by Brianna Crandall — August 5, 2016 — In the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, a LiveWall system was recently chosen to enliven the Sky Patio at The B.O.B. restaurant with a double-sided green wall that surrounds guests with greenery and provides fresh ingredients for the food they enjoy.
The Sky Patio at The B.O.B. features a beautiful living wall that greens up the exterior and interior of the rooftop patio, making it more inviting from the street below and providing fresh ingredients for the menu.
According to Greg Gilmore, chief executive officer of the Gilmore Collection of restaurants, the addition of the green wall transformed the ambiance of the Sky Patio. Easily accessible through Bobarino’s on the second floor, the green wall adds natural beauty and dampens traffic sounds, making the rooftop patio more pleasant and relaxing.
Alice Jasper, director of sustainability, The Gilmore Collection, stated:
Our living wall on the Sky Patio is a vivid symbol of our commitment to sustainability and support of the local environments where our restaurants are located. It greens up the exterior and interior of the rooftop patio, contributing to the beautification of downtown and making the patio more inviting from the street below.
The green wall was constructed with the LiveWall system from LiveWall, LLC, the green wall subsidiary of Hortech, Inc., in Spring Lake, Michigan. The double-sided green wall totals 608 square feet. The three exterior sections (48 inches in height) are attached to the outside of the fencing that surrounds the patio.
Facing out to the street, these sections frame the Sky Patio on three sides with flowering annuals and perennials. There are five interior sections (45.5 inches in height), three on the inside of the perimeter fence, and two on the back wall of the building. In addition to flowers, the interior sections include vegetables and herbs used in the kitchen.
According to Barbie Smith, the Gilmore Collection’s gardener:
Local sourcing of ingredients is one of our main sustainable hospitality practices. With the green wall at the B.O.B. and the gardens at our other restaurants, we grow ingredients right near the kitchens where your food is prepared. You cannot get much more local than that.
Mick Rickerd, chef at Bobarino’s, added:
The green wall is a vertical garden with a variety of edibles. What chef wouldn’t want a garden with fresh herbs and produce right in their restaurant? We utilize the herbs in all our everyday dishes and the vegetables in daily features. Our mixology team incorporates fresh basil, mint, lemongrass and thyme into special summer cocktails.
This year, in addition to the herbs, the green wall is growing varieties of kale, Swiss chard and rainbow carrots. Interested diners can call to find out what is in season. Visit the Live Wall page on The B.O.B. Web site to see a short video of the assembling of the wall.
