Multinational Unilever improve performance by bringing nature indoors at Lever Fabergé

Citation

(2001), "Multinational Unilever improve performance by bringing nature indoors at Lever Fabergé", Facilities, Vol. 19 No. 13/14. https://doi.org/10.1108/f.2001.06919mab.008

Multinational Unilever improve performance by bringing nature indoors at Lever Fabergé

Multinational Unilever improve performance by bringing nature indoors at Lever FabergéKeywords: Natural resources, Office landscaping, Performance improvement, Sick building syndrome

Interior planting, courtesy of Greenwood Interscapes and architects Imagination Ltd, has helped Lever Fabergé in Kingston realise some of the criteria in a survey about how people experience and enjoy nature by benefiting from the presence of plants.

Included in the design for refit of the Kingston offices, architect Tony Fox of Imagination Ltd designed a dramatic planting scheme. Working with Sandra Greenwood of Greenwood Interscapes, they introduced 26 braided stem Ficus benjamina and 15 Rhapis Palms into the actual working spaces to give the offices a sense of nature indoors.

"The planting scheme has produced a positive response from staff," claims Attilio Peddle, Assistant Administration Manager at Lever Fabergé. "They find it creates a calming and tranquil atmosphere."

As more than three-quarters of all Londoners spend more time behind a computer screen than they do enjoying nature, staff at Lever Fabergé's newly refurbished open plan offices will appreciate the trees as they can now benefit from the joys of nature at the same time!

International research, collected by Plants for People, has also found that working in planted workspaces reduces headaches, blocked sinuses, dry coughs and skin irritations. So Lever Fabergé and their staff reap the benefits of nature in more ways than one.

Bringing nature indoors

The Ficus trees are installed around the perimeter of the floor space where they get good light, whilst the Rhapis are planted in the inner spaces.

The Ficus trees stand 2 metres high, "Some plants had to be trimmed to fit into the building," Sandra explained, "but they have made an incredible impact on the appearance of the offices and Lever Fabergé are very pleased."

Greenwood Interscapes will be responsible for the maintenance of the plants to make sure that they are watered and fed regularly and kept looking at their best.

Stresses of modern living and working

To promote one of their brands, Timotei, Lever Fabergé commissioned NOP Solutions to carry out a survey for them to find out what effect nature has on us. Some of their findings suggest that the pressures of modern living mean that many of us no longer benefit from nature.

Although well over three-quarters of those questioned said that spending time outside or in contact with nature made them feel happier and 83 per cent said it made them feel refreshed and revitalised, over half of them (60 per cent) had not spent time outside in the previous week.

Almost half of those questioned felt stressed during an average day and this figure rose to 65 per cent amongst 25-34 year olds.

Supported by academic research

Staff at Lever Fabergé will benefit from academic findings that plants have a calming effect. The USA's Professor Virginia Lohr and the UK's Helen Russell found that working in an environment with plants reduced the physical symptoms of stress.

In their research studies, they found that participants' blood pressures, pulse rates and skin conductivity all returned to normal more quickly when they worked in planted environments.

As Lohr also found that, because concentration levels were better in the planted environments, productivity went up by 12 per cent, Lever Fabergé will benefit too.

Aesthetic and healthy – the way forward

Sandra Greenwood, whose company is a member of the European Federation of Interior-landscapers Groups (eFIG), is very pleased with the results of the planting scheme. "The plants look great and are helping staff to enjoy better health as well as the beauty of nature indoors."

For further details about interior planting or maintenance please contact Sandra Greenwood at Greenwood Interscapes. Tel: +44 (0) 1895 436325, E-mail: sandra@greenwood-interscape.co.uk.

For further information about the health benefits of plants, please contact Colleen Smith at Plants for People. Tel: +44 (0) 1722 335858; E-mail: pfp@jerviscom.demon.co.uk; Web site: www.plants-for-people.org

For further details about the design, please contact Tony Fox at Imagination Ltd. Tel: +44 (0) 20 7323 3300.