginable geometry as long as it is elongated. A slit may have the same or varying width along its length.

[0013] “Radial Perforation”: Perforation having slits emanating from a common area, which could be one point but not limiting to perforations where slits emanate from only one point.

[0014] “Y-shaped Perforation”: One specific type of radial perforation having three slits.

[0015] BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0016] There are many types of green walls, and the most commonly used materials are plastic, metal and concrete. All materials other than concrete and metal are typically fire hazardous. Plastic solutions also cause microplastics. Concrete solutions are heavy and labour intensive in production and installation.

[0017] Existing metal solutions consist of a net, containing a substrate. Nets with a high degree of openness are used when the substrate holds together with less support, as is the case with mineral wool and similar. And stretch metal is normally used when holding a granular substrate, as is the case with volcanic rock or soil substrates. Mineral wool has poor water retaining properties and must be watered at shorter intervals than volcanic rock substrates. The root systems are also easily accessible for fire in mineral wool substrates. Stretch metal solutions are normally material intensive and have a separate frame, making these types of solutions expensive and with a high environmental impact.

[0018] One aspect of present invention is therefore to provide a low material use, green wall solution, which can contain a granular substrate with good fire-safety properties.

[0019] Most green wall solutions, and especially solutions using granular or soil substrates, do not take root expansion into account. As roots develop an internal pressure is applied which can cause the front to brake, or to cause the plant to fall out, or that plants die due to roots being too compressed in the substrate. This adds costs and emissions.

[0020] Another aspect of present invention is therefore to provide a green wall module, with any type of substrate, that can expand over time as roots develop.Having widespread contiguous substrate is positive for plant development as it takes longer to dry out and roots can spread out in straight lines. This is hard to achieve in a green wall cassette, as larger distances between the cassettes edges entail a larger interior force on front and back, caused by substrate and roots. Green wall cassettes are, therefore, relative to other facade panels, small and / or very material intensive. While also being inefficient to install. One aspect of present invention is therefore to provide a green wall module, that can be very large in size while not increasing the material use per square unit.

[0021] green wall modules use a lot of space in transport. Another aspect of present invention is to provide a module that can be transported using smaller cargo volumes.

[0022] green wall modules are normally produced in centralized locations resulting in a lot of long transports, one aspect of present invention is to present a module that could be produced in existing facilities, which can be found in, or close to, more or less every larger city.

[0023] Some of, or all, these and other aspects are achieved through perforated sheet used as front panel in a cassette together with a back panel or used as a panel installed with a supporting structure as back.

[0024] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0025] The aim of the present invention is to present a solution to create vertical or near vertical surfaces with plants growing through a front, with a good fire rating, using little material and being efficient in production, assembly and transport. This is achieved by the first aspect of which is a cladding cassette comprising at least a front panel (11) and a back panel (12) wherein the front panel is a sheet comprising perforations, which are slits, which either:

[0026] a) Are curved or angled, or both curved and angled, creating one single flap (13) per perforation and at least some of the single flaps are bent towards the back panel (13) and the flaps are connected to the back panel; or: b) Are radial perforations with three or more slits emanating from a common area (76).

[0027] It does so by making use of perforations, which can be considered to be slits, in two separate types of methods, create a depth for substrate. The first of these methods, as illustrated in fig.

[0028] 1-3 has a flat or a single curved front, where flaps created by the perforations can be connected to a back. In the second method, as illustrated in fig. 4-16, the present inventionmake use of overlapping perforations allowing the front panel to be double curved and “stretched”. Overlapping perforations means that two slits from two adjacent radial perforations at least partially overlap. In this embodiment the substrate depth can vary, enabling optimization of plant / root development and weight of the solution. The overlapping perforations can be of various types, but a Y-shaped perforation is suggested by the present application to be more beneficial.

[0029] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a front panel being a sheet comprising perforations, which are slits, which are radial perforations with three or more slits emanating from a common area and wherein the radial perforations are arranged in patterns, wherein all imaginary straight lines which are longer than the longest diagonal of parallelogram repetitions / pattern reports of said patterns, are cut by perforations, where said perforations are arranged. The features and advantages of the front panel according to the second aspect is analogous to the front panel of the cassette according to the first aspect. Both methods allow for the substrate to expand as roots develop, causing less force applied to attachments, due to root development and thus creating a longer-lasting green wall solution and better plant health. How long a green wall as described by present application may last, depend on many factors, primarily: plant selection, material type and gauge and distance between attachments of the front.

[0030] The present invention takes into consideration the need for larger green wall modules, which simplifies installation and give roots large spreading area, while at the same time conserving material use. Typically, large modules containing a substrate and expanding roots, entail a hefty gauge to be structurally sound. Since the present invention offer simple methods for attaching the front panel in other positions than the edges, without the use of long connection details, it is possible, in an effective way to create very large modules while still limiting material use.

[0031] The green wall modules can be transported as flat packages and can be produced in decentralized existing production facilities, limiting costs for transportation and fuel consumption.

[0032] The radial perforations illustrated in fig. 4-16 can also be used to create moss walls. Moss walls consist of one moss panel or many moss panels together. The moss is normally conserved, still being soft when installed. Moss walls are installed for their aesthetic and / orsound absorbing properties. Since sheets with overlapping perforations, as described in present application, has a lot of slits per area unit, which can be used as attachment points for moss and since the panel can be double curved, which further can enhance both acoustics and aesthetics, the sheet has competitive advantage used as moss walls. The moss and other conserved or dried plants can effectively be attached between two edges of a slit.

[0033] SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0034] Fig. 1 illustrates semi-circular perforations / slits in front view and section and how the depth of the substrate relates to the Height of the perforations.

[0035] Fig. 2 illustrates semi-circular perforations with folding cuts.

[0036] Fig. 3 illustrates an array of perforations / slits.

