Page 56 - I-Plants Magazine special 2021 Biophilic Design Awards issue - regular res

Gold Award 56

Green Walls & Vertical Gardens, Interior & Exterior
$20,001-$30,000

Project:
Opal Grand Resort & Spa

Congratulations to:

GSky Plant Systems, Inc.

Delray Beach, Florida, U.S.A

The story behind this design and installation:
The Grand Opal Oceanfront Resort and Spa The all-new Monkey Bar at Opal Grand Oceanfront Resort & Spa on the ocean is Delray
Beach’s newest restaurant and lounge where you can enjoy handcrafted cocktails, lighter fare, and a beautiful location to “hang” for a
night out with family, friends, and coworkers. Located just off the newly renovated lobby of the hotel you can enjoy the lush curved living wall
at the Monkey Bar. It is touted as natural habitat where monkey business is highly encouraged. We were asked to do this project the last week
of Nov. 2020 and they wanted it installed before the end of the year. Some of the challenges we dealt with besides the COVID lockdowns, were
shipping nightmares exacerbated by the holidays and plant shortages. The team sprang into action doing the shop drawings for the greenwall
making adjustments for the curve in the wall. We used the 8 pot trays for the majority of the wall but used 2 pot and 3 pot trays to form the
curve. This project is a great example of all that goes into a successful wall: shop drawings; logistics to gather and get all materials;
coordination on site with a GC; installation during chaotic work going on; plant acquisition and placement; and follow up with all the electrical
issues. Our in-house plant designer, used a mixture of tropical plants mixed with some larger leaf ones normally not used. This was to add
an element of “jungle” to the Monkey Bar, AND out of necessity due to plant shortages. The benefits of biophilia are evident in the welcoming
presence of plants and wood in a tight space which creates a comfortable mood for their clientel. One of the positives of this is that
since the bar, (which has become our new happy hour bar since its down the street from the office), we get to monitor the new varieties of
plants not normally used to see how they do. We found a few we really like and have been incorporating them in other projects this year! The
benefits of biophilia are evident in the welcoming presence of plants and wood in a tight space which creates a comfortable mood for their
clientel.