Offices have evolved tremendously in recent years. They are becoming more and more like a domestic space, incorporating new color palettes, flexible furnishings, warm textures, and even greenery as part of the design. In the latter case, it is not simply an aesthetic addition, but the greenery is integrated in such a way that it completely transforms and enhances the work experience of the people inside. How can plants become protagonists of the workspace? Let's review 7 cases that creatively integrate them in favor of the well-being of users.
For the Loft Office project, jvantspijker architects have renovated an old industrial warehouse, and vegetation is an essential part of the intervention. A series of pots enliven the upper space, taking advantage of the ceiling's height to create a relaxing garden over the meeting room, which also helps to absorb the natural sound of a workday.
In A Hidden Garden Behind the Concrete Walls by Muxin Design, the circular furnishings are surrounded by vegetation planted in situ, turning the interior landscape into a kind of working 'forest': "The original space design was inadequate, streamlined and with multiple irregular shapes that generated dead spaces. [...] The designers abandoned the idea of traditional cubicles and, instead, they aligned desks and shelves in a curved way and moved the 'forest' to the office, thus ending up as an open space with natural vitality."
Another subtle system is the incorporation of steel cables for vine growth. In the Sukhman Yagoda Law offices by Vladimir Radutny Architects, this solution has been used inside a central storage unit, as a "translucent green screen that lightens the massiveness of this object by visually suspending it from the heavy wooden beam."
At the Ho Chi Minh City Offices, 07BEACH + Studio Happ architects designed a new green topography to add greenery in a seemingly natural way. This undulating topography is covered with artificial grass and, in addition to integrating the different types of plants, it functions as an amphitheater for relaxation and informal meetings.
Subtly integrated, the plants of Office With a Patio by Office Shogo Onodera + 2id Architects precisely configure a central patio: "Employees walk through this 'patio' every day and the doors to all the meeting rooms face this void. This patio is a multifunctional space and is the center of all flow lines."
At Rizoma by Estúdio Penha, the initial concept was the 'urban jungle': "The design was chosen to allow a large number of plants and integration with the surrounding green. The landscape design, done mainly in different shades of green, reinforces this connection and also considered natural lighting when choosing the position of each plant. An automated irrigation system ensures healthy maintenance."
As in the previous case, the design of Exotic Workplace Garden by Malinowski Design Urban & Landscape sought to generate an almost extreme jungle space, where vegetation encloses all spaces. The landscaping helps to generate a relaxing garden for offices, integrating a new technology that allows the control of temperature, humidity, sunlight, and air exchange, regardless of changing outdoor weather conditions, ensuring the preservation of plants and the comfort of garden users.
Check out more offices with integrated greenery here.
