Add as a preferred source on Google

Living Wall Graces University Atrium

  • 06/01/19
atrium wall

The atrium of the Jack and Mary De Witt Center for Science and Technology at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, MI, features a thriving living wall.

The Jack and Mary De Witt Center for Science and Technology at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, MI, features a 374-square-foot green wall installed with the LiveWall Indoor Living Wall System. The $15.5-million facility is a three-story, 29,500-square-foot academic building that provides a new home for the university’s science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs. The Center, opened in December 2018, includes seven labs, group study areas for collaborative learning, and faculty offices.

“The idea of a green wall came up during early brainstorming on design goals and approaches to constructing a building the reflects and incorporates natural elements of God’s creation,” says Bob Sack, vice president, advancement, Cornerstone University.

The Center’s living wall was installed with two separate LiveWall structures with shared infrastructure. They were assembled so that from most vantage points in the atrium the living wall appears to be one continuous wall that spans the second and third floors.

The living wall aids in providing passive biofilitration within the building. The LiveWall structural components were installed on steel studs anchored with standard fill plates two feet in front of a metal screen that covers the building’s main cold-air return. As indoor air returns to the HVAC system, the living material of the plants and growing medium filters the air and biologically degrades air pollutants.

“The engineering and flexibility of LiveWall made it the right choice for the project,” says John Haadsma, commercial landscape manager, Katerberg VerHage Inc. “Simple, minimal modifications to standard parts and installation techniques turned it into a passive bioflitration system without the expense of more complex and costly systems specially designed for this purpose.”

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management June 2019 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Upcoming University of Alabama Performing Arts Center Hits Construction Milestone

    The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., recently celebrated the topping out of its new Smith Family Center for Performing Arts, according to a news release. The university is partnering with HPM for program and project management on the facility, which broke ground in 2023 and is scheduled for completion in November 2026.

  • North Texas School District Completes Third New Elementary School

    The Denton Independent School District in Dallas, Texas, recently finished construction on its third prototype design elementary school, Reeves Elementary, according to a news release.

  • LAN, Inc. Opens Office in College Station, Texas

    Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) recently announced the opening of a new office in College Station, Texas, to support its regional client base, according to a news release. The organization provides engineering, design, and program management services for water, wastewater, transportation, stormwater, and education clients in the Brazos Valley.

  • UNT Dallas Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for $100M STEM Building

    The University of North Texas at Dallas in Dallas, Texas, recently celebrated the opening of its new, $100-million STEM Building, according to local news. The ceremony on Dec. 2 preceded the first day of classes in the facility on Jan. 12, 2026.

Digital Edition