Transforming a Parking Lot: Littleton's Market Container Garden
Littleton's Market at a glance
- Industry: Gourmet Grocery and Café
- Location: Upper Arlington, Columbus, Ohio
- About: An anchor tenant of a strip mall that underwent a massive update and remodeling, seeking to create a multi-season, outdoor café and gathering space.
- Challenge: Define and enhance a large outdoor dining pavilion which was "floating" in a parking lot, by integrating a containerized landscape that also screens views of the surrounding parking area.
Results:
Oakland Green Interiors successfully executed a landscape architect’s vision, transforming the patio into a vibrant, plant-enclosed, biophilic retreat that extends the market’s brand and provides an outdoor oasis for shoppers and diners.
The Challenge: From Exposed Pavilion to Immersive Outdoor Experience
Oakland Green Interiors was entrusted to execute the design concept of a well-known landscape architecture and urban planning firm for the exterior dining pavilion at Littleton’s Market. The goal was to take the newly renovated market’s pavilion, situated in the middle of a large parking lot, and create a defined, beautiful outdoor space that connected back to the market.
The core challenge was clear: bring a high-quality, containerized landscape to life. This installation needed to:
- Enhance the Urban Environment: Screen views of the parking lot and bring nature closer to shoppers and diners, creating an exterior green oasis.
- Maintain Design Integrity and Durability: Carefully select and source plants that aligned with the designers’ vision and could thrive in the specific environmental conditions of an open, flat, and breezy urban site.
- Overcome Logistical Complexity: Install large, heavy containers and over 20 cubic yards of soil on a tight, four-day timeline while the market remained open for business.
The Solution
Oakland Green Interiors implemented a structured, phased approach centered on precision, safety, and minimizing disruption to ongoing market operations.
Strategic Steps for Success
- Custom Sourcing and Container Placement: We custom ordered large, weather-resistant aluminum containers designed specifically to define the perimeter of the space. The largest units measured 6 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 3 feet tall. Careful coordination was required to transport, position, and precisely level each container on the site’s subtle slope to ensure stability and visual alignment.
- Engineered Substrate System: To support long-term plant health and proper drainage, we installed a layered substrate system consisting of weed barrier fabric, six inches of drainage gravel, a second layer of weed matting, and a custom soil blend enriched with compost and organic matter. This system was designed to optimize both performance and durability in a high-exposure urban setting.
- Phased Installation and Site Safety: The installation was completed within a four-day window, carefully scheduled around the market’s peak business hours. Protective plywood was laid to accommodate front-end loader access, while team members managed pedestrian safety and maintained clear boundaries around active work zones. All heavy lifting, including large balled-and-burlapped trees, was performed in accordance with OSHA safety standards.
The Outcome: A Thriving Community Hub
The project was met with enthusiastic feedback from the client, staff, and customers, who were “thrilled to see the space take shape.” The containerized landscape successfully transformed the exposed dining pavilion into a visually engaging, plant-enclosed environment that offers a sense of refuge within a busy retail setting. Towering river birches now serve as a natural focal point, acting as a landmark that draws shoppers into the outdoor space.
This installation demonstrates how thoughtful plant design, precise site logistics, and collaborative urban planning can transform challenging environments into functional and aesthetically-compelling destinations.
Ready to Green Your Commercial Space?
Oakland Green Interiors specializes in translating ambitious design visions into thriving, real-world plant installations. Whether you need a simple biophilic boost or a logistically complex urban plantscape, we’re dedicated to bringing the beauty and benefits of plants to your surroundings.