Form is now as important as function. Integrating greenery like vertical gardens into interior fitout services not only adds beauty, but it brings many practical benefits too.
Before we look at why vertical gardens are a good idea, let’s look at what they are. Sometimes referred to as living walls, green walls or plant walls, as the name suggests vertical gardens are plants that are displayed stacked up a wall rather than horizontally along the ground.
From climbing plants grown on a support structure or frame, a panel of plants that have been pre-grown on a wall or plants placed in pots and attached to the wall or free-standing, there are many variations of vertical gardens. While you can grow plants yourself, in an office it usually makes sense to have them installed pre-grown for immediate coverage.
Like any living plants, you’ll need to factor in regular watering and removal of dead or overgrown stems. You can either take care of that yourself, or pay for regular maintenance.
With so many different options to choose from, you’re sure to find something to suit your office and budget.
Benefits of vertical gardens in your office
These days, for any interior fitout services in the Sydney CBD, environmentally sustainable office design will be an important part of the brief. By bringing the outdoors in to create a greener workplace green walls can completely transform your space much like a living artwork.
To see an example, Vestra added living vibrance and colour within a warehouse-style shell by using a custom green wall and greenery throughout our interior fitout services for the Archetype agency.
On top of looking superb, vertical gardens offer many other benefits:
- Healthy environment: It is widely acknowledged that having plants in your office improves oxygen and air quality, and is good for staff morale. Read more in our article Going green: 5 ways to create an environmentally sustainable office.
- Space saver: Unlike traditional planter boxes, a living wall uses a minimum amount of horizontal space, which can be ideal in an office setting where floor space is at a premium. You can choose the size that best fits your space.
- Noise absorption: If you select a living wall with dense foliage, this can help reduce the echo and dull the noise from adjoining office areas. This is good for privacy, acoustics and lowering distractions, and can be particularly effective in high traffic areas.
- Energy efficient: Vertical gardens can help improve energy efficiency by reflecting and absorbing sunlight which can help keep the office cool in summer and provide better insulation during winter. You can also select a watering system that recycles and reuses water.
- Stand out from the crowd: Green walls create a welcoming atmosphere for your staff and create a great first impression for customers, clients and other visitors. And if you are doing product photography and taking pictures of your team, a living wall can make a stunning backdrop.
- Branding opportunities: Some businesses even incorporate their logo and/or wooden lettering within the vertical garden or use flowers to spell out the name of their business in reception areas.
How to choose the right plants
From climbers or individual pots to moss, succulents or even edible walls, the options are virtually endless. Every office environment is different so when choosing the best plants for your green wall, you’ll need to consider factors such as:
- the amount of natural light, humidity and temperature
- the size of your space
- the colours and textures that will coordinate best with your office decor
- your budget
- how much time and money you want to spend on maintenance
- drainage, irrigation, soil and air quality
To make sure you choose plants that are suitable for your conditions, we recommend getting expert advice so that your garden is designed well and installed properly to ensure it flourishes long term.
If you are worried about keeping your living wall looking healthy, there are plenty of plant hire companies who can not only help you choose your plants and install them, but they can also take care of the ongoing care and maintenance and replace any tired ones as needed.
If you don’t want to pay for maintenance (and don’t have a green thumb!), an alternative option is to install an artificial green wall. This will mean your vertical garden will stay looking fresh and healthy all year round with just a little dusting, and the garden can be placed anywhere without worrying about temperature, lighting, soil and air quality.
Related reading: Live plants vs artificial plants: What’s best for your office fitout?
Interior fitout services to help you go green!
At Vestra, we know how important it is to integrate sustainability into interior fitout services and office designs. If you are thinking about a new office fitout in Sydney, chat to us about how we can help you incorporate vertical gardens into your office design.
Whatever your requirements are, our expert team has years of experience planning, designing and building environmentally sustainable workspaces. With our full-service office fitout, we can help you get the most out of your office space.
