A worksplace nestled in an exotic garden is filled with various plants taken from many countries like Australia, New Guinea, Madagascar and the tropical Amazon forests in Gdańsk, Poland.

Named Exotic Workplace Garden, the 800-square-metre space, designed by Malinowski Design Urban & Landscape, is situated the heart of the 200,000-square-metre Olivia Business Center office complex serving nearly 12,000 people. 

The building is located in the business district of Poland’s Tri-City and is one of the most modern facilities in Poland.

Comprising a singly story with a mezzanine floor, the working and seating points almost disappear within the garden and an access is provided via wooden pathways, it feels like taking a walk in the woods.

While the main garden is placed at the heart of the garden, co-working area, dry plant zone, private zones, tribune and a wild river are arranged around the main garden.

The design team aimed to create a natural exotic garden, so they used a hybrid approach of the Nature Connect concept - combining human-nature-technology and building – a space serves for work and relaxation together with a year-round garden. 

"To achieve this, we have developed new climate control technology – an innovative solution on a European scale: the equivalent of “automatic weather”, controlling the temperature, humidity, sunlight, and air exchange, regardless of changing external climatic conditions and ensuring the well-being of plants and the comfort of garden users," said Malinowski Design Urban & Landscape. 

"It is the only place where a person can enjoy an exotic landscape without the discomfort often accompanying actually being in the tropics."

As the studio explains, "the Nature Connect concept assumes that the arrangement of the entire space, built in the right way, can fully reflect the atmosphere of a natural ecosystem, and thereby positively influence the people there." 

The design team has considered the most important elements in the project, such as noise level, air quality, type of light, and environment needed to be managed effectively. "The lively, rich ecosystem of the rainforest has been recreated with great care," as the team highlights.

Offering like a real forest atmosphere, the design team used plants from various countries, such as Indonesia, Australia, New Guinea, Madagascar, Venezuela, and the tropical Amazon forests. 

The team divided the space into four zones: Dialogue, Relaxation, Co-working and Food & Drink. A mezzanine, terraces, paths, and ramps have been built between them.

"Olivia Garden is the first step towards solutions that help us better understand the relationships between human comfort and nature," the studio added. 

"By introducing Nature Connect infrastructure, we have created a connection with the atmosphere of nature, bringing a positive effect on the level of commitment, creativity, and interaction between users."

The team added that "Thanks to the technology and experience of Malinowski Design, similar installations can faithfully reflect almost any part of real tropical ecosystems, with full climate control and concern for the well-being of people." 

According to the studio, it does not have to be a greenhouse or a pavilion - it can be any vibrant and energetic space where there is a potential for peace when an advanced technology systems are implemented and designed accordingly.  

The garden consists not only of lush vegetation but also other elements, for example, rainforest. Fallen trees overgrown with moss, rocks entwined with tree roots – these all reflect the natural environment.

If the studio didn't use a climate control system, as they noted, the garden would be unbearable for its users. "Olivia Garden is a typical greenhouse facility which, according to an analysis carried out by Cundall, can reach temperatures of over 50 Celsius degrees in summer periods without climate control. In winter, the building loses temperature quickly due to the high thermal inertia," added the firm. 

"The same goes for humidity or sunlight. Heating or cooling alone is not enough to set the right humidity for people, so the technology used in Olivia Garden provides full control over these parameters."

The main goal of the studio was to create a garden that "would serve its users regardless of the time of day or year." 

Thanks to the climate control scenario, it ensures the temperature inside both in summer and winter constantly fluctuates between 22 and 25°C. The climatic conditions of the garden run by a climate control system is managed by a single computer. 

This system includes many devices: a heating and cooling unit with a ventilation system, a fogging installation, assimilation lighting, plant irrigation and fertilization system with a nutrient recovery solution, shading curtains, and a mechanism for opening side windows.

Axonometric garden

Plans

Cross-section

Climate control diagram

Climate management diagram

Curtain system

Fogging system

Lighting diagram

Infographic

Mezzanine design diagram

Project facts 

Project name: Exotic Workplace Garden

Architects: Malinowski Design Urban & Landscape 

Location: Gdańsk, Poland.

Size: 800m2 

Date: 2021 

All images © Bartłomiej Chęcinski and Dariusz Malinowski

All drawings © Malinowski Design Urban & Landscape 

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