Whole Foods Debuts LiveWall System at New Chicago Location

Whole Foods’ new store, located in Chicago’s Lakewood neighborhood, boasts an innovative concept -  the building is wrapped on three sides by a green wall, a 10-foot-high vertical garden with more than 5,000 plants, created with the LiveWall system.

Installed by Classic Landscape, LTD, the green wall totals 4,740 square feet, divided into three sections: north, south and west.

“The living wall complements both the new landscaping added outside the store as well as the existing landscape of the neighboring area,” says Nick Aholec, construction project manager, Midwest Support Office, Whole Food Market. “It represents what Whole Foods is all about: organic, natural and intimately tied to the neighborhoods we serve.”

The LiveWall system is comprised of modular planter boxes. LiveWall customized plant selection from a palette of seven different perennials based on the anticipated patterns of light each side would receive throughout the day.

Whole Foods hired Novak Construction as its general contractor to tackle the flagship location of its new concept store. Grey Novak, project manager for the company, says the living wall softens the building’s exterior while providing appealing greenery along the busy pedestrian corridors.

“It is a unique landscape feature that everyone in the neighborhood can enjoy,” he affirms.