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Bringing plants into the workplace has plenty of benefits for staff and the companies that employ them. In fact, the advantages of office plants are no secret, but choosing the right plants is just as important as introducing them in the first place. While the most beneficial kinds are considered so because of what they offer the office occupants, boasting efficiency at enhancing air quality and improving general mood, there are other reasons why specific plants may be chosen. A living wall, for example, is a remarkable example of botanic engineering and is hugely impressive to those who see it. But while it is widely agreed to be an elaborate investment, it is highly effective at attracting attention and helping to create a workplace Utopia that staff enjoy working in. When a work place has, or is surrounded by, aspects that are more rough around the edges than sleek and stylish, this is where plants can also be of benefit. Dominate the View Research has shown that in urban areas, an oasis of green is more noticeable than the buildings and features that surround it, even if they are much larger. It has to do with our natural attraction to nature, and the feelings that are associated with green foliage and colorful plants. Just as plants placed in an office environment have real effects, such as filtering the air and reducing air temperature, and psychological effects, like reducing stress and improving office mood, so too will a small park, for example, draw our attention with the suggestion of a better environment. When it comes to using plants in the office, the same effect is at play. Because of our inner desire for a cleaner, happier environment, our eye is attracted to the plant by the window or beside a bare concrete wall, and not the wall or window view itself. Hide Ugly Features It is their ability to hide these ugly features that makes these plants so valuable. After all, not all offices and commercial facilities are designed with interior design being the premium concern. Some work places are designed with function the top priority, not aesthetics. For example, an engineering firm with an active work floor may have offices connected to the manufacturing space, meaning they share the same bare structural aspects. Similarly, large urban shopping malls care little about the quality of the ceiling inside the structure, so the roof structure is within view should anyone look up. The problem, of course, is not in the design or in the structure, but in the negative impression that these features may give of the commercial building, and the resulting effect it may have on office or customer mood. Also, if neighboring spaces are being developed, built or renovated, the view from an office window can be quite ugly. A construction site, for example, can have cranes, metal piping stacked, and sand and concrete mounds with people busily working. In The Office There are a number of things that can be done to hide distracting or ugly features inside an office. It can be as simple as placing some potted trees in front of the offensive feature, thereby blocking them from view. Or it could be placing more colorful plants, or perhaps a floral arrangement, beside a window or doorway. In both cases, the office plants are strategically placed so as to attract the attention of the staff members, making whatever is being hidden or distracted from practically unnoticed. Large Commercial Facilities When dealing with larger commercial spaces, such as an indoor shopping mall or even an airport terminal, size truly does matter. The most beneficial plants in these venues are tall, such as full sized trees, but large floral displays are often used too. The same can also be true in office atriums, with larger office plants being used. Trees are used, not simply to fill the space available over head, but to distract from the sight of the bare underside of the roof above, with its network of rafters and supporting metal beams in full view. When looking up, customers, employees and clients will see the matrix of foliage, breaking up the harsh lines of the engineered roof. Of course, when distracting from such large open spaces, a living wall is particularly effective as it can stretch of 10 feet high and can be used as a dividing wall too.
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