Project Overview
The client: Coloplast, a medical device and medical supply manufacturer
Job description: Refresh dated common areas and training spaces
Goals: Attract and accommodate a hybrid workforce, and bring the Minneapolis office in line with the corporate headquarters in Denmark
Timeline: One year
Key plant design components:
- Moss Art
- Living Wall
- Large planter
- Vertical plants
Summary
Coloplast’s Minneapolis office is the American headquarters of a Danish medical device and medical supply manufacturer. Post-pandemic, Coloplast sought to create a warm, contemporary atmosphere that would encourage their hybrid workforce to return to the office, including natural light and lush plants.
Coloplast underwent a major renovation, led by a local architecture firm. The architect supplied renderings indicating the placement of living plants and moss art installations, and the Plants By Design design team worked to make those ideas reality and to provide the detailed plant design and installation.
Ultimately, Plants By Design provided the plant design and installation for a large architectural planter, an eye-catching array of vertical plants that doubled as a cafeteria room divider, moss art, and a living wall.
When the plant and moss art design and installations were complete, the plants lent warmth, texture, and softness to previously bland, sterile common spaces in the Coloplast headquarters.
Considerations
- Multiple players, including the architects in charge of the renovation, plant suppliers, and a moss art fabricator.
- Budget, which limited the size of the final moss wall.
- Water tightness.
Results
Moss Wall — Training Lounge
The original vision for this moss wall was an entire wall with a television floated on top, which would have been massive. Budget considerations led to a reconceived concept for a 5-foot by 8-foot design, which is still large and visually impactful. Our designer met the architect’s design team and project manager on-site to mock up the final size and created the final moss art design.
Vertical Plants — Cafeteria
A wood slat wall in the cafeteria contains 24 plants from three different pothos varietals. The leafy pothos provide pops of green and leafy texture amid the space’s neutral colors and straight lines.
In addition to its aesthetic purposes, the redesigned cafeteria’s vertical plant wall demarcates traffic zones in the cafeteria space. The design of the wall separates the dining area from a self-service station, while still allowing light and air to pass through.
Moss Wall — Cafe
A moss wall in the cafe provides visual relief and bright, lush color amid dark walls and neutral furnishings. The curved lines of the moss art add visual ease and softness to the space. The moss art will stay vibrant with no ongoing maintenance required.
Built-in Bench Planter — Hallway
Before the renovation, this office hallway was bleak and had unused empty space.
A mix of three low-maintenance plants — Sansevieria (snake plants), Dracaena fragrans (limelight), and Alocasia Polly — breathe life into the space under the stairs and provide an appealing backdrop for employee connections and conversations in the hall.
The hallway space does not receive natural light. Instead, supplemental lighting is used each night. The artificial light is mild and encourages slow plant growth, which is easier to maintain over time.
Living Wall — Hallway
Calatheas, pothos, Dracaena fragrans (limelight), and Asplenium nidus (birds nest fern) provide visual relief and the refreshing scent of the outdoors in a previously unadorned hallway.
The living wall is in a prominent place in the corporate headquarters. It is a short distance from the entry, and one of the first (or last) things employees and guests see when entering or leaving the building. It is also en route to the cafeteria, ensuring that nearly everyone on campus passes through this hallway regularly.
Making sure this installation left a positive impression was essential. As shown in this photo, the living wall is over six feet tall. Coupled with the depth of the leafy plants, the scale of this living wall makes a lush statement.
We also worked with the client’s contracting team to ensure that the wall met the Americans with Disabilities Act criteria for protruding objects so that the hall remained accessible and welcoming to all.
To work with Plant By Design’s talented team of designers and plant installation and maintenance experts, send us a message or give us a call.
