The renovation and expansion of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at Appleton International Airport (ATW), Appleton, Wisc., features a 276-square-foot green wall installed with the LiveWall^® Indoor Living Wall System. Completed in August 2018, the three-sided living wall is positioned at the end of the security lines, where it serves as green design element that has a natural, biophilic calming effect.

“We set out to make ATW’s TSA checkpoint the most visually appealing and pleasant in the U.S.,” said Patrick Tracey, marketing manager, Appleton International Airport (ATW). “The living wall is essential in realizing this goal.”

“The living wall serves to calm and de-stress the checkpoint,” said Mitchell Walker, designer, aviation architecture, Mead & Hunt.

The transformation of the security area is part of a multi-million renovation and reconstruction of 50,000 square feet of ATW’s commercial passenger terminal designed by Mead & Hunt. The project included opening up and maximizing the space in the security area and establishing dedicated lanes for entering the security lines from the terminal and exiting to the terminal from the gates. Adding glazing, both at the exterior and for interior partitions, brightens up the area with borrowed light.

The living wall is situated at the end of the security lines in the “composure area” (where passengers can sit, put their shoes back on, and gather their belongings). Installed by SMA Construction Services (Green Bay, Wisc.), and maintained by Beauty By The Yard (Neenah, Wisc.), the green wall at ATW covers three sides of a structural wall. The section facing the TSA checkpoint is 10’-8” x 8’-3 3/8.” The wrapped corner section is 6’-8” x 10’-11 3/8.” The section facing toward the gates is 10’-8” x 10’-11 3/8”. In total, the wall includes 148 LiveWall modular planter boxes, which are high-impact, UV-resistant, architectural quality moldings. They contain re-usable inserts that hold the growing medium and contain a mix of five different indoor plants.

“The LiveWall green wall softens the feeling of the terminal, where many other materials for the flooring and walls are hard,” said Scott Volberding, C.M., ACE, operations and maintenance manager, Appleton International Airport (ATW). “Not only does it provide a calming effect, it quickly became an unexpected attraction.”

“Travelers are delighted with the wall,” said Tracey. “We see passengers taking selfies in front of the wall after they go through security. Their positive experience of the living wall makes for a memory they want to save and share on social media.”