Working at the intersection of horticulture, art and architecture, David has applied his passion for plants to a growing list of innovative projects, building a broad variety of modern, human-centric spaces with abundant plant life at their heart.
David is a pioneer in the field of vertical gardens. He holds a degree in Environmental Horticulture Sciences and Psychology from California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo. He credits his time spent apprenticing at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London, with setting him on the path to living wall design. It was at Kew that he came to appreciate the beauty of epiphytic plants—those which have naturally evolved to grow vertically on trees.
David sees his work as an integral part of a public shift in consciousness towards a renewed desire for closeness with nature and an appreciation of the restorative effect of plants, especially in urban environments. For David, creating living walls affords the chance not only to promote awareness of native and endangered plant species, but also to have a direct impact on quality of life.
David speaks on the benefit of living walls in urban architecture and his work has been featured in publications such as Fast Company, CBS, Wall StreetJournal, Dwell, Architectural Digest, The Los Angeles Times, Wired, Work Design Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, andSan Francisco Magazine. In 2019 he was honored to join the 2019 Class of the “Top 40 Under 40” by The San Francisco Business Times.
Joining Habitat Horticulture in 2011, Mickey brings a keen sense of the construction process, formal design training, a professional attitude and a lifelong obsession with plants to Habitat Horticulture. His devotion and meticulous manner is crucial in ensuring all design documents design documents and details are fine tuned before handing them off to our installation team. No matter the scale of the project, Mickey constantly is pushing the envelope and recreating our idea of a “living wall” by shifting form and geometry to blur the lines between architecture and living canvas. Mickey has worked on most of our major and more complex projects including SFMOMA,, Salesforce, 45 Lansing, Tesla, Facebook and the California Academy of Sciences. Mickey is a proud graduate of the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo landscape architecture program.
As Director of Maintenance, Emil oversees our maintenance teams throughout the United States. His focus is on keeping our living walls and botanic installations thriving and our client's happy. Emil also ensures that the maintenance crew is able to work safely and efficiently. With over 15 years of Landscape Management experience, Emil is well versed in the complexities of his role—performing each task with poise and a positive attitude. Prior to joining Habitat Horticulture, Emil owned and operated a Landscape Construction company in Seattle and later went on to become Maintenance Manager for Fox Landscaping in the Bay Area.
Collin joined Habitat Horticulture in 2017. His previous roles included Construction Estimator for a high-end stone mason and Site Supervisor for Americorps where he led crews on residential construction projects.Collin is able to see the big picture while also focusing on the details, ensuring that all projects are executed smoothly and within budget.
Kim keeps the wheels in motion at Habitat Horticulture using her seamless coordination skills to work with Contractors, Architects, Sub-Contractors and Owners, ensuring all insurance and workers compensation documentation is up to date and compliant. Her attention to detail can be attributed to her experience working as Office Manager for Osborne Partners Capital Management.
Maria, Associate AIA, LEED AP BD+C, joined Habitat Horticulture as Project Manager after working for 12 years in high performance design at a design engineering firm in San Francisco. Maria previously led the high-performance design effort on dozens of large projects in a wide range of building sectors. Maria is an expert in daylight design and analysis but also focused on other aspects of building performance such as energy, thermal comfort, and water efficiency. Maria’s transition to the Habitat Horticulture team was a natural fit given her passion for healthy buildings and enhancing the built environment.
Maria has a Bachelor of Science in architectural studies from the University of Illinois and received her Master of Architecture with a focus in climatic-responsive architecture from Arizona State University.
Favorite Habitat Horticulture installation
I especially like two, SFMOMA, because it’s huge and it’s fun to walk around and see different views of it. Second, The Foundry, because it’s super visible and alerts the senses.
Favorite plant species
I learned to love orchids as I rescued many from my former office during the pandemic. On the succulent side, I enjoy watching agave go through its bloom cycle. In fact, I have a mini nursery of agave thriving in my front yard.
