THE SEED BANK: A NEW APPROACH TO THE LIVING WALL
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY INSTALLATION
sacramento, CA | 2019
Collaborators:
marc foster, micah crandall bear, dan tran
Located at DPR Headquarters in Downtown Sacramento, the Seed Bank challenges the concept of a typical “living wall” by highlighting dormant seeds as living plants instead of the leaves and stems we normally associate with living plants. The dormant seeds in the wall, physically held within the roots of each highlighted plant species, may extend beyond the life of the building. It is a reserve for the future and a concept that challenges how we think about what an individual plant is and how we cohabitate with nature. The Seed Bank is a celebration of place, specifically of Sacramento’s Central Valley.
THE SEED MAP
The Seed Map is an interactive take-away brochure, designed to accompany the Seed Bank Living Wall. It was important to the team that the detailed and abstracted information on the wall be broken down in the form of this Seed Map, sharing otherwise esoteric information with the wall’s daily visitors.
Step 1: pick up a Seed Map
Step 2: open the Seed Map to learn the definition and the importance of native seed banks
Step 3: unfold to learn about ecotypes, how to effectively disperse native seeds, and how to read the Seed Bank Wall
Step 4: place the project in the greater Sacramento region with the map
THE NATIVE GREEN ROOF
A green roof was designed to complement the Seed Bank. The same species represented in the wall are planted on this narrow green roof and are visible from the actual wall. It puts to practice the concepts laid out in the abstracted wall.
NATIONAL ASLA AWARD
We are excited to announce that this project received the American Society of Landscape Architects
Award of Excellence in the category of Professional Communications.
Images by Kai Skye and Miridae