Project: Office refit

Location:  Berlin, Germany

Interior Landscaping Contractor:  Universal Floral

Awards:  Judges’ Commendation & Gold Leaf

How can an office become more than somewhere to work? For Miro, the answer was to bring nature into the heart of its Berlin workplace. Designed and installed by Universal Floral, the project has transformed the office through an immersive planting scheme that combines biophilic design, practical functionality and a strong focus on employee wellbeing. The project won a Gold Leaf Award and received a Judges’ Commendation.

Building on a successful collaboration at Miro’s Amsterdam office, the brief was to adapt the established design concept for Berlin. The aim was to create a workplace where planting was part of the architecture, supporting different ways of working while providing spaces for collaboration, concentration and relaxation. With hybrid working changing how people use offices, creating somewhere employees would actively choose to visit was an important consideration.

Universal Floral responded with a layered planting scheme that extends throughout the office, from floor-standing groupings and cabinet tops to suspended installations and bespoke joinery. Rather than confining plants to traditional pots, the design makes them part of the way the space is organised and experienced.

The 25 Zorla dividers, incorporating sound-absorbing wool and stone, help define working areas while addressing acoustic needs. Two additional dividers provide further separation, while a suspended metal planter draws the eye upwards. Fiberstone floor planters bring structure to the planting, and bespoke features, including a joinery booth and vanity booth, integrate plants into the interior design.

The wellness room has its own distinctive feature: a modular planter made from fully recycled synthetic material. Comprising 11 modules, it reinforces the connection between planting and the everyday experience of the people using the office.

Across the scheme, a varied selection of plants creates contrasting textures, shapes and shades of green. Monstera deliciosa, Strelitzia nicolai, Asplenium nidus, Caryota mitis and Dypsis lutescens (Areca palm) feature alongside Chamaedorea elegans, Aspidistra elatior, Dracaena fragrans ‘Burley’ and several varieties of Philodendron, Dieffenbachia and Aglaonema. The planting is grown using a semi-hydroculture system with peat-free growing media and LECA (lightweight expanded clay aggregate).

Bringing the design to life required careful coordination. Working within a live construction environment, Universal Floral had to align its installation with the schedules of builders, designers and other contractors. A flexible approach and close collaboration helped the team manage the challenges of a complex fit-out while delivering the scheme to the required standard.

The results have been particularly striking. Following the refit, office attendance reportedly increased by 63%. Although attendance is influenced by many factors, the increase offers an encouraging indication of how the workplace experience can shape employees’ decisions about where they choose to work.

The Miro Berlin project shows what can happen when interior landscaping is treated as a fundamental part of workplace design rather than a finishing touch. Through its combination of planting, spatial planning and carefully integrated features, Universal Floral has helped create an office that feels more inviting, supports different ways of working and brings nature into everyday working life.