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Derek has been a design engineer at Habitat Horticulture for just under a year, which he describes as “some of the best months of my professional career!”
Derek earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental design with a concentration in architecture from the University of Manitoba. He also has a master’s degree in building technology from the Technical University of Delft in The Netherlands.
A hint of his future with Habitat Horticulture came with Team Netherlands during the Solar Decathlon Europe Competition in 2020. Contributing to both the architecture and engineering teams, he was appointed as a building services and sustainability engineer with sole responsibility of design, structure, function, operation, and integration of the PCM Active Living Wall, which contributed to winning eight awards.
Favorite Habitat Horticulture Installation:
Beverly Hills Residence. While the living wall is quite beautiful on its own, the architecture, structure, and overall environment establishes a unified, unique, and harmonious identity. As this living wall stands atop a saltwater pond filled with a variety of different species, I believe that any integration of our systems that not only includes other means of nature but are specifically designed for them are amongst our most successful projects. In addition, this project includes some unfavorable and unique conditions for a living wall application which required a complete team effort. As a result, this project further illustrates what can be achieved from the individuals that make up the Habitat Horticulture team from all departments.
Favorite Plant Species:
The Spider Plant. As I have personally been involved in various R+D projects that directly involve this plant, it is both a robust and performative houseplant with a unique aesthetic. Aside from its associated biophilic effects, the plant is capable of consuming levels of CO2, harmful airborne particulate matter, harmful volatile organic matter, it produces higher levels of oxygen then most, and if enough of them are grouped together in a confined space, it has the capability of mitigating relative humidity and comfort conditions.
Karyn in a maintenance technician for Habitat Horticulture. Karyn graduated from the University of Southern Utah with a bachelor’s degree in biology, including a concentration in biological sciences. Her extensive experience in Greenhouses has helped hone her living wall maintenance skills, making sure each plant gets the care it deserves.
Lucía plays a vital role in our design process, helping to determine how we incorporate our living walls into the buildings and spaces they form a part of. That can mean working an installation into an existing building or helping to place it seamlessly into plans for a new construction. Her detailed 3D renders and architectural drawings give our clients the chance to see how our installations will transform their space, and later they guide our installation team as they build. Lucia holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. For her, the most inspiring spaces are those that evoke emotion by melding the built environment and the natural world. With her experience in large-scale commercial projects and residential buildings, she has an acute understanding of proportion and a keen spatial intelligence. She is also a true plant lover, creating botanical illustrations and artwork in her spare time.
Jordan has been with Habitat Horticulture for over five years and in the plant industry for 15 years starting with Kawahara Nursery in 2007. He manages our maintenance team in the South Bay and helps keep some of our most high profile sites looking their best.
What's your favorite Habitat Horticulture installation and why?
I like the small, simple installations like Palo Alto Network building 2 and 6329 Grand Oak because they are small enough to finish detailing and an excellent solid plant design allows minimal replacements.
What's your favorite plant species and why?
I'm a big fan of bromeliads because they offer many great colors and patterns and can be grown indoors or outdoors.
As an integrated pest management program manager and maintenance technician since 2020, Karianne runs Habitat Horticulture’s Integrated Pest Management Program, implementing strategies such as biological control and pest monitoring to provide long-term pest and disease prevention. Previously, Karianne was a plant science lab technician at an indoor, vertical farming company that used aeroponics to grow herbs and leafy greens.
Karianne graduated from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural and environmental plant sciences, including a concentration in plant protection. There, she was a greenhouse manager and lead student succulent grower for the horticulture department, which fostered her interest in ornamental horticulture.
For the past 12 years, Karianne has volunteered as a tropical landscaper for the Ventura County Fairgrounds, where she’s been awarded best original design, best use of water, best construction, and best in division.
