Skip to main content
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

  • Dallas-Area District Debuts Three New Facilities

    The Duncanville Independent School District in southwest Dallas, Texas, recently held ribbon-cutting ceremonies for three new facilities that resulted from a $170-million bond program passed in 2023, according to a news release.

  • Missouri Child Development Center Completes $2.3M Expansion

    The Urban Sprouts Child Development Center in St. Louis, Mo., recently announced the completion of a $2.3-million expansion and adaptive reuse project, according to a news release. The new space includes a retail café, outdoor learning space, and a support office building.

  • University of Washington Opens New Broadcast Studio

    The University of Washington in Seattle, Wash., recently announced the opening of Sundodger Studios, a new broadcast, production, and content facility, according to a news release. The university partnered with Anthony James Partners for the design and development of the studio, which will host about 100 live broadcasts and 120 live videoboard shows per year.

  • UNH Marks Construction Milestone on Oceanic Exploration Facility

    The University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H., recently celebrated a major construction milestone with a beam-signing ceremony for the new Center of Excellence for Operational Ocean and Great Lakes Mapping, according to a news release. The facility’s ultimate goal is to support research, training and technical assistance in ocean mapping.