[0037] Fig. 4 illustrates geometrically repetitive overlapping perforations with three to six slits and how any given line must zigzag to reach from one end to the other across uncut material. The fig. also illustrates what is a pattern repetition and its diagonal in dotted lines.

[0038] Fig. 5 illustrates irregular perforations and irregular arrangements of perforations.

[0039] Fig. 6 illustrates overlapping perforations which are not slits

[0040] Fig. 7 illustrates a Y-shaped perforation and defines certain terms.

[0041] Fig. 8 illustrates a double curved sheet, with Y-shaped perforations.

[0042] Fig. 9 illustrates Y-shaped perforations with one slit vertically aligned.

[0043] Fig.10 illustrates how two modules in one embodiment can be connected to each other and attached to a supporting structure and how the front panel can be pulled out to create a depth for substrate.

[0044] Fig. 11 illustrates how panels in one embodiment can be attached on a supporting structure, with a watertight layer.

[0045] Fig. 12 illustrates how in one embodiment green wall cassettes are hinged to a vertical profile, be means of an additional edge detail.

[0046] Fig. 13 illustrates how in one embodiment green wall cassettes are hinged to a vertical profile, without any additional edge detail.Fig. 14 illustrates how in one embodiment green wall cassettes are hinged to a vertical profile, with close to zero substrate depth at edges.

[0047] Fig. 15 illustrates how in one embodiment green wall cassettes are hinged to a vertical profile and the edge of the front panel can have varying distance to the back.

[0048] Fig. 16 illustrates a green wall module and how the substrate depth varies when connection of front panel is arranged in a triangular pattern.

[0049] ITEMIZED EMBODIMENTS OF PRESENT INVENTION:

[0050] The cassette according to any of the claims 1-9 wherein the slits in radial perforations connect with adjacent slits on both side with a radius (74) and this radius is a max percentage of the slit length, and this max percentage is 100%, or 50%, or 25%.

[0051] The cassette according to any of the claims 1-7 wherein the radial perforations have three slits and any angle between centrelines of adjacent slits within said perforations is between 100° and 140°, or between 110° and 130°.

[0052] The cassette according to any of claim 1 to 2 wherein any angle between centrelines of adjacent slits within the radial perforations is less than 180°.

[0053] Use of a sheet with radial perforations to create a moss wall, wherein moss that is alive or dead / preserved, is held in place by use of the radial perforations and the moss is squeezed in place / jammed by the edges of slits.

[0054] Use of sheet with radial perforations to create a green wall or a moss wall wherein the width of each slit is less than 10mm, or less than 5mm, or less than 3mm, or less than 1mm.

[0055] Use of sheet with radial perforations to create a green wall or a moss wall wherein the radial perforations are arranged in a pattern with a ratio between the shortest possible combined length of straight line segments, reaching longer than two pattern repetitions of perforations, following continuous uncut material, which could be described as an irregular zigzagging line (45), divided by the straight distance (48), between starting point and end point of said zigzagging line, and that ratio is between 1.02 and 1.65.

[0056] Use of sheet with radial perforations to create a green wall or a moss wall wherein the radial perforations have three or six slits.Use of sheet with radial perforations to create a green wall or a moss wall wherein the common area of radial perforations from which slits emanate, is an imaginary circle (76) which has a diameter of less than half the longest slit length in the perforation.

[0057] Use of sheet with radial perforations to create a green wall or a moss wall, wherein there are attachments (104) of the front panel to the back panel, also or only, in other positions than the sheets edges.

[0058] Use of sheet with radial perforations to create a green wall or a moss wall wherein the sheet is touching or almost touching the supporting structure on which it is attached, where it is attached in other positions than the sheets edges

[0059] Use of sheet with radial perforations to create a green wall or a moss wall wherein the sheet is double curved and the double curvature is facilitated by the perforations.

[0060] Use of sheet with radial perforations to create a green wall or a moss wall wherein the distance, to any solid underlaying sheet or wall, where the sheet is double curving is in the range of 0 mm to 300 mm.

[0061] Use of metallic sheet with radial perforations to create a green wall or a moss wall.

[0062] Use of sheet with radial perforations to create a green wall wherein an intermediate layer / net / fabric is installed between the front panel and the substrate.

[0063] According to a first aspect, there is provided a cladding cassette comprising at least a front panel (11) and a back panel (12) wherein the front panel is a sheet comprising perforations, which are slits, which either:

[0064] a) Are curved or angled, or both curved and angled, creating one single flap (13) per perforation and at least some of the single flaps are bent towards the back panel (13) and the flaps are connected to the back panel; or:

[0065] b) Are radial perforations with three or more slits emanating from a common area (76). In one embodiment according to any of the aspects, the radial perforations are arranged in patterns, wherein all imaginary straight lines which are longer than the longest diagonal (49) of parallelogram repetitions / pattern reports of said patterns, are cut by perforations, where said perforations are arranged.In other words, by the feature that all imaginary straight lines which are longer than the longest diagonal (49) of parallelogram repetitions / pattern reports of said patterns, are cut by perforations, where said perforations are arranged, it follows that the radial perforations are overlapping perforations such that any given line following uncut material must zigzag to reach from one end to the other, and that the cladding cassette has radial perforations which form a pattern on the front panel (11). The term "pattern reports" herein may analogously be referred to as "pattern repeats".

[0066] The skilled person understands that said embodiment provides a cladding cassette comprising a front panel (11), wherein the front panel (11) is a sheet comprising a plurality of radial perforations, each radial perforation having three or more slits extending radially outwards from a common area (76), wherein the front panel comprises an overlap region between each two adjacent slits of each radial perforation, each overlap region being located between two adjacent slits of a respective radial perforation and being intersected by a slit from a neighbouring radial perforation next to the respective radial perforation, and wherein the wherein the radial perforations form a pattern on the front panel (11).

