The impact of corporate gardens

How did you come up with the idea for a book on corporate gardens?

Veronique: “To be fair, my project was partly inspired by NOA outdoor living. I attended the opening and I was very impressed. Closer to home, the Camino Group constructed a beautiful building, which included a roof garden. That got me thinking, so I started looking. Soon, I realised that a surprising number of companies now integrate greenery on or around their company premises. That’s when I knew that I wanted to share this with everyone.”

What prompted this ‘sudden’ interest in a green working environment?

“The people I spoke with, whether business owners or the people behind the initiative, had all read studies on the psychological and sociological benefits of direct access to greenery and the outdoors, which included increased productivity and connection for the most part.”

Connection. Can you give some examples of how this works?

“In some corporate gardens, they have beehives or vines. You can assist the beekeeper or help with the harvest: an informal way of getting people to work together. Other gardens have sports facilities, where you’ll often see the CEO having genuine conversations with their employees while playing sports. There is also a company in the book that always starts by taking its customers on a walk through the garden. Because that’s where you can have the kind of conversations that would never be possible at the negotiating table. And that’s essentially what happens in all the gardens I visited. The conversations there are more genuine than in the office, even if they’re about business. At NOA outdoor living, I liked how employees casually fanned out in the garden in the afternoon: some people are sunseekers, while others look for a quieter, shaded spot. If you missed lunch, you can come out for a chat with a colleague before going back to work. It’s like a town square. There’s always a familiar face. The ever-changing natural environment also always gives people something to talk about.”

What about doing productive work outside?

“You can, with a laptop. However, in an ideal world, everyone should follow NOA’s lead, where there are pavilions and meeting facilities. Or Camino Group, where they have a greenhouse. The idea is that after a break, you can go back to what you were doing feeling mentally refreshed.”

What do all the gardens in your book have in common, even if they’re very different?

“I was surprised by the number of rooftop gardens. And half the company gardens that I visited have sports facilities. It’s also striking how the gardens are almost all designed in relation to the building. The most striking project in this respect was Acterra in Deinze, where the garden was finished before the offices. The idea is that nature will eventually take over the building. Plants can cover the façades, allowing nature to reclaim what architecture has taken.”

About NOA:
NOA outdoor living is an experience park for outdoor design in Kruisem. In the theme gardens, you can find inspiration to decorate your garden. These gardens combine architecture, landscape, and interior, and welcome architects, landscape architects, designers, and contractors as well as private prospects. In this inspiration park, you will find luxurious garden furniture and designs by more than 25 high-end partners, who are happy to advise you as you bring your dream garden to life. Moreover, the park is the perfect professional networking location; the conference rooms, covered patio, spacious showroom, and plaza of NOA outdoor living are the ideal setting for your conference, product presentation, or product launch.

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