Appleton International Airport, Appleton, Wis.
RETROFIT TEAM
ARCHITECT: Mead & Hunt
GREEN WALL INSTALLER: SMA Construction Services
GREEN WALL MAINTENANCE: Beauty By The Yard
MATERIALS
The renovation and expansion of the TSA checkpoint at Appleton International Airport (ATW) features a 276-square-foot green wall installed with the LiveWall Indoor Living Wall System. The three-sided living wall serves as a green design element that has a natural, biophilic calming effect.
“We set out to make ATW’s TSA checkpoint the most visually appealing and pleasant in the U.S.,” says Patrick Tracey, marketing manager, ATW. “The living wall is essential in realizing this goal.”
The transformation of the security area is part of a multimillion-dollar renovation and reconstruction of 50,000 square feet of ATW’s commercial passenger terminal. The project included opening up and maximizing the space in the security area and establishing dedicated lanes for entering the security lines from the terminal and exiting to the terminal from the gates. Adding glazing, at the exterior and for interior partitions, brightens up the area with borrowed light.
The living wall is situated at the end of the security lines in the “composure area,” where passengers can sit, put their shoes back on and gather their belongings. The living wall section facing the TSA checkpoint is 10 feet, 8 inches by 8 feet, 3 3/8 inches. The wrapped corner section is 6 feet, 8 inches by 10 feet, 11 3/8 inches. The section facing toward the gates is 10 feet,
8 inches by 10 feet, 11 3/8 inches. In total, the wall includes 148 LiveWall modular planter boxes, which are high-impact, UV-resistant, architectural-quality moldings. They contain reusable inserts that hold the growing medium and contain a mix of five different indoor plants.
“The LiveWall green wall softens the feeling of the terminal, where many other materials
for the flooring and walls are hard,” says Scott Volberding, C.M., ACE, ATW’s operations and maintenance manager. “Not only does it provide a calming effect, it quickly became an unexpected attraction.”
“Travelers are delighted with the wall,” Tracey adds. “We see passengers taking selfies in front of the wall after they go through security. Their positive experience of the living wall makes for
a memory they want to save and share on social media.”
INDOOR LIVING WALL SYSTEM: LiveWall
PHOTO: LiveWall