[0067] In one embodiment according to any of the aspects the perforations can be inscribed in a circle with a diameter < 800 mm or < 300 mm.

[0068] In other words, the common area (76) is defined by a circle with a diameter < 800 mm or < 300 mm.

[0069] In one embodiment according to any of the aspects the width of each slit is less than 10mm, or less than 5mm, or less than 3mm, or less than 1mm.

[0070] In one embodiment according to any of the aspects the amount of material removed from the front in the perforation process / cutting process is < 50%, or < 25%, or < 15%, or < 5%, or < Z0 / / o.

[0071] In one embodiment according to any of the aspects the radial perforations are arranged in a pattern with a ratio between the shortest possible combined length of straight line segments, reaching longer than two pattern repetitions of perforations, following continuous uncut material, which could be described as an irregular zigzagging line (45), divided by the straight distance (48), between starting point and end point of said zigzagging line, and that ratio is between 1.02 and 1.65, or between 1.3 and 1.6.The skilled person understands that, by this feature, a ratio is provided indicating how much a set of adjacent radial perforations overlap. This is further explained with reference to fig. 4, which shows the zigzagging line (45) and straight distance (48). The shortest possible combined length of straight line segments is defined by an irregular zigzagging line (45). The irregular zigzagging line (45) is a path along uncut material in the front panel.

[0072] In one embodiment according to any of the aspects the common area of radial perforations from which slits emanate, is an imaginary circle (76) which has a radius of less than half the longest slit length in the perforation.

[0073] In one embodiment according to any of the aspects the slits in radial perforations connect with adjacent slits on both sides with a radius (74) and this radius is a max percentage of the slit length, and this max percentage is 100%, or 50%, or 25%.

[0074] In one embodiment according to any of the aspects the cassette has afront with an area size, facing the back, in the range of 0,5-8 m2, or 1-8 m2, or 1-6 m2, or 1-3 m2

[0075] In other words, the front panel (11) has an area in the range of 0,5-8 m2, or 1-8 m2, or 1-6 m2, or 1-3 m2

[0076] In one embodiment according to any of the aspects, there are attachments (104) of the front to the back, also or only, in other positions than the cassette's edges.

[0077] In other words, the front panel (11) is connected to the back panel (12) by attachments located at the edges of the front panel (11), and / or by attachments located in other positions than the cassette's edges.

[0078] In one embodiment according to any of the aspects, the front panel with radial perforations and the back panel are touching or almost touching and the front panel and the back panel are parallel or almost parallel, where they are attached to each other in other positions than the cassette's edges.

[0079] In one embodiment according to any of the aspects, the front with radial perforations is double curved, creating a varying distance between the front panel and the back panel where there is double curving, and the distance is < 500 mm, or < 400 mm, or < 300 mm or < 200 mm and the difference in the distance > 20 mm, or > 50 mm, or > 100 mm.In one embodiment according to any of the aspects, the perforations which create a single flap (13), has flaps which could be bent back to reach a maximum possible distance between the front panel and farthest edge of the slit and that distance is between 50 mm and 200 mm and the depth (16) of the cassette, comprising the distance between front panel and back panel (15), where the flaps are attached to the back, is smaller than said maximum possible distance. In one embodiment according to any of the aspects, all additional attachment details between the front panel and the back panel are sliding or in other ways adjustable to allow the depth to increase without causing damage to attachments.

[0080] In one embodiment according to any of the aspects, the common area is a common point or centre from which the slits emanate and wherein each slit preferably is straight, angled or bent.

[0081] In one embodiment according to any of the aspects, the radial perforations form three or more flaps, and the radial perforations facilitates double curving of the front panel, by pushing or pulling one or more flaps or any part of the panel between flaps, or both flaps and parts between flaps.

[0082] In one embodiment according to any of the aspects, the space between front and back is filled with a substrate.

[0083] The skilled person understands that this corresponds to the front panel being arranged at a distance from the back panel whereby a space is formed between the front panel and the back panel, the space being filled with a substrate.

[0084] In one embodiment according to any of the aspects, the substrate, comprises mineral material. In one embodiment according to any of the aspects, at least 70% the substrate is an aggregate / material or mix of granular materials.

[0085] In one embodiment according to any of the aspects, the front panel and back panel is made of metal.

[0086] In one embodiment according to any of the aspects, an intermediate layer, which is a mesh or a net or a fabric, is installed between the front panel and the substrate.

[0087] According to a second aspect, there is provided a front panel being a sheet comprising perforations, which are slits, which are radial perforations with three or more slits emanatingfrom a common area and wherein the radial perforations are arranged in patterns, wherein all imaginary straight lines which are longer than the longest diagonal of parallelogram repetitions / pattern reports of said patterns, are cut by perforations, where said perforations are arranged.

[0088] The various features of the front panel according to the second aspect are analogous to that of the front panel of the cassette according to the first aspect. Thereby, the advantages and features noted above with reference to the front panel of to the cassette according the first aspect are equally applicable to the front panel according to the second aspect.

[0089] A third aspect of the invention concerns use of the cassette according to any of the preceding embodiments, to construct a green wall.

[0090] A fourth aspect of the invention concerns use of a metallic sheet for constructing a green wall or a moss wall, wherein the metallic sheet comprises radial perforations wherein each perforation has three or more slits originating from a common area.

[0091] The skilled person understands that the metallic sheet corresponds to a front panel.

[0092] In one embodiment of the fourth aspect, the radial perforations are arranged in patterns, wherein all imaginary straight lines which are longer than the longest diagonal (49) of parallelogram repetitions / pattern reports of said patterns, are cut by perforations, where said perforations are arranged.

[0093] In one embodiment of the fourth aspect, less than 50% or < 25%, or < 15%, or < 5%. is removed in the perforation process, and wherein the perforations can be inscribed in circles with a diameter < 800mm or < 300mm.

