Build Sustainable Awards 2016

AR160075 Picture: André Davignon, President & Artistic Director of FOR. design planning. 59 Company: Plant Designs Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.plantdesigns.co.uk Address: Fleet House, 8-12 New Bridge Street, London EC4V 6AL Telephone: 0207 822 8696 lant Designs passionate about plants and aim to make London greener by providing planting and expert care to keep them thriving, which is central to the firm’s mission, as William explains. “Biophilia is the human need to connect to nature and studies have proven its importance in urban working environments. We aim to make work places better for their inhabitants by introducing planting. By using the right plants, we help to provide cleaner air indoors and out across London. “One of our recent projects, which showcases this, is our work with Novae. The firm moved into their new office space in November 2015, and they needed us to help with the design and installation of their built in cabinet top planters. The plants needed to be slow growing, interesting and above all needed a very shallow rootball space as the planters were not very deep. To overcome the limitations on planting and to meet the clients brief we choose succulent planting. These are slow growing, have minimal roots and would look great throughout the office space. They also require less water than many other plants so they will live well in the shallow planters.” Currently within the industry, clients are looking more and more for recyclable or recycled materials along with products that have a low carbon footprint. Plants are a great way to keep the carbon footprint low / negative as they help reduce carbon naturally. This has led to new regulations around the world, with the USA having specific LEED based objectives that help the Interior Landscape Industry, while the UK is working toward these with the help of industry colleagues and UKGBC. Operating in London, Plant Designs is at the forefront of industry change and are adapting around the challenges the industry faces, as William describes. “Working in the capital is interesting and challenging. We get to work with some of the world’s top firms, in beautiful office buildings across the city. The challenges include how to move around the city efficiently and we have overcome a lot of this by our Horticultural and Sales teams using public transport. This makes getting around the city faster as well as cutting our vehicle usage, which helps the environment.” As his concluding comments William is eager to outline the firm’s future plans, which revolve around growing as a business whilst maintaining their focus on providing quality plant care. Sustainable Horticultural Specialists of the Year – UK & Best Commercial Planting Project: Novae Office Interior Planting Plant Designs offer a range of specialist Horticultural services, supporting the cultivation and care of interior and exterior planting for commercial properties across greater London. We spoke to Managing Director William Braid to find out more. P “Looking ahead, the future is exciting, with plants back on trend we are looking forward to working with some clients on their Living Walls, re-designing their updated spaces helping them achieve their sustainable workplace goals. We look forward to the opportunities this will bring.” Plant Designs