I have been thinking of growing a live wall for quite sometime now! I want a vertical garden with a purpose, growing all the herbs I love and then eating fresh! It can be a challenge, but I'm sure it will be worth the effort :)

You should better go for a natural garden instead of an artificial one!! You really have a very good space to work on ! U can have a mdf wall panel (jaali work) like around 4'x8' installed on the main wall, lit artificially from the rear side. Then a row of planters sown at a ht of 2'.. then a l-shaped seater across it! If you need help in planning(charges applicable) leave a mail at archkrutistudio@gmail.com Something like the attached photo!

You would need a base steel grid in case of a climber. Plants that require least watering would be bougainvillea, blue morning glory, star jasmine, bleeding heart. If you are not keen on a live wall perhaps you can install artificial grass/turf on the wall and complete with some wall masks.

Hey gowri !! I am an architect . So having a garden per say on the northern side of your plot is a good idea and as you want it to be sandwiched between ur living and dining area; i wud say u cud push the living to the northern wall and bring in the garden / courtyard space in between the living and the dining area. Make sure the garden allows vertical airflow as it will help the hot air rise up and maintain a cool temperature in the activity areas . This will help u tackle the chennai heat . Providing unique looking sun shades on the first floor base will help u control the light and water that may come with this and also will be a design element. Regarding the plants, u should take care to install plants that only needs moderate sunlight .