Los Angeles completes city’s tallest vertical garden and DTLA’s first pocket park

Los Angeles just scored two big wins for urban green space last Friday—the city not only unveiled its tallest living wall, but it also introduced Downtown Los Angeles’ first pocket park.

Created by Rising Realty Partners, the Patrick Blanc-inspired vertical garden stretches over 80 feet tall and uses the modular and flexible LiveWall Green Wall System. The vertical green wall and pocket park are located on the east side of the PacMutual Campus, the city’s only historic building to receive LEED Platinum certification.

The vertical green wall was designed as an extension of Pershing Square, a historic downtown L.A. public park that lies adjacent to the PacMutual Campus. “We want it to enliven and open up a streetscape that did not have this before,” said Chris Rising, President and Chief Operating Officer of Rising Realty Partners. “We hope this encourages more businesses to follow our lead.” The vertical garden and pocket park are integrated with Pitchoun Bakery, a new French Restaurant at the base of the wall that faces Pershing Square.

The eight-story-high vertical green wall is made up of plants native to California that do not require much water. Water-efficient drip irrigation keeps the plants hydrated. The pocket park, located at the foot of the wall, includes bright orange moveable seating. The pocket park is only open during Pitchoun Bakery’s business hours.