RANA CREEK LIVING WALL PANELS
by Sarah Rich, 03/26/06
From what I can tell, it would be limiting to call Rana Creek a “landscape design” firm, as the description would betray the breadth of their work and the depth of their philosophy. But they do deal in the integration of greenery into built environments.
Rana Creek caught everyone’s attention at CA Boom this weekend with their giant metal wall panels (which they custom-designed for the show.) The vertical facades grow succulents and other plants through beautifully cut surfaces. Initially, the panels sit flat to allow the roots to settle with gravity, then gradually get raised to vertical and the plants continue to grow through the openings in the metal. They also function as rainwater catchment systems.
The two on display at the show would be beautiful works of art even without the greenery popping through. The one pictured here was meant to convey a sense that the plants had strength enough to bend the metal outward as they forced their way through. Grounded in their mission of restoring biodiversity and preserving healthy ecosystems, they’ve created some of the most massive green roofs in the world.
Most recently, Rana Creek completed the green roof on the Vancouver Convention Center. They also did the landscaping for Fernwood Cemetery and the magical Esalen Institute. We’re looking forward to talking with them soon about their work on the California Academy of Sciences — a green roof project that was two-and-a-half years in development, with extensive testing and research to find out what would thrive on the steep slopes of Renzo Piano’s design. Keep an eye out for more in the near future on Rana Creek’s astounding work.
[...] I discovered Rana Creek in March, when I attended CA Boom, the West Coast annual design show. Across a huge exhibition floor, I was drawn to Rana Creek’s living wall display, which they’d custom designed for the occasion as an example of a climate-appropriate botanical rain catchment system. Of course, the technical functions of the wall weren’t the main attractor; rather, it was the incredible artistry of the sculptural bent metal, though which succulents were penetrating by what seems like the sheer force of a plant’s irrepressible will to thrive. [...]