[0094] In one embodiment of the fourth aspect, the sheet is double curved, and the double curvature is facilitated by the radial perforations.

[0095] In a fifth aspect, there is provided a method for creating a green wall comprising:

[0096] a. Providing a metallic sheet comprising radial perforations wherein each perforation has three or more slits originating from a common area (76); and

[0097] b. Attaching the metallic sheet to a wall or construction; and

[0098] c. Pulling at least some of the flaps in the metallic sheet to create a space with varying horizontal depth, between the metallic sheet and the wall or the construction; andd. Arranging plants and / or roots of plants and / or seeds and substrate in the created space. The skilled person understands that the metallic sheet corresponds to a front panel.

[0099] In a sixth aspect, there is provided a method for creating a moss wall or a free hanging moss panel comprising the following steps a-d where the order of steps b-d is interchangeable, meaning that d can be done prior to b and c etc:

[0100] a. Providing a metallic sheet comprising radial perforations wherein each perforation has three or six slits originating from a common area (76).

[0101] b. Double curving the sheet.

[0102] c. Attaching moss between edges of slits

[0103] d. Installing the sheet on a furniture or wall, or other construction or installing it free hanging in wires, lines, bars or profiles from a slab, ceiling or other construction.

[0104] DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED DESIGN

[0105] Material and Gauge: For reasons of longevity, fire consideration, avoiding microplastics etc. The present invention is preferably in all parts, but not limited to, metal based. Other possible materials for reasons of cost and CO2 emissions are different plastics, composites and / or pressure / heat treated cellulose. Since the material is exposed to nature, irrigation and salts from nutrients, it is necessary that the material is either thick in gauge or corrosion resistant. Ideal metals are aluminium, stainless steel or weathering steel, such as Cor-ten. All materials may or may not be powder-coated or in other ways coated or painted. Also galvanized and powder coated steel could be suitable for some situations. Other existing or future corrosion resistant alloys could also be suitable. In one exemplary embodiment, the front panel is metal based and may be made of aluminium, stainless steel or weathering steel.

[0106] In cassettes the back panel is preferably more rigid than the front panel to avoid excessive buckling of the back panel towards the carrying structure. In embodiments with overlapping perforations of the front panel, it is possible to achieve a more rigid back panel, with still less gauge, than the front panel. The front is constructed in such a way that it - by optimization of material, gauge, perforation type and arrangement of perforations - will start expanding outwards before the back expands inwards. To minimize the carbon footprint and price of thesolution, thin gauge of all module parts is to prefer. It is unlikely that a gauge of less than 0,6 mm or more than 6 mm is suitable for a metal solution.

[0107] For cellulose and plastic solutions, a gauge of minimum 1 mm and maximum 20 mm may be suitable, but the present invention is not limited to these dimensions.

[0108] perforations: Each perforation could be used for planting, seeds, seedlings or more fully grown plants - depending on size of perforation. It is also possible to leave any number of perforations “closed”, to have a more homogenous surface where so may be designed in a project. Any portion of the green wall installation / modules could also be produced without perforations, to create seamless or abrupt change from planted surface to homogenous / unperforated surface.

[0109] The present invention makes available a front panel with perforations that allow for the direct connection of the front panel in several connection points, while simultaneously, where not connected, having enough distance to hold a substrate of a suitable depth to sustain plant life. Many attachment methods of the front exist, such as riveting, screwing, bolting, welding etc. The main intended use of perforated sheets in present application, is for construction of green walls. One perforated sheet corresponds to the front panel. Substrate must for this application be fitted behind the front panel at a suitable time. Mineral wool substrates must be placed before attaching the front to make a cassette or before attaching it to a supporting structure. While granular substrates are best filled after attachment of the front panel. This could be simply done by either having openings at the top of the cassette module, or by opening one or several flaps to create a hole for filling.

[0110] Fig. 1 illustrates a cassette 10 according to the present invention comprising a front panel 11 and a back panel 12. The front and the back panels are connected creating a distance (depth). The front panel 11 comprises perforations 13. Figure 1A schematically illustrates said perforations viewed from the front side. Figure lb is a cross-sectional view of the cassette showing the embodiment where some of the flaps 13 are bent in a bending line 14 towards the back panel and the flaps are connected to the back panel. With this type of perforation the front panel can only be flat, angled or single curved. The maximum substrate depth 16 cannot be bigger than the height 15 of the perforation with most height. The front panel can be attached before or after being bent inwards to connect to the back. By folding in the material less than 90°, an expansion reserve is created for plant development in the substrate, as theroots, as they grow, can push out the front panel until the flaps are at 90° to the front. When doing so in combination with making all other connections between front and back, automatically adjustable over time, plants will develop better and increase the time interval for replacement of modules / plants / substrate. The automatically adjustable edge connections can be done in several known ways, such as sliding details or expansion details at edge connections etc.

[0111] Fig. 2 illustrates a front panel with perforations, where cuts 21-22 to simplify folding have been introduced. To limit transport need, it could be beneficial for cassettes to be delivered flat, and cavities be folded on the construction site, by hand or with simple tools. This could be accommodated by such cuts. The length of the cuts and spacing is designed for a suitable resistance, which depends on material type and gauge. For modules with very thin gauge, 0,6mm - 1mm, folding cuts may not be necessary to achieve the same purpose.

[0112] Fig 3 illustrates various non-limiting types of shapes of slits 31A-G that can be used to achieve flaps. Naturally any type of shape, regular or irregular can be used, ft is also possible to have a mix of sizes and shapes of perforations and still achieve a cassette, where front and back panels are connected through flaps.

[0113] overlapping perforations:

[0114] To allow for varying substrate depth and simplify connection of front to back panels and / or creating substrate depth after connection of the front panel to the back panel, the present invention also makes available a front Sheet with overlapping perforations, allowing the front panel to be double curved.

