San Francisco International Airport
Looking up at the towering canes from the lower level (arrivals).
Landscape Architect: POBLA, San Francisco
Grower & Consultant: Tornello Nurseries, Ruskin, FL
To welcome visitors with warmth and spirit, it had to be bamboo. This airport is widely regarded as the “Gateway to Asia”, and the majestic bamboo creates a significant Stateside image: some 30,000 visitors per day would remember this
A closeup of one of the P. bambusoides culms (canes).
Tops of the P. Bambusoides seen from the upper level (departures), with construction almost completed.
Phyllostachys bambusoides was the chosen species, as it had all the characteristics that were sought, namely, height (55’ from the soil line), vertical character and heavy culms (2.5-5.5” diameter), and lush, broad-leafed foliage, which would utilize all available natural light.
A bonus: bamboo is an extremely efficient air-cleanser, generating rich supplies of oxygen.
Tornello Nurseries’ Florida location was contracted to custom-grow the 30 matching, 9-12 plants-per-pot, specimen bamboo.