Bringing Life to the Amway Grand Plaza: A LiveWall Collaboration
At LiveWall®, we see our systems as more than just vertical gardens; they are living design elements. They transform spaces and offer endless possibilities for fostering wellness and artistic visual impact. Whether installed on a home or a commercial building, LiveWall® brings nature to the built environment in a way that’s both functional and beautiful.
In 2020, LiveWall LLC had the pleasure of working with Everett’s Landscape Management to design an impressive LiveWall® installation at the iconic Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This high-profile project began in the fall with the installation of the LiveWall® structural framework and irrigation system. In the spring, as the cold weather passed, the wall came to life with plants carefully selected for both their performance and aesthetic appeal.
From the beginning, Alex Lara, a talented Landscape Designer from Everett’s, spearheaded the development of planting designs for this high-traffic, high-visibility location. For the initial planting, Alex created a diverse palette of annual plants to ensure vibrant color and texture throughout the growing season. Each year thereafter, he has created a new “original design” to keep the look fresh and optimally engaging. He is known for his organic flowing patterns, color and textural contrast, and the incorporation of scented plants such as citronella. LiveWall LLC continues to collaborate and provide the plants for this wall and many of Everett’s other projects.
In 2023, Alex’s design for the Amway Grand Plaza LiveWall was an Award Winner for Unique Features by the Association of Grand Rapids Landscape Professionals. We think his designs from 2024 and 2025 were as good or better. It’s projects like this that showcase the power of collaboration, thoughtful design, and the transformative potential of living plants in the built environment.
The built environment is always under pressure to optimize financial return by building as much as possible on the site. Such pressure often squeezes out all but a trace of green space and creates environments that are hot, non-absorbent, loud, dusty, and generally oxygen-deprived and unhealthy.
Planting living walls is a way of harmonizing such spaces, and the impact on people, a term called biophilia, is quite significant. There has been a great deal of study and research about biophilia.
This article by the University of the Built Environment provides more information on biophilia and the benefits of biophilic design.
This study was published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and shows evidence that exposure to natural environments positively impacts people.
Gallery of the Amway Grand Plaza LiveWall Throughout the Past Few Years