[0115] In one embodiment the cladding cassette comprises a front panel (11). The cladding cassette may also comprise a back panel, but in some embodiments, the front panel may be mounted directly on a structure, as will be explained further with reference to fig. 11. In the embodiment where the cladding cassette comprises a back panel, the back panel may preferably made of metal. In the case of the cladding element being configured to be installed directly on a supporting structure, the cassette comprises a watertight layer, as will be explained more in detail below with reference to fig. 10. Fig. 4 illustrates a variety of radial perforations 41-44 with slits / arms and how, when arranging such perforations close enough to each other, all straight lines, in all directions, across such arrangements of perforations, are cut by perforations. Continuous paths across uncut sheet material 45, zigzags to pass thearrangements of perforations, such arrangements of perforations is in present application referred to as overlapping perforations. And the “overlap ratio” being the length of the shortest possible zigzagging line across solid, uncut material, divided by the straight distance 48. This ratio determines how much the perforations can be double curved without expensive and / or time-consuming methods. This ratio is in present application referred to, as a result of, how much perforations “overlap”. The overlap ratio for green wall applications could be anything from 1.02 to 1.65. But it seems beneficial to limit the ratio between 1.1 and 1.5. The front panel 11 is a sheet comprising a plurality of radial perforations. This means that the front panel is a continuous sheet material in which a plurality of perforations are formed. Each radial perforation has three or more slits extending radially outwards from a common area 76. The common area may be located at a centre 46 of the radial perforations, as will be explained more in detail with reference to fig. 7. That each radial perforation having three or more slits which extend radially outwards from a common area 76 meant that each perforation comprises at least three slits which emanate from the common area and extend outwardly in different directions, wherein an angle is defined between adjacent slits of one radial perforation. The slits are separated by portions of sheet material which form flaps between adjacent slits. A flap herein can be seen as a portion of sheet material having edges delimited by two adjacent slits and having a base between outer ends of said adjacent slits, where the base is being intersected by a slit from a neighbouring or adjacent radial perforation. When a force acts on a flap defined between two adjacent slits, that flap can move relative to the surrounding sheet material by bending along the edges defined by the slits.

[0116] The perforations are overlapping perforations. This means that the front panel comprises at least one overlap region for each radial perforation. Each overlap region being located between two adjacent slits of a respective radial perforation. In other words, the overlap region is the portion of sheet material located between two adjacent slits belonging to the same radial perforation. That the overlap region is between two adjacent slits, it is meant that it the region is the portion of sheet material having one of said slits on one side and the adjacent slit on the opposite side. Each overlap region is being intersected by a slit from a neighbouring or adjacent radial perforation. One neighbouring radial perforation is a radial perforation next to the radial perforation having the two adjacent slits between which the overlap region is located. This means that a slit belonging to a neighbouring radial perforation extends into and cuts through sheet material in said overlap region of the front panel. In oneexemplary embodiment, two adjacent slits from a first perforation defines the edges of an overlap region, and one slit from a neighboring second perforation extends into said overlap region. As a consequence, a continuous path extending from an outer radial end of a first slit to an outer radial end of an adjacent slit via uncut sheet material of an overlap region cannot form a straight line. Instead, any continuous path through uncut sheet material must follow an irregular zigzagging line around intersecting slits, as explained above.

[0117] As have been explained above and will be explained further below with reference to fig. 8, by the overlap area, double curving is enabled by pulling the flaps of the front panel. This is because movement of one flap formed by adjacent slits from one radial perforation also brings adjacent flaps formed by slits from neighbouring radial perforations to move. As a result, the double curvature of the front panel is facilitated by the perforations, whereby material of the front panel can expand over time e.g., as roots develop.

[0118] In one embodiment, an overlap region is provided between each two adjacent slits of each radial perforation. In this embodiment, the front panel comprises, for each radial perforation, a respective overlap region between each two adjacent slits of that radial perforation, each overlap region being intersected by a slit from a neighbouring radial perforation next to the radial perforation having the two adjacent slits between which the overlap region is located. This means that there is an overlap region between each neighbouring slits belonging to the same radial perforation, and for every overlap region in the sheet, there is a corresponding intersecting slit from an adjacent perforation. In this embodiment, the radial perforations may preferably form a repeated pattern on the front panel 11.

[0119] In fig. 4 and several other figures, perforations are geometrically repetitive, meaning that each slit, within each perforation type, emanates from a centre 46 and are of equal length and have equal angular distribution, A. Since it is possible to offset one or more slits, so that not all slits emenate from the same point and still achieve the same double curving properties of the front panel, the present applications refer to a common area, fig. 776 from which slits emanate, rather than a common point. The area in each perforations is limited to max half the longest slit length in the perforations, but ideally the slits have a common area, not bigger than 25% or 10% or 1% of the longest slit length in a perforation. In a Y-shaped perforation, with evenly distributed slits, the angular distribution is 120°. At 180° between two slits, the perforation assumes a T-shape, still being possible to use for planting, but with less flexibility in double curving. Present invention is not limited to geometrically repetitive radial perforations, andthe centre can be offset, and slits can be of different lengths, and have any possible shape. Furthermore, slits can be combined with cuts and holes that remove much more material in a perforations than the actual slit / slits from the perforated sheet and still be applicable on the present invention. However, perforations mainly consisting of slits create enough overlap, while simultaneously having relatively small openings, which is ideal to hold granular substrates in place. The percentage of remaining material, after perforating / cutting, can vary a lot, from 50% to 99,9%. Arrangement of perforations as illustrated in fig. 7 have approx. 95,5% remaining material. It seems likely that suitable range of remaining material for green wall applications is 75% to 99,9% or 85% or 99,9. The term remaining material or amount of removed material in the perforations process is used rather than open ratio or perforation ratio or degree of openness, since it gives a more clear definition with flaps that could be open or closed.

