Project profile: JACK Casino

By Emma Peterson. 

Furbish’s hydroponic living wall system brings cleaner air, calming energy and sustainable design to the heart of downtown Cleveland’s nightlife.  

In the heart of downtown Cleveland, Ohio, sits the JACK Casino. JACK Casino opened in 2012 and was Ohio’s first full-service casino. Located inside the historic Higbee Building, the property features more than 1,100 slot machines, more than 100 table games, multiple bars, a seven-station buffet (that has been voted Northeast Ohio’s best buffet) and three fast-casual dining outlets. With approximately 1,500 team members, the JACK Casino has quickly become an iconic part of the Cleveland nightlife scene. And greeting each and every visitor to the space in the main atrium are two living walls.  

The living walls 

A newer addition to JACK Casino, the living walls were a part of a more recent renovation to the casino. Designed into the space by KA Architecture, these walls and the lush greenery that lives on them create a showstopping entrance for the casino.  

They sit in the main atrium entrance and the east lobby and cover a combined 3,400 square feet. This makes them one of the largest hydroponic living walls in the country. The stunning nature of this design has been recognized for its brilliance, with the installation being named by BUILD Magazine as “Best in Living Systems Design & Installation – USA and USA Commercial Project of the Year 2018: Thistledown Atrium Lobby – BioWall Living Wall in the category of Sustainable Building.” 

Behind the BioWall 

These walls were installed by contractor Whiting Turner and engineered by the expert team at Furbish, a SOPREMA Group Company. Specifically, the product used in JACK Casino was Furbish’s  SOPRANATURE® BioWall. These are ultra-thin, hydroponic living walls that not only create a stunning aesthetic, but also bring functional benefits such as:  

• Improved air quality: The plants living and growing on the BioWall naturally filter the surrounding air, removing pollutants and creating a healthier space.  
• Calming atmosphere: Studies have found that meaningful contact with nature, like being around the biophilic design of a BioWall, boosts mental health. 
• Effective and efficient: Covered by a full warranty, BioWalls are nutrient and dimensionally stable. This means that they are low maintenance, making care more efficient and reducing energy/water demand.  

Learn more about Furbish’s BioWalls online!