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Cable greening
Vertical ropes, grids and diagonals for climbers, in Jakob stainless ropes and fittings.
Acier projectOverviewWhat it is
Climbers need something to hold. Cable greening uses Jakob stainless ropes, clamps and wall spacers to give them a path: vertical ropes for twining plants, grids and diagonals for tendril climbers.
We usually space ropes 150 to 250 mm apart, and never more than about 300 mm: close enough for the plants to knit into one dense green surface. Rope sizes run from Ø2 to Ø12 mm depending on the design and the span. Spacers hold the ropes off the wall, typically every 1.5 m.
Options
Plan itCable greening drawing or planner
Enter your wall and choose the rope layout. The drawing sheet, the fixing details and the quantities update as you go. Architects can download the sheet with their name on it.
Planner
Technical dataSizes and figures
Choosing the spacing
| Layout | Rope spacing | Result | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vertical | 150 to 250 mm | One dense green surface | Twining climbers |
| Vertical | 250 to 300 mm | Dense with fast climbers | Twining climbers |
| Vertical | Over 300 mm | Separate green strands | A striped, lighter look |
| Grid | 150 to 400 mm, horizontals 200 to 600 mm | Plants spread sideways too | Tendril and twining climbers |
| Diagonal | 150 to 400 mm | A decorative lattice | Tendril climbers |
Jakob stainless ropes, Ø2 to 12 mm, chosen with the design
| Rope Ø (mm) | MBL, typical (kN) | Weight (kg/100 m) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3.30 | 2.0 |
| 3 | 7.42 | 4.5 |
| 4 | 13.1 | 7.9 |
| 5 | 20.6 | 12.4 |
| 6 | 29.6 | 17.8 |
| 8 | 52.7 | 31.7 |
| 10 | 82.4 | 49.5 |
| 12 | 118.0 | 71.3 |
PhotosIn use
What we useProducts
ProjectsBuilt by Acier
Green privacy wall, Lower Parel
A green privacy wall, 7 m high and 9 m long, on a high-rise duplex deck in Lower Parel, Mumbai: climbers on a grid of Ø4 mm Jakob ropes in a welded MS frame.
Façade planters, Kala Ghoda
Planter troughs, Jakob ropes and Webnet bring planting to a shopfront building in Kala Ghoda, Mumbai's heritage district.
DownloadsCatalogues and drawings
Jakob catalogues open on jakob.com, so you always get the current edition.
QuestionsFrequently asked
How far apart should the ropes be?
We usually space them 150 to 250 mm apart, up to about 300 mm. At 250 mm or less the plants grow into one dense green surface; wider spacing leaves separate green strands. Tendril climbers prefer a grid.
How long until the wall is green?
With fast climbers, a planter or bed at the base and drip irrigation, most walls look dense in 12 to 18 months.
Will the plants damage the wall?
Spacers keep the plants and cables off the wall, so the façade stays dry and clean.
Read moreGuides
Green façades explained: cables, Webnet or trellis?
The three main ways to support climbing plants on a building, and how to match each one to the plants, the wall and the look you want.
Will climbing plants burn on stainless steel ropes or mesh?
The question we are asked most about green façades in India. The short answer is no. Here is why, and what really stresses plants in the heat.