Rafael is in charge of purchasing all of our building materials – a very important responsibility when we have multiple projects going at once, each with their own specific needs in terms of construction, and all demanding the highest quality and attention to detail. By handling the buying side of things, he makes sure our installations run efficiently. He is also tasked with working with suppliers, creating partnerships that mean we have access to the materials we need when we need them, and that we get only the best materials for the highest quality final product. Rafael has over 20 years of experience in purchasing. He is also an avid ballroom dancer, taking part in competitions around the world.
As horticultural technician, Phil is tasked with keeping our plants happy and healthy. His expertise is utilized on a daily basis whether it’s troubleshooting an existing living wall system or overseeing a new installation to make sure that all growing parameters are met and the system is functioning at peak performance. Phil has a deep understanding of plant nutrition and works closely with our design team to formulate a nutrient program for each of our living walls. We can feel confident knowing he’s making sure the plants continue to thrive long after their initial installation. Before moving to the Bay Area, Phil worked in greenhouse production in San Diego County growing hydroponic vegetables.
Christina has more than 15 years of marketing and public relations experience. Christina has brand and agency experience overseeing multiple marketing channels: PR; media relations; digital, radio, television, and outdoor advertising; social media campaigns; and sports and entertainment franchise sponsorships; and experiential activations.
Christina earned her bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in marketing from San Jose State University. She is a California native, having recently moved back to Northern California from Denver. Christina also speaks conversational Vietnamese.
Favorite Habitat Horticulture Installation:
The Foundry III in San Francisco. A multi-sensory experience, and it’s unexpected. Once you enter the lobby, its grand scale and fragrant aroma stop you in your tracks.
Dr. Matt Ritter is a botany professor in the Biological Sciences Department at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California, where he studies California’s native plants, horticultural plants, and trees in the urban forest. He’s the author of several fiction and non-fiction books, and many scientific articles. He is a leader in the California botanical community, editor of the Madrono, the Journal of the California Botanical Society, statewide board member of California Native Plant Society, and the Wildlands Conservancy. He also wrote the funniest and best-selling guide to California’s urban forest, A Californian’s Guide to the Trees among Us (Heyday, 2011). He won the Cal Poly’s Distinguished Teaching Award and the International Society of Arboriculture Award for Excellence in Education.
Prof. Michael Raviv is one of the world’s leading experts in hydroponic and soilless growing media. As part of the Agricultural Research Organization, Ministry of Agriculture, Israel Newe Ya’ar Research Center since 1979, his work focuses on plant production in various soilless media, which led him to initiate (together with Prof. J.H. Lieth, UC Davis), the book: Soilless Culture – Theory and Practice. (2008, Elsevier).
Since 1993 Prof. Raviv’s focus is on Organic Agriculture. His main interest is in composting, different uses of composts and especially their use as suppressive agents against soil-borne diseases. From 1995 till 2014 Prof. Raviv taught the only academic course on Organic Agriculture in Israel, in the Hebrew University, Faculty of Agriculture, Rehovot. Over the years he published 99 papers in peer-reviewed journals, 14 chapters in books, 23 articles in professional magazines in English and 59 articles in professional magazines in Hebrew. In addition he edited or co-edited 7 books.
Michael’s expertise in soilless media has helped Habitat Horticulture refine our vertical growing systems, from our proprietary Growtex® growing media to devising a nutrient recipe that is optimum for long term growth.
Ken Robertson has worked in the real estate industry for over 25 years, executing billions of dollars in transaction volume on behalf of institutional and private investors.
Ken focuses on placemaking, re-positioning strategy, and marketing with keen insight into key value drivers for real estate operators and investment managers.
Ken was born in the San Francisco Bay Area and grew up in south Orange County. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from California State University, Long Beach, and his MBA from the University of Southern California.
Today, Ken splits his time between coastal real estate investing and consulting, providing advisory services to real estate investors at the intersection of happier people and great places.
We are always on the lookout for enthusiastic, plant-centric people who would like to help make our cities a little greener. If you’re interested in joining our team, please send your resume to hello@habitathorticulture.com
