August 26th 2010

Urban Planters have welcomed the news that the Green Building Council have recommended that companies be awarded points for enlisting the services of interior landscapers to select the right indoor plants, as part of a strategy to improve the air quality in workplaces and, as a result, make them more sustainable.

The recommendations form part of a recent review of the Indoor Air Quality element of the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), the widely used standard for best practice in environmental design.

They state that, as part of an Indoor Air Quality Management Plan, businesses should aim to reduce the presence of harmful chemicals in the air, and that one of the most effective ways to do this is through using professionals to select the right indoor plant:

‘To ensure an even spread of the correct types of plants with in buildings accredited by the BREEAM systems, 1 to 4 plants per 12 m2 will improve O2 levels and reduce CO2 within buildings. This will reduce energy bills by reducing the amount of work the air conditioning plant has to do. Plants can also reduce large changes in temperature which again helps to keep energy costs low. Planting will improve productivity and reduce absences across the work force again helping to cover the cost of the plants. Points should be awarded for seeking the specialist advice of an interior landscaper to ensure right plant/right place policy is adopted.’

The report also goes further by recommending that businesses be awarded more points if they use the services of interior landscapers to not only select the right specimens but also regularly maintain them.

Urban Planters and the industry’s trade body ‘eFIG’ has been in regular contact with the GBC over recent months, calling for official recognition of the important role plants have to play in creating sustainable buildings and these recommendations bring us closer to realising that aim: we may soon see these recommendations becoming part of all Low Carbon Buildings accreditation criteria as early as 2011.

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