FACULTY OF SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN PhD defense: Lars Jørgensen Thesis title: Root growth and water distribution in living walls Summary: Living walls is a way of bringing plants and green areas into cities, and offer both positive environmental and aesthetical effects. A prerequisite for optimal performance of a living wall is that the plant cover is properly established why the individual plant should have optimal conditions for root growth. This thesis investigates the correlations between the growing media and root and shoots growth, and studies root growth patterns of different plant species and effects of planting position and root interactions of plants growing in living walls. There are a number of challenges with living walls; the vertical orientation of the growing medium, plants are growing vertically above or b elow each other in a limited rooting volume; there is an increased exposure to weather and the plants can react differently to water conditions and competition from other plants. Plant growth is the core of functional living walls and this thesis is a fir st step of understanding the essential but hidden part inside the growing medium, i.e. the roots. Ensuring successful performance of the plants in a living wall is complex and the choice of growing medium, plant species and planting position are important. Time and place: Wednesday, March 25th at 13:00 in lecture hall A8-18.02, Højbakkegård Alle 17 2630 Taastrup Supervisors: Professor Kristian Thorup-Kristensen Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen Associate Professor Dorte Bodin Dresbøll Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen Assessment Committee: Associate Professor Marten Sørensen Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen Science Team Leader Hanne Lakkenborg Kristensen Department of Food Science, Aarhus University Associate Professor Ann -Mari Fransson Department of Landscape Architecture, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences