Contact Samuele Martelli, Interior Design Senior Associate Director
samuele.martelli@benoy.com
Contact Rayvees Goh, Director, Landscape Architecture
rayvees.goh@benoy.com
In Asia Pacific, new design approaches are reshaping office environments. Samuele Martelli, Interior Design Senior Associate in Benoy’s Singapore studio, and Rayvees Goh, Director at Uncommon Land Asia, explain how corporate interiors across the region are becoming greener, more homely and hospitable.
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In 2023, the redesign of Benoy’s Singapore studio centred on biophilic immersion, with Benoy’s interior design and landscaping teams (from sister company Uncommon Land) combining their expertise. Samuele Martelli explains the rationale behind the new design:
“We wanted to reflect the ‘City in Nature’ vision of Singapore, while also creating a vibrant and invigorating workspace to boost staff wellbeing and engagement. It goes way beyond typical green wall interventions; it’s more like a living forest environment, with a plant-to-people ratio of 16:1 – that’s 571 plants in total. And the lush greenery is complemented by generous, light-filled spaces. It certainly breaks the mould of the traditional office interior. The staff love it, and clients who visit are really wowed by the spectacle and experience of it.”
The design teams carefully selected plant species known to enhance indoor environments. The leaves of the Everfresh Tree, for example, close at sunset to conserve water, then open again at sunrise, meaning the look and feel of the office changes depending on the time of day. Tropical ferns, Alocasias and Philodendrons provide a variety of textures, shapes and colours for additional visual layering. And a number of species were chosen for their air-purifying qualities.
Benoy Singapore’s recent staff survey revealed just how much the new green designs have had a positive impact on employees. Respondents praised the “bright, open spaces”, “greenery”, “plants and music” in helping to create a “fantastic ambience and mood”.
Above all, the redesign echoes the unique culture of the company, reaffirming its fresh perspective, innovation and commitment to wellbeing and sustainability.
Singapore has always been a global leader in landscape design and greenspace development. From the Garden City Vision established in the late 1960s, through to the City in Nature pillar of the Green Plan 2030, the city-state has been a pioneer in sustainable urban planting, vertical greening and irrigation.
But these trends are no longer limited to the external environment. Increasingly, biophilic design and soft-scaping are being incorporated into interior design schemes – particularly in the workplace. As Rayvees Goh observes:
“More and more, we’re seeing interior and landscape design coming together to ‘bring the outside in’ and make corporate spaces greener. Previously, green interiors meant a few potted plants. Now, clients are budgeting for vertical gardens and green walls, with biophilic servicing being incorporated into monthly maintenance costs. It’s become a real feature of office interiors in Singapore and APAC more widely.”
In the heat and humidity of Southeast Asia, trees and plants help to lower the temperature of hot office interiors through transpiration – a form of passive cooling that can reduce air conditioning needs.
Furthermore, proximity to nature promotes a sense of wellbeing and calm, with employees reporting improved mental health and happiness when surrounded by plants and foliage.
The promotion of green aesthetics and biophilic features is part of a growing trend of making workplace occupants feel more comfortable and at home. Across APAC, there has been a definite post-pandemic shift away from conventional corporate workspace. Indeed, companies are keen to create more relaxed and informal working environments. As Martelli reflects:
“Post-Covid, people want to be in offices that are more casual and less austere. It’s about applying the principles of hospitality to workplace interiors, whereby people are well looked after and catered for, with welcoming spaces, furnishings and materials. Employers want their staff to feel relaxed and happy, more at home – even among banks and financial institutions, we’re seeing a change in tone towards calmer, warmer interiors. And we expect this to develop further.
Similarly, we’re seeing workspace being developed in unusual locations, away from traditional commercial buildings and districts. A number of co-working operators are setting up in the heart of shopping malls and mixed-use retail developments. It’s an interesting evolution.”
This blend of design principles and locations is in keeping with the popularity of mixed-use development across the region. Due to the dense urban environments in APAC, boundaries between building typologies and uses are necessarily blurred, leading to bold and blended design concepts that are asserting their influence on workplace interiors. As Goh explains:
“Nowadays everything here is mixed, so you have workplace combined with hospitality, retail and commercial – both in terms of where offices are based, and the interior design schemes that are being adopted. It provides a rich mix of influences and experiences. It’s very exciting.”
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