[0120] Fig. 4 illustrates radial perforations with three to six arms / slits 41-43 but any number of slits can be used. However, with increased number of slits, the sharper comers 45 get where the slits join towards the centre of the perforations. It is unlikely, but still possible that a higher number, of slits / arms, than six will be used. Due to edges getting sharper and perforations must be arranged closer to each other to enable similar amount of overlap, it would be due to reasons of design and aesthetics, rather than functionality.

[0121] Fig. 4 also illustrates how four-armed 42 and six-armed 44 perforations result in sections of material between perforations, having rectangular geometries, which will be weak when perforations are arranged too tightly. This is not the case for Y-shaped 41 and five-armed 43 perforations. Five-armed perforations cannot, for geometric reasons, be arranged tightly on a flat sheet. Due to these reasons and more, Y-shaped perforations are suggested by current application to be most beneficial.

[0122] Fig. 4 also illustrates what is referred to as a pattern repetition / report, in dotted grey lines, which is the smallest area that is necessary to describe an arrangement of perforations and how such area is a parallelogram, and what is the longest diagonal 49 of said parallelogram. Fig. 5 illustrates one example of irregular perforations 51 and one example of irregular arrangement of perforations 52. Naturally any such type of perforation and arrangement of perforations, that can be used for creating a double curved Sheet, in the context of creating a green wall, is included in present application.Fig. 6 illustrates tightly packed perforations, which are geometries without slits and how it is still possible to arrange such perforations, circular 61 or hexagonal 62, in a triangular pattern, to achieve overlapping perforations. But the overlap is limited and thereby also the “stretch”. Also, such perforations entail removing almost all the Sheets material, resulting in weak Sheets which poorly hold granular substrates. Therefore, the present invention does not relate to sheets with perforations as illustrated in fig. 6.

[0123] Fig. 7 illustrates Y-shaped perforations and how the perforations can open towards the centre and thus creating a stretch in the sheet. The original perforation 71 is shown in solid lines and the perforation after stretch 72 in dashed lines. The figure also illustrates the definitions of slit length, slit width, angle of perforations and the centre radius. The slit width can be anything from almost zero millimetre, if laser or water cut, to several millimetres if created by punching. For green wall applications, a slit length of less than 10mm or even less than 5mm seem suitable. Both punching and cutting allow for larger Widths, if requested by the design team of a specific project but does not have a meaningful effect on the result. The material edges of one slit does not have to be aligned with each other and the slits can curve and angle in endless variations. Slits lengths are estimated to be, but not limited to be, between 20mm and 500mm long. For green wall applications, suitable slit length ranges from 40mm to 150mm. The angle of perforations can be 0° to 120°. Where the slits in radial perforations connect with adjacent perforations on both side with a radius 74, present application refers to as the centre radius, and the application is limited to radiuses of a max percentage of the slit length, and this max percentage is 100%, or 50%, or 25%. The radius could also be replaced by a straight cut 75 of various lengths, to create a chamfered comer, or be replaced by any type of geometry that could be requested by a designer. Since it is beneficial with a radius to avoid cuts it is best to have a radius of minimum 3 mm, or 10 mm.

[0124] All slits from one perforation emanate from a common area 76. Possibly all slits from one perforation emanate from a common point, and such perforations are shown in figures, but any slit in any perforation could be offset, angled or bent and still achieve sufficient double curvature of a sheet, which is the important factor for present application. And that such double curved sheets could be used for green wall and moss wall applications. It could be argued that the word radial entail that there is a common point, being the intersection point of the slits or imaginary continuation lines of the slits. However, present application includes in the definition of radial, that each slit, emanate in any direction from any point within acommon area, while limiting this area to be a circle with a radius, and the radius is smaller than half the longest slit width.

[0125] Y-shaped perforations are suggested by current application to be more beneficial for several reasons, but the present invention is not limited to Y-shaped perforations and many other shapes / designs are possible to use to achieve double curved modules that can be planted as illustrated in Fig. 4. One benefit of the Y-shaped perforation is that each comer is obtuse. To further or otherwise limit risk of cuts on comers, the comers can be made rounded, with a centre radius. Furthermore, Y-shaped perforations have stronger flaps, as the distance between the outer ends in a perforation is longer than for perforations with more arms. The amount of actual stretch that can be achieved in the plane of the sheet is limited by material type and the amount of material 73 remaining between perforations, ie shortest distance between perforations. For reasons of longevity and strength, there should be sufficient material remaining. The “stretch” will still occur as the sheet assumes a three-dimensional structure when pulled or pushed which is illustrated in fig. 8.

[0126] Since Y-shaped perforations are suggested to be more beneficial and to simplify further reading regarding overlapping perforations, Y-shaped perforations are used as example in the continued description in current application. However, when applicable, any other primarily slit-based perforation can. and should, be read into examples.

[0127] Fig. 8 illustrates a sheet with overlapping perforations and how the “stretch” of the panel manifests in 3D, as interior pressure has created a convex surface. A callout 81 of the illustration is enlarged, where outwards curving surface / ridges 82 are shown in dash-dot lines and inwards curving surfaces / valleys 83 are shown in dashed lines. Even though stretch to some extent will appear in the material where distance between perforations is the shortest, especially when the sheet is of a more stretchable material and / or the perforations are arranged with tight distances, the “stretch” of the sheet should be understood to primarily occur due to this buckling and bending of the sheet as it is pulled or pushed. Double curving should therefore be understood at a more zoomed out level, rather than the actual material of the sheet, which is still flat or single curved. Due to this three-dimensional structure, the sheet becomes more form stabile as the deformation increase, until the deformation reaches a maximum level, where actual stretching of the material must occur for further double curving. The exact limit of how much deformation / stretch that is possible before reaching themaximum level depends primarily on the type and configuration of the perforations, but also on material, gauge and configuration of attachments.

