Olivia Garden: the first exotic ecosystem for office spaces in Poland
In May this year, the first office investment in Poland using the Nature Connect concept was opened. The tropical ecosystem recreated by the Malinowski Design studio filled the interior of a specially built pavilion in the heart of the Olivia Business Center office complex in Gdańsk.
Nature Connect is an original concept of our design studio, which goes far beyond the previously encountered forms of interior design using living vegetation. Olivia Garden is a revolutionary project that combines wild nature with urban energy. Many functions of the office building have been integrated into the garden, which forms one of the main domains of the entire complex. During its implementation, an innovative technology for controlling the climate of the garden under the roof was used, which allows to maintain a natural, exotic garden ecosystem, even in conditions without access to daylight. Other solutions, such as green walls, office greenery arrangements or potted plants on desks and in common spaces – are usually based on a few simple plant species that can survive indoors, while at Olivia Garden, on an area of almost 800 m2 we have thousands of plants represented by over 150 species from four continents. The garden is the heart of the Olivia Business Center office complex, with an area of over 200,000 sq m and employing nearly 12,000 people. The building is located in the business district of the Tri-City and is one of the most modern facilities in Pomerania.
What distinguishes this project from others is an uncompromising approach to create the right atmosphere for people in the space of a natural exotic garden. The result was a hybrid of Nature Connect (human-nature-technology-building), a space for work and relaxation with a year-round garden. To achieve this, we have developed a climate control technology that is innovative on a European scale. Such an equivalent of “automatic weather”, thanks to which we can control the temperature, humidity, sunlight and air exchange regardless of changing external climatic conditions, ensure the well-being of plants and the comfort of garden users. It is the only place where a person can feel like in an exotic landscape and do not feel the discomfort that often accompanies being in the tropics.
The garden is decorated with plants from Indonesia, Australia, New Guinea, Madagascar, Venezuela or tropical Amazon forests. Among them, are 10m high black olive, tree fern, cocoa tree or Indian mango. They create four zones for garden users: dialogue, relaxation, coworking, food & drink. A mezzanine, paths and ramps were built between them. The Nature Connect formula is an open project, each time precisely adapted to the investor’s expectations and the building’s capabilities.
