Agave bloom at the planterra conservatory
The Planterra Conservatory is a complex of greenhouses in West Bloomfield, Michigan.
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History and construction
The Planterra Corporation is an interior landscape firm founded in 1973 by Larry M. Pliska, in the business of design consultation, installation, plantscape maintenance, floral display and holiday decorating. It is also a distributor of live and replica plants in the United States. It is co-owned by the founder, his wife CEO Carol Plinska, and their son Shane Pliska. The company opened the Planterra Conservatory as an extension of their original business in 2010. Construction began with a groundbreaking attended by county and town officials, including Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, in October 2008.
The Conservatory was established in West Bloomfield, intended to combine plant shopping with the experience of simply visiting an indoor garden. It was also designed to host public events like weddings and exhibitions. The structure is 23,000-square-feet, and take two years and $4 million to construct. The space is enclosed in three adjoining glass greenhouses with European hipped rooflines. It was built with an advanced weather system on its roof that controls heating vents and cooling curtains to provide energy efficiency to the complex.
Installations and events
Shane Pliska explained that the structure was not built in order to host events, however individuals approached the company beginning before the structure was open in order to begin hosting events there. In March 2011 the Conservatory hosted the inaugural Botanical Glass Salon and Exhibition. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra also hosts concerts in the building each year.
In September 2011 the Conservatory and design firm was awarded three National Awards of Excellence by the Plantscape Industry Alliance for the following projects: the renovation the Palmhouse at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Canada, the Meditation Garden at St. Joseph’s Mercy Hospital in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and the Living Wall and Bar at Planterra Conservatory. In 2011 Crain's Detroit Business named Shane Plinska one of its 30 under 30 for his influence on the company, including the creation of living walls by Planterra, as well as interior projects at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, the Oakland International Airport, for Caesars Entertainment, Inc., for Boyd Gaming Corp., and at the MotorCity Casino.