About Us
Florafelt Living Wall Guide | Design Considerations | FAQ | About Us
Green the World
We are grateful to everyone who shares our mission to green the world. We’ve been deeply inspired by the way designers, landscapers, architects and builders use our systems to grow living walls lush with their unique artistry.
We have worked to find solutions for bold ideas and gladly collaborate in challenging projects across the world. We’re proud to partner with visionaries who are transforming how we live with plants, with projects that thrill with their novelty but also evoke the deep comfort of familiarity found in our ancient memories. We look forward to working with anyone who feels inspired to grow a more beautiful world.
Chris Bribach at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers Florafelt Pocket Panels living wall donated by Plants On Walls in 2012.
Southern California Institute of Architecture Santa Monica Campus 1991.
Ideas for an Organic Future
The story began with a love of architecture that resulted in the fortunate opportunity to attend and receive a 5 year bachelor’s degree from SCI-ARC in 1992. The school was located blocks from Frank Gehry’s office, where ideas for an organic future were just beginning to blossom.
Florafelt Pro System living wall vertical farm at Makers Faire 2015.
A Future Vision for Living Buildings
The massive industrial urban centers of today are plagued with paved and roofed surfaces that require enormous amounts of energy to create and maintain. I wondered why buildings can’t be covered with living foliage to cool interiors, prevent decay and even grow food.
Drew School Living Wall by Patric Blanc, San Francisco.
Inspired by the Vertical Garden Works of Patric Blanc
In 2008, I turned to the work of the visionary botanist Patric Blanc who began growing vertically in the 1970s using his home fish aquarium. Replicating the natural growth along cliffs and sloping surfaces, he created beautiful vertical gardens using nutrient water that flows over synthetic felt. Excited by the potential, I explored the slit-and-staple method Patric offered in his book, The Vertical Garden, where he removes almost all the soil when planting. It quickly became clear that a mastery of botany would be required to provide proper water and nutrients hydroponically.
Florafelt Vertical Garden Panel US Patent 8141294
Development of a Truly Unique, Patented Living Wall System
I worked hard to simplify the concept by pleating the felt and attaching it to a lightweight non-toxic plastic board to create easily plantable pockets. This concept of pleating felt as a vertical growing method was completely unique and can be implemented in many ways so wrote and I was granted a patent for the ‘Vertical Garden Panel’ filed Sep. 2, 2010.
Cradle to Cradle Concept. Photo: C2C Center
Product Design for a Sustainable Ecology
We are committed to the use of sustainable manufacturing methods that I learned from William McDonough’s book, Cradle To Cradle, so I worked with manufacturers to develop a synthetic growing medium I called Florafelt. Made from recycled plastic water bottles, it is food-safe and will not only last indefinitely but could be re-melted to create other products.
Florafelt 12-Pocket Panel Living Wall System.
The Florafelt Pleated Pocket Living Wall System
Florafelt Living Wall Systems are proudly made in the USA from materials also made in the USA. Our team assembles planters and systems for customers throughout the world. There’s nothing like the joy you feel when you fill a wall with plants.