Planters, the Dubai based largest interior landscaping company in the UAE have recently won 4 new interior landscaping contracts in Dubai Financial City: Dubai Financial Services Authority; Dubai International Financial Exchange; A.I.G. and Dubai International Capital.
Jonathan Pardoe, General Manager of Planters, LLC., explained: “The interiors of the offices in Dubai Financial City have all been designed by prominent consultants and interior designers. Various elements have been incorporated into the overall design, with a main one being ‘indoor plants’ which are being effectively used to enhance the office surroundings. We worked closely with the client on selecting the appropriate plants and placing them in areas that ‘fit’ within the environment,” added Mr. Pardoe.
Each office has about 50 – 60 plants, which were carefully placed to make them blend in with the design of each office. The plants being used range from branched Dracaena Massangeana, Kentia Forsteriana, and Ficus benjamina, to ground covering plants that emulate grassy tumps.
Plant selections were based on height, shape and colour. A mixture of all three elements were used to provide a varied and interesting landscape. Lighting conditions also played an important part in the plant selection. Certain locations in the offices had very limited amounts of natural light, so specific plants were selected that can be maintained successfully under these conditions.
All plants were imported from the best Dutch nurseries. “We have found that locally produced plants, while looking lush and healthy at the time of purchase are relatively short lived. We attribute this to the high levels of natural light in the UAE and high temperatures, which make indoor plants relatively soft,” stated Mr. Pardoe. He continued, “When moved into a darker, interior environment they experience some shock and tend to decline over a short period. Dutch plants on the other hand are grown in the lower light conditions of Northern Europe and at temperatures similar to a normal interior environment. As a result they suffer no shock when moved to their new location and make a better long-term investment.”
Interior landscaping in offices has become extremely popular in recent years, because, not only do plants beautify the indoor office environment, but also, they effectively remove organic chemicals and pollutants from the air in commercial settings. Additionally, they play a role in the control of humidity – a major factor influencing the quality of office air.
Mr Pardoe explained, “A range of some of the most common interior landscape plants including Ficus benjamina, Dracaena marginata and Philodendron are particularly effective in filtering and cleaning the air.” He went on to add, “The dramatic aesthetic value inherent in indoor landscaping has continued to be the number one return on interior plant investments. Plants in the workplace, attract, retain and enhance the attitude of today’s employees”. Mr. Pardoe explained “Plants clean contaminated office air in two ways, they absorb office pollutants into their leaves and transmit the toxins to their roots, where they are transformed into a source of food for the plant, so they are an extremely efficient and cost-effective way of managing the problem ergonomically.”
The contracts involve weekly visits to the offices by their fully trained staff to clean, prune, feed the plants and replace any of the plants, falling below their high standards, with new plants.