[0128] Fig. 9 illustrates different rotations of one Y-shaped perforation and shows what is defined as a Flap. In the left image 91 a vertical slit is directed upwards and the bottom two slits form a triangular part / Flap 93 that can be pulled out to create an upwards facing pocket for planting. After planting the Flap can be pushed back in, to tighten the pocket and keep the plant / roots from falling out. Likewise, one or both the side flaps 94 could be pushed inwards to create a cavity for planting and be pulled out after planting to close the hole. If arranging the Y-shaped perforation with one slit downwards 92, the top Flap 95 can be pushed in, or one or both side flaps 96 be pulled out, to create a pocket for planting. And similarly, be closed after planting. Y-shaped perforation with near to evenly distributed angles hold substrate well, even after a flap has been pulled out or pushed in to create an upwards facing pocket for planting, since the angle of repose of granular substrates, typically ranging from 30° to 45°, is larger or equal to the angles of the sides of the created openings, approximately 30°. Some downwards or side facing holes may however occur during the double curving process that needs to be sealed to prevent substrate from spilling out. This is easily done using mineral wool but could be done with any ceiling agent. As root volume expand, in the module, perforations will split open more, as is illustrated in fig. 8. But at this stage the entire substrate is held together by the roots. Another possible way to keep a primarily granular substrate in place, is to add an intermediate layer of felt, net or fabric between the front panel and the substrate. When planting, a cut is made in the intermediate layer. This process could prove to be beneficial in many cases, especially when leaking substrate could cause damage or stains, or when the green wall is subject to winds that could cause substrate to leak.

[0129] Several technical aspects and design intentions affect each other in the design of the present invention. Some of which will need to take architects and gardeners input into consideration. Location and direction will also have an effect as substrate depth is adjusted to any specific site”s conditions. Design of perforation, material, material gauge, shaping of front, attachments of front, substrate type, substrate depth - could all be adjusted to optimize the solution to the site. The substrate depth, adjusted to above mentioned factors, may vary from 0mm to 300mm. Deeper substrate could be necessary in extreme conditions or when watering intervals may be far apart.Installation:

[0130] Fig. 10 illustrates one embodiment, in front view 10A and section view 10B, where Perforated Sheets are installed directly on a supporting structure. Naturally any profile or other building part could first be installed on the supporting structure, as an intermediate detail. Between the panel and the supporting structure there may be, or may not be, a Watertight layer, made from any corrosive resistant material or mix of materials. The panels have been attached both to the supporting structure 103 and to one another 104. In the illustration, the panel has been pulled / pushed out between attachments, diagonal hatch 105, to the supporting structure and an approximate curvature of the panels are shown in section 102. The created void is filled with a substrate and Plants. It is also possible to first place a mineral wool substrate between the supporting structure and the panel, after which, the panel is attached and whilst doing so, presses the mineral wool together close to the attachment. Depending on how the arrangement of attachments is designed, different designs of a double curved surfaces can be achieved.

[0131] Fig. 11 Illustrates how the edges of a panel in one embodiment is attached directly to a supporting structure, without a back panel, with an intermediate Watertight layer 111 behind the panel. Having a Watertight layer, may or may not be necessary, depending on the supporting structure.

[0132] The major benefit of panel solutions as illustrated in fig. 10-11, is that there is no back, thus saving costs and CO2. Although normally a Watertight layer will be placed between substrate and supporting structure, to protect the supporting structure from water from the irrigation. This Watertight layer, however, does not need to have the same strength as a back in a cassette, thus saving material. The Watertight layer can be delivered to a site as sheets or as a roll. The downside of panel solutions, being that many attachments need to be done on the construction site and that there is an increased risk of water / moisture on the supporting structure. However, when it is acceptable with moisture towards the supporting structure, or when a Watertight layer safely can be installed, a panel solution may be preferable.Fig. 12 illustrates one embodiment, in section and plan, where the front panel and back panel have flanges 121 which are joined together with an edge detail 122, to form a cassette and how such cassettes could be hinged on a vertical profile 123. In this embodiment the cassettes are, created by connecting the flanges inside the cassette and having an additional part / hinging detail. This could be done for two reasons: One, to save material, as it is thereby possible to have separate gauges of front and hinging detail. Two, to save space in transports, as the additional hinging detail could be installed on site.

[0133] Edge details and other hinging details could be designed in endless variations and current application is not limited to any illustrated details for hinging or attaching of profiles or modules. The vertical profile could be a horizontal profile or other type of bracket / detail, cassettes have a higher degree of assembly prior to installation on the supporting structure. The back panel, front panel and any frame or edge detail can be pre-assembled by many means, welding, screwing, gluing, riveting or other.

[0134] Fig. 13 illustrates another edge configuration which replaces the edge detail in fig. 12 by letting the front panel's side flanges continue farther than the interior side of the back panel, and having the backs flanges fold back, and having the hinging detail included in both flanges of the front panel and back panel. By doing so adding thickness to the module edge gauge and to strengthen the attachment. Naturally the flange of the back, could be folded in the same direction as previously illustrated in fig. 12, to limit space in transport, as panels thereby can be stacked more tightly.

[0135] Fig. 14 illustrates one embodiment where both the flanges of the front and back fold backwards, enabling the cassettes to have a 0-mm substrate depth at edges, when so is required. Which is made possible by overlapping perforations and is one way to further limit space in transport.

[0136] Fig. 15 illustrates one embodiment where only the back has flanges and how this enables the edge of the cassette to have varying substrate depth, which enables the three-dimensional structure of the green wall to be continuous. Double lines 151 show the module where it is cut in view and the continuation of the 3D-surface is shown by single lines 152. To hold the panels together, the panels could either be overlapping and attached to each other, or have any type of connecting detail 153.Fig. 16 illustrates in front view 16A and section view 16B one embodiment where the front of a module is attached 104 in a triangular pattern and how the possible substrate depth will vary from deep 163 to medium 164 and shallow 165, with a gradient, with zero or close to zero depth at attachments 104 of the front. If there is not an intermediate detail at connections, such detail will determine the minimum substrate depth. Connecting the front panel, to the back panel or to the supporting structure, in a triangular pattern, has benefits in limiting number of connections while keeping the front from being pushed out to far by the pressure from the substrate, while at the same time having a continuous medium substrate depth 164 across the module / green wall. Of course, many other regular or irregular attachment patterns can be used.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A cladding cassette comprising at least a front panel (11) and a back panel (12) wherein the front panel is a sheet comprising perforations, which are slits, which are radial perforations with three or more slits emanating from a common area (76) and wherein the radial perforations are arranged in patterns, wherein all imaginary straight lines which are longer than the longest diagonal (49) of parallelogram repetitions / pattern reports of said patterns, are cut by perforations, where said perforations are arranged.

2. The cassette according to claim 1 wherein the perforations can be inscribed in a circle with a diameter < 800 mm or < 300 mm.

3. The cassette according to any one of claim 1 to 2 wherein the width of each slit is less than 10mm, or less than 5mm, or less than 3mm, or less than 1mm.

4. The cassette according to any of the claims 1 to 3 wherein the radial perforations are arranged in a pattern with a ratio between the shortest possible combined length of straight line segments, reaching longer than two pattern repetitions of perforations, following continuous uncut material, which could be described as an irregular zigzagging line (45), divided by the straight distance (48), between starting point and end point of said zigzagging line, and that ratio is between 1.02 and 1.65, or between 1.3 and 1.6.

5. The cassette according to any of the claims 1-4 wherein the common area of radial perforations from which slits emanate, is an imaginary circle (76) which has a radius of less than half the longest slit length in the perforation.

6. The cassette according to any of the claims 1-5 wherein the slits in radial perforations connect with adjacent slits on both sides with a radius (74) and this radius is a max percentage of the slit length, and this max percentage is 100%, or 50%, or 25%.

7. The cassette according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the cassette has a front panel with an area size, facing the back panel, in the range of 0,5-8 m2, or 1-8 m2, or 1-6 m2, or 1-3 m28. The cassette with a front according to any of the preceding claims, wherein there are attachments (104) of the front panel to the back panel, also or only, in other positions than the cassette's edges.

9. The cassette according to claim 8 wherein the front panel with radial perforations and the back panel are touching or almost touching and the front panel and the back panel are parallel or almost parallel, where they are attached to each other in other positions than the cassette's edges.

10. The cassette according to any of the preceding claims wherein the front with radial perforations is double curved, creating a varying distance between the front panel and the back panel where there is double curving, and the distance is < 500 mm, or < 400 mm, or < 300 mm or < 200 mm and the difference in the distance > 20 mm, or > 50 mm, or > 100 mm.

11. The cassette according to any preceding claims wherein the common area is a common point or centre from which the slits emanate and wherein each slit preferably is straight, angled or bent.

12. The cassette according to any of the preceding claims wherein the radial perforations form three or more flaps, and the radial perforations facilitates double curving of the front panel, by pushing or pulling one or more flaps or any part of the panel between flaps, or both flaps and parts between flaps.

13. The cassette according to any of the preceding claims, wherein space between front and back is filled with a substrate.

14. The cassette according to claim 13 wherein the substrate, comprises mineral material.

15. The cassette according to any of the claims 13-14 wherein at least 70% the substrate is an aggregate / material or mix of granular materials.

16. The cassette according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the front panel and back panel is made of metal.

17. The cassette according to any of the preceding claims, wherein an intermediate layer, which is a mesh or a net or a fabric, is installed between the front panel and the substrate.

18. A front panel (11) being a sheet comprising perforations, which are slits, which are radial perforations with three or more slits emanating from a common area (76) and wherein the radial perforations are arranged in patterns, wherein all imaginary straight lines which are longer than the longest diagonal (49) of parallelogram repetitions / pattern reports of said patterns, are cut by perforations, where said perforations are arranged.

19. Use of the cassette according to any of claims 1 to 17, to construct a green wall.

20. Use of a metallic sheet for constructing a green wall or a moss wall, wherein the metallic sheet comprises radial perforations wherein each perforation has three or more slits originating from a common area.

21. Use of the metallic sheet according to claim 20 wherein the radial perforations are arranged in patterns, wherein all imaginary straight lines which are longer than the longest diagonal (49) of parallelogram repetitions / pattern reports of said patterns, are cut by perforations, where said perforations are arranged.

22. Use of the metallic sheet according to any of the claims 20-21 wherein less than 50% or < 25%, or < 15%, or < 5%. is removed in the perforation process, and wherein the perforations can be inscribed in circles with a diameter < 800mm or < 300mm.

23. Use of the metallic sheet according to any of the claims 21-22 wherein the sheet is double curved, and the double curvature is facilitated by the radial perforations.

24. A method creating a green wall comprising:a. Providing a metallic sheet comprising radial perforations wherein each perforation has three or more slits originating from a common area (76); and b. Attaching the metallic sheet to a wall or construction; andc. Pulling at least some of the flaps in the metallic sheet to create a space with varying horizontal depth, between the metallic sheet and the wall or the construction; andd. Arranging plants and / or roots of plants and / or seeds and substrate in the created space.

25. A method creating a moss wall or a free hanging moss panel comprising the following steps a-d where the order of steps b-d is interchangeable, meaning that d can be done prior to b and c etc:a. Providing a metallic sheet comprising radial perforations wherein each perforation has three or six slits originating from a common area (76). b. Double curving the sheet.c. Attaching moss between edges of slitsd. Installing the sheet on a furniture or wall, or other construction or installing it free hanging in wires, lines, bars or profiles from a slab, ceiling or other construction.

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