indoorlandscaping agency was founded by Andreas Schmidt formerly a freelance landscaping designer with an experimental sculpture exhibition under his belt and with an interest in alternative medicine, naturopathy and homeopathy. Originally Andreas studied chemistry but his interest in design developed at the same time and eventually took over!
Andreas Schmidt
Schmidt explains why he founded the agency: “indoorlandscaping was established in 1998 in Trier, Germany as a means of communication between architects and interior landscapers/nurseries; we’re a combination of design and plant physiological knowledge. Our team includes interior designers, lighting designers and horticulturalists all wanting to create new fresh green ideas.
indoorlandscaping is not necessarily about supplying architects with suitable and exciting plants and the necessary periphery (light, water etc). We aim to deliver tailor made green concepts that align with the architectural language. Our green concepts are interpretations and activations of the space.”
Company philosophy:
In a
high-tech world, more and more people seek respite in green surroundings.
indoorlandscaping reverses this process, bringing plants and greenspaces
to the people.
Our concepts take into account both the emotion of experiencing nature
firsthand, as well as the functional character of greenery.
Our aim is to hone/complement interior landscaping and architectural
concepts to their best. Thus the corporate design of an enterprise is
supplemented in important detail, it becomes recognizable, and a clearer
definition is achieved. (from
www.interiorlandscaping.com)
Plants for People: You have developed the plant wall – Gruenewand ®. Can you tell me how this happened and why? What’s the story of the Gruenewand ®?
AS: It all started with an exhibition for Siemens Automotive: we designed a vertical planted wall for the IAA Fair including customary, pre-cultivated rolled sod. The temporary presentation was good and the idea raised the idea of creating monochrome green walls for the long term. There was nothing similar on the green market, except large leaved tropical plants in soil and felt.
My partner, the horticultural engineer Bernherd Haering developed a new system with additional benefits of the air quality, and what finally became a trademark with a patent pending, called GrueneWand®
PFP: Where have you used this application i.e. which companies
AS: In 2005 we began with green wall projects for the HypoVereinsbank headquarters in Munich and with Ingolstadt Sparkasse. Meanwhile there are about 20 GrueneWand® projects realised such as the Marche International Support Office in Switzerland – via our German distributor artaqua. Current requests are coming from all around the world: USA, Moscow, Prague and Belgrade.
PFP: I know one reason you use the Gruenewand ® is to absorb noise but have you ever suggested a green wall to make the office more healthy i.e. reduce headaches and blocked sinuses?
AS: For sure, affects on the air quality means better conditions for humans – more healthy conditions. Evaporation is one of the main features of our system. For example: because of higher energy transfer rate of humidified air in winter, it is possible to lower the room temperature, the benefit: higher perceived temperature and lower impact on the respiratory tracts. Also there is a lessening of pollutants as they bond with the dust.
PFP: Do you use the Plants for People messages generally to encourage clients to include plants in their workplaces?
AS: Plants for People is an ideal platform to promote the idea of green buildings and there is a lot of information, research references and experiences with regard to indoor greenery.
PFP: Is it a persuasive argument for spending their money on interior landscaping?
AS: I think it is a really good medium to encourage architects and clients to think green, a kind of independent database with different reference points, for support during the decision process.
The ultimate persuasive argument is when the interior landscaping becomes an integrated part into the corporate architecture during the design development. And importantly if there is a budget for maintaining green zones in the long term.
PFP: Are the messages already known by your clients in Germany and other countries?
AS: It depends on the client I think. Many architects conduct a lot of research via the web and will finally find Plants for People or the health messages via ‘Google’ or other search engines. And perhaps plants for people have to dock onto international architectural and design platforms like worldarchitects.com, nextroom.at, baunetz.de…
PFP: Do you have any particularly interesting cases where clients have been sceptical but the plants/Gruenewand ® have worked well to improve the workplace?
AS: Developing a corporate green design for the Munich HVB HQ; the employees in the green trial office zone, became real fans of our designed green spaces; suddenly everybody wanted to have their own bonsai column near his workplace and some people took care of the plants during the trial time, because designing the planted zones had made it worthwhile. That was a really funny experience during that trial period.
PFP: Or have you had any requests to improve the conditions of the workplace by installing plants?
AS: For sure, in one of the current US projects for the Bank of America Tower the Chicago architects, Perkins + Will did a lot of research about the benefits of indoor planting for the sky garden concept ('Positive Impacts from Views of Nature'): such as performance, physiological and psychological factors and healthcare settings. All in all the architects call their study: ‘positive impacts’.
PFP: Which are the most used plants in your walls?
AS: Subtropical shrubs like Ficus pumila, Philodendron scandens, Pilealibanensis, Soleirolia soleirolii, but also some fern varieties.
PFP: Do you restrict your clients to large global companies or do you also have small independent businesses that you supply?
AS: For sure large companies with their new green and sustainable buildings are interested in the new technique, but we have also requests from a smaller advertising agency & a solar company.
PFP: How often do you maintain the walls once they are planted i.e. do you have a regular maintenance contract?
AS: Our distributor will offer the GrueneWand® with 1 year maintenance included. The service depends on light levels, plant species and customer preferences – but pruning and cleaning of supply channels and draughts is usually once in quarter.
PFP: Lastly, can you tell us if you will be working on the Grand Hyatt Spa in Moscow i.e. have you won the contract with them?
AS: It's still in progress. landscape architects from London did a concept including a bar code of green walls. The Russian investor group is really interested in doing the 1st green wall in Moscow. Let's see what happens...
October 2007