Worth Avenue » GSky Plant Systems, Inc. -

OVERVIEW

Palm Beach’s downtown shopping district, Worth Avenue, underwent a large-scale Beautification Project in 2010 to restore its charm and attract shoppers. As the centerpiece of the renovation, a cascading, curvilinear 840 square foot GSky green wall was installed as a large piece of living public art and as a tribute to Palm Beach’s garden heritage. Completed in time for the holiday shopping season, the green wall and new town landmark is located on the west exterior wall of Saks Fifth Avenue for shoppers, visitors and residents to enjoy. The wall features over 10,920 plants, some native, in different textures and shades of green. It is the first of its kind in Palm Beach County.

Location	150 Worth Avenue, Palm Beach, FL 33480, United States
Client	City of Palm Beach
Architect / Interior Designer	Bridges, Marsh & Associates
Landscape Architect	Sanchez & Maddux, Inc.
Green Wall Designer(s)	Debbie Kotalic, with input from the Garden Club of Palm Beach
General Contractor	Hedrick Brothers Construction
Green Wall Contractor	GSky Plant Systems Inc.
Grower	Michaels Nursery
Maintenance Contractor	Guardian Maintenance, Inc.
Date Installed	November 2010
Product Type	Pro Wall System
Total Size	840 Sq Ft
Climate	USDA Zone 10a
Plants	Mondo Grass, Xanadu Philodendron, Asiatic Jasmine, Silver Sawtooth Palmetto, Altermanthera 'Yellow', Muehlenbeckia Axillaris, Philodendron 'Burle Marx', Dusty Miller, Zebrina pendula, Coontie, Zoysia Grass

THE PROCESS The installation of the large Worth Avenue wall took four days. Months prior, plants had been growing at Michaels Nursery in nearby Boynton Beach, and were transferred to the onsite location for installation on November 1-4. A heavy duty stainless steel frame was placed on the Saks Fifth Avenue west wall for extra durability for the coastal location. Once the frame was intact, the green wall panels were arranged according to a highly artistic design, which features curvilinear shapes that use 11 different plant species.

MAINTENANCE Maintenance is contracted by GSky to Guardian Maintenance, Inc, a local maintenance company. A scissor lift is used to maintain the plants on the higher areas of the 24 foot high wall. In addition, GSky remotely monitors the wall daily from the company’s Vancouver headquarters through an advanced computerized system. An automated fertilization system is also controlled through this computer system.

LOCATION