When GAP Group moved its head office from Glasgow City Centre to Citypoint 2 last year, live plants were a key feature of the interior design.
The new office on Tyndrum Street, spans over 38,000 sq. ft and overlooking the M8 is surrounded by urban views.
Glasgow based, Studio 42 Design Ltd were appointed as the designer for the refurbishment project and they set out to soften the working environment.
Gillian Lochyer, director and principal architect, Studio 42 Design Ltd said: “In terms of the design, the idea was that wherever anyone sits they should be able see greenery – real planting.”
Incorporating green foliage into the interior supports the concept of biophilia – our innate need to seek connections with nature.
She said: “The initial brief was about staff wellbeing.
“They [GAP] wanted it to be light, bright, airy spacious, modern.
“Anyone doing office design just now is bringing in biophilia, but it’s to what extent you go and we very much said if we are going to do planting then it needs to be real.”
Locker style units, topped with an array of evergreen plant varieties, have been strategically placed throughout the open plan office acting as dividers.
The cabinets are complemented by Palisade II grid shelving units containing live greenery, each with its own unique planting scheme.
Gillian said: “The idea was to have planting at different levels to create softness and to improve the environment.”
She explained: “The height of the plants is designed so as you walk past there is a little bit of screening between the teams and there are better acoustics.”
Using a mixture of upright and trailing plants adds variety and interest to the office space, creating an environment which is beneficial for staff working predominately on display screens.
Gillian feels that this helps the team members rest their eyes and refocus.
“Everyone who has visited the office is complimenting the planting and it is making a real softening on the space.”
Gavin Smith, property manager, GAP
Speaking about the move last year, Douglas Anderson, joint managing director, GAP Group Limited said the company were determined to create a state of the art working environment for all current and future employees.
The family business employs more than 1,900 people across 175 locations in the UK.
Almost 200 staff are based over four floors at the head office in Glasgow.
