Photo courtesy Classic Landscape
Earlier this summer, Whole Foods Market’s flagship store in the Midwest opened in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. The 6967-m2 (75,000-sf) building is wrapped on three sides by a green wall—a 3-m (10-ft) high vertical garden.
“The living wall softens the building’s exterior while providing beautiful greenery along the busy pedestrian corridors,” said Grey Novak, project manager at Novak Construction, which was the general contractor for the site. “It is a unique landscape feature that everyone in the neighborhood can enjoy.”
Installed by Classic Landscape, the vegetated assembly totals 440 m2 (4740 sf) and is divided into three sections—north, south, and west. The wall comprises modular planter boxes containing more than 5000 plants. The selection was customized from a palette of seven different perennials based on the anticipated patterns of light each side would receive throughout the day.
