Office landscaping is now considered a must, with modern pots available in various colours adding punch to what otherwise would be considered a drab office reception area or board room. Interiorscaping of this kind not only provides an aestethically pleasing environment but also creates a lasting impression on clients and at the same purifies the air inside.
Studies show that a pot plant emits oxygen while filtering deadly office gases. This happens when the foliage soaks up pollutants in the air caused by modern man made furniture, paint, varnish, printers, photocopiers and some air conditioning units. These air pollutants are increasingly linked to various respiratory problems, such as asthma, and also a general feeling of being under the weather.
The NASA Clean Air Study listed the top air purifying plants for homes and offices. It further recommends that fifteen to eighteen good sized houseplants are used in an area of one hundred and seventy square metres. Many of these plants are readily available and do well in Malta such as the Rubber Plant (ficus elastica), the English Ivy, the Peace Lily (spathiphyllum), the Dracaena Marginata, the Mother in Law’s Tongue (sansevieria), the Spider Plant and Scindapsus.
Nowadays offices can also avail themselves of regular plant maintenance services thus ensuring the plants are kept healthy and in good condition even though the office staff may not have green fingers.
Having office plants has been found to help reduce dust pollution, reduce employee stress and even improve concentration and productivity! Therefore a couple of office plants and stylish pots are definitely a good investment and employers should consider it money truly well spent.
