Habitat Horticulture’s Living Wall in San Francisco, CA. Supporting Pollinators.

A New Role for Green Walls

In modern design, especially within narrative‑driven spaces, green walls are no longer simple decorative elements. These systems have evolved into highly engineered, functional parts of buildings—delivering environmental, operational, and storytelling benefits in one package.

In immersive environments where every design decision shapes the guest experience, green walls offer an unmatched opportunity to blend sustainability with immersion—cooling walkways, absorbing sound, and enhancing the visual concept of each unique setting.

Integrated Systems, Not Surface Features

Today’s advanced green walls are designed into the structure itself—not just added afterward. These walls feature multiple technical layers:

Structural frames supporting plant loads and wind forces
Waterproof membranes to protect the building envelope
Custom growing media for healthy root systems
Hidden irrigation and drainage to ensure plant survival
Root barriers to prevent building damage

When planned early, these systems improve insulation, regulate temperature, filter air, and reduce the urban heat island effect—all while becoming part of the environment’s visual language. To fully realize these benefits, materials and systems must be thoughtfully engineered. At Casto Creative, we see green walls as part of a larger ecosystem—where decorative and resinous concrete can play a role in enhancing both the function and aesthetic of living architecture.

System Types for Themed Applications

Modular Panels – Easy to install or replace; best for temporary or seasonal overlays.
Tray/Grid Systems – Allow for quick plant swaps, ideal for zones that change with holidays or events.
Felt Pockets – Lightweight and low-cost; suited for small indoor areas like shops or lounges.
Structural Integrated Green Walls – Built into the architecture; perfect for immersive areas where the wall itself tells part of the story (such as ancient ruins overgrown with vines).
Double‑Skin Façades – Dual‑layer systems for large resorts or climate‑controlled pavilions; excellent for thermal efficiency and biodiversity.

San Francisco Museum of Art Living Wall, by Habitat Horticulture

Storytelling with Sustainability

Themed environments thrive on detail, and green walls are an incredible way to connect ecological design to world-building. By curating the right plant palette, designers can reinforce the mood and message of a space:

Tropical plants for jungle adventure lands
Succulents and sedum for arid or alien landscapes
Native flowers or grasses to reflect cultural or regional themes

But they don’t stop at visuals. Green walls can cool exterior queues, buffer sound near busy walkways, and create eye-catching moments for guests—all while supporting local biodiversity and inviting pollinators into the mix.

Asia’s largest green roof at Universal Studios Singapore

Case Study: Universal Studios Singapore & Beyond

Universal Studios Singapore, part of Resorts World Sentosa, showcases green roofing at scale—covering nearly 35,000 m² and earning Singapore’s Green Mark District GoldPlus Award. This extensive green roof, built with lightweight modular components, demonstrates how large entertainment destinations integrate sustainable landscape features without compromising themed design.

While not a vertical wall, this example highlights Universal’s broader commitment to living systems. Across their parks—like CityWalk’s trellis-based greenery and planned sustainable builds in Bedford and Beijing—Universal embeds vegetation strategically for environmental benefit, guest appeal, and narrative depth.

This aligns with Casto Creative’s approach to design—where story, sustainability, and materials work in concert to create truly transportive environments.

Design Considerations in Themed Spaces

Monsieur Plant’s exhibition, Think Nature, at the Chateau de Seneffe.

Themed construction requires unique technical care:

Concealed irrigation and drainage systems to maintain aesthetics
Structural support for heavy, saturated walls in high‑wind zones
Durability against guest contact and environmental exposure
Seasonal flexibility for quick overlay changes without disrupting operations
Pest control without impacting nearby wildlife or pollinators

What’s Next for Green Walls?

Innovation is pushing the potential even further:

Interactive living walls that respond to guest movement with light or sound
Algae bioreactor façades producing oxygen or energy for sci‑fi or future-themed areas
Seasonally dynamic systems enabling rapid swaps of color or texture to match holidays or events

For themed destinations, these technologies mean walls can become active participants in the story—not just passive scenery.

Our Approach to Green Integration

At Casto Creative, sustainability and immersive storytelling are core values woven into every project we touch. We see green walls not simply as aesthetic features, but as opportunities to transform the built environment into something living, breathable, and narrative-rich. Our role is to support project teams through thoughtful planning and technical insight—particularly in the integration of concrete hardscapes and structural systems within complex themed environments. As green walls become increasingly relevant to immersive design, we’re actively exploring how they can be incorporated alongside durable, story-driven building elements. With deep expertise in decorative and resinous concrete, Casto Creative contributes to spaces that support ecological performance without sacrificing visual impact.

We’re excited about the future of living systems in themed construction—and proud to be part of the conversation shaping what comes next.

Conclusion: A Living Element of the Experience

In the evolving world of immersive design, green walls offer something rare: a feature that satisfies operational, environmental, and narrative goals all at once. When properly engineered and intentionally placed, these systems do more than decorate—they help define atmosphere, comfort, and memory. As Chad Sichello, President of GSky Green Walls, puts it: “We have received great interest … because it’s been engineered specifically for the interior and exterior environment and offers the same great plant design flexibility … with much improved maintenance practices.” His insight reinforces what we see across the industry—green walls are becoming more refined, responsive, and story-capable than ever before.

At Casto Creative, we see meaningful potential in what this brings to the future of themed environments. As more destinations embrace living architecture, we believe green walls will become key players in the next generation of sustainable, story-rich design.

Living Walls in Themed Spaces: Integrating Nature, Technology, and Narrative