Embracing The Future: How Office Farms Are Transforming The Workplace

The changing requirements of workplace design

Based on our experience working with hundreds of owner, occupier and service provider clients over the past few years, we see three significant changes in the world of work that are impacting design decisions across the property sector.

1. Evolving expectations of the office environment

With more choices available for where work is done – be it at home, a coworking space, or indeed the office – the office environment now faces competition. For employers, this shift has impacted design choices, with a focus on creating magnetic spaces that people want to be in. This is evident in the move towards smaller but higher-value, people-focused offices.

For example, HSBC recently announced their move from a tower in Canary Wharf to smaller yet better appointed and more sustainable offices in the City of London. This shift is mirrored by other important UK businesses including well-known life sciences, professional services, logistics and manufacturing companies that we work with.

2. Health and wellbeing as a priority

The focus on health and wellbeing is becoming a defining dynamic for young workers. This trend is reflected in the growth of plant-based diets and other lifestyle choices that are increasingly expected across all aspects of their lives. This is manifesting in the workplace with greater amenities focused on healthy eating (eg health-conscious vending machines) and on new spaces that allow for rest and relaxation.

For example, a client of ours – a global telecoms giant – recently asked us to design an edible ‘zen garden’ space where they encourage their employees to reconnect with nature and take a break in support of their mental health.

3. Tangible commitment to sustainability and social impact

A recent survey by a major asset manager and landlord found that 85% of Gen Z candidates consider the environmental and social policies of prospective employers when evaluating job opportunities. Many of our clients are also telling us that their employees are asking for much more tangible evidence of the company’s environmental and social initiatives, and that they want to be involved in them – not just hear about them in an annual report.

Office Farms: A unique solution for the modern workplace

Against this backdrop, Square Mile Farms are witnessing huge growth in the demand for our Experiential Office Farms. Our unique concept sits at the intersection of the new design requirements for the office, with many clear benefits for ‘people, place and planet’ reported by the big businesses that have already embraced their offering.

Office Farms use modern hydroponic techniques and energy-efficient LED lighting to grow fresh, healthy produce inside commercial buildings 365 days a year. The absence of soil erosion, pesticides and transportation – coupled with extremely efficient water and energy use – makes this an exciting solution to grow nutritious food sustainably, right in the heart of where people live and work.

Perhaps most importantly, Office Farms create highly engaged communities of people who participate in the farming process. Employees can then take home (