TATA EIDC

These days our clients tend to want plants for their health benefits as much as their good looks. In fact, as more of our customers learn about the many ways that planting can improve the health and productivity of their workforce, the more a planting for wellbeing becomes a priority.

TATA is just such a client. Their brief was simple: to create a healthy, green working environment with indoor office plants. Keen to show their workforce how office plants can create a workplace which does them good, they even created an infographic video, shown on screens throughout the site, explaining how the plants around the site are improving their indoor environment.

The scheme features a range of indoor plants in white containers. Far from boring, bright whites can really stand out against dark green foliage, while thoughtful container selections such as playful planter shapes or ingenious, integrated troughs can become features around the workplace.

Some 27 integrated cabinet-top troughs were used around the site. Space-saving and clutter-preventing, these bespoke planters are increasingly popular in our office planting schemes.

The lighting is good in all areas, but we noticed some temperature fluctuations and also a restricted depth of planting space. Also, the troughs were only 15cm deep, too shallow for soil-based plants. To overcome this, we used hardy hydro plants Scindapsis Epipremnum Aureum and Hydro Scindapsis, which sit happily in the containers.

In the reception, large “blob” planters, housing Aglaonema Silver Bay, Zamiofolia Zalculcas and Yucca Elephantippes create focal points and at the same time solve health and safety issues by stopping people from walking under low-lying stairways.

At the reception, a desktop orchid arrangement brings exotic colour and sculptural form without the need for regular floral display refreshment.