Garden on the Wall® installations at workplaces run the gamut from garnish to grand, from petite gardens in small nooks, to breathtaking towering gardens that fill an atrium.
Washington, DC
Confidential
2022
Gensler
In the common areas of this Confidential Consulting Group office, Garden on the Wall®'s installations take yet another direction – pervading the entire office, connecting from space to space like a greenway throughout the floors. The installations are captivating, outré, and transcendent. The photos alone speak a thousand words about the artistry, physical handicraft, and skill involved in creating these beautiful gardens. However, the images don't reveal the extensive collaboration and hard work behind the scenes that made it all possible. Garden on the Wall® team worked closely with the client to bring their vision to life, ensuring that the installations seamlessly integrated with the office's design and atmosphere. After all, despite appearances, these gardens didn't just sprout there!
A seed is sown
Garden on the Wall® has a long-standing relationship with leading interior design firm Gensler, having participated on countless projects. So when the Gensler team reached out in 2021 to discuss the details of their project of this 2-floor workplace in a high-rise office in Washington, DC, we were thrilled for the opportunity. But then our appetites were really whetted… (ambitious goals and challenges really pique our interest!). Gensler was embarking on a complete re-imagining of this workspace, and indeed of workspaces in general. A lofty goal was set to make the offices truly unique and memorable, in a bid to help the client attract the best talent, and also entice remote workers back into the office. And so Gensler came to GOTW with the task of creating a biophilic masterpiece running throughout the space, in many forms and different angles, incorporating wall, ceiling, and column installations! Gensler wanted to maximize the biodiversity and volume of the garden installations they’d envisioned (with us in mind), with additions of flower foliage to the draping columns (ended up being only one). Further, they wanted to align the species used in the design representing the surrounding fauna.
Getting into the weeds
The challenge was particularly in regards to the ceiling gardens, ensuring that they would intertwine successfully and securely to the overhead structures provided by Eventscape. These were something of an indoor pergola. We held conference calls to guide their fabrication so that the blocking necessary for installation (providing a secure attachment) and the garden panels could be seamlessly integrated into the structure. At GOTW we stand behind all the gardens we install – and in the case of hanging ceiling gardens, we stand beneath them! And we want occupants to be able to do that too for years to come, without any risk of adhesion failure. We want our gardens to be as seamlessly integrated and painlessly present for many years, without any maintenance and upkeep headaches. Hence all the planning before hand! The other challenge was the column garden and the use of flexible plywood to achieve the curvature necessary to wrap the suspended column structure. Again, more thought and planning went into this than the occupant would ever imagine simply by enjoying the garden in its finished form. And that’s what we strive for. In the interior design world, we strive to create the impression of natural and effortless grace – and yet only we know how much effort and collaboration it takes to create that magical effect!
And magical it is
It’s not just one garden wall panel that spruces up these stylish offices; it’s a veritable forest of verdant ‘growth’ in every dimension. Sprouting in nearly every vertical surface in hallways on two floors are our all-natural forest and eucalyptus species creations, even in little crannies that will continue to surprise occupants for years to come. Add to that the bedazzling column gardens that present an endless fascination to occupants. And what cannot be missed are our stunning, gravity defying inverted ceiling garden panels – the ones that took so much planning - in the communal work area. Comprised of lush verdancy, the gardens are not only conversation pieces, but conversation absorbers! That’s an important benefit of all this natural, rejuvenating artistry: sound absorption What better way to accommodate all the different work styles employees have, and the need for confidentiality, or concentration. The result is a calming, but inspiring network of oases throughout the workplace. What’s more, the ceiling installations provide a fascinating mirror effect to the trees below in Lafayette Park, as if their reflection is now on the office ceiling!
Others agree
We're delighted that the Gensler DC Team won the Best of Year Award in the Medium Corporate Office category. We are truly thrilled to have played a pivotal role in this project, contributing our expertise in biophilic design. Our involvement encompassed the entire collaborative process, from ideation to installation. We take immense pride in our contribution to this transformative project and eagerly anticipate continuing our commitment to creating impactful and innovative designs in the workplace.
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