THE URBAN JUNGLE - How nature took over the office
Step into Amazon’s Seattle office and you’ll be met with the breath-taking sight of three ginormous bio-domes, each filled with plants. These 90 foot spheres are not only incredible to look at, but they are there for good reason. When construction started on this project five years ago, nature was always part of the plan and was set to be an integral part of the building’s design. Dale Alberada, a principal architect on this project, said that he wanted to bring the outside into the confines of the office, giving workers an immersive and relaxing work environment. This was where the idea of the domes manifested and became the beautiful spectacle it is currently.
Source: www.wired.com
Another building that plans to incorporate greenery is Italian architect Stefano Boeri’s Nanjing Vertical Forest in China. This amazing building is set to covered with over 10,000 trees and 25,000 cascading plants, creating a green jungle in the heart of the Pukou District of the city. The building hopes to provide housing and office spaces whilst simultaneously making the city cleaner by exuding oxygen. Boeri aims to take the vertical forest concepts throughout China in an attempt to help offset pollution.
The wonders of biophilic design are recognised and praised all over the world, with these large scale projects
It’s not just the big corporations who are harnessing the power of plants, the move towards greener, eco-friendly interiors has been a growing trend throughout offices big and small. Not only is it an attractive design, the benefits of installing greenery in the workplace are boundless. Even just a few houseplants can clear a room of dust by up to 20% and significantly reduce the levels of carbon dioxide in just twenty-four hours, so imagine what a whole living wall could do!
At Funky Yukka, our passion is plants and we believe that offices filled with foliage are the way forward for both businesses and their employees. Just take a look at the latest studies which show that plants help workers come up with ideas and get creative , or that allowing staff an input into the design of the working environment that includes greenery can reduce absenteeism.
With these physical and psychological benefits making up just a few of the many, it's little wonder that our cities are fast finding themselves taken over by the jungle!
Source: www.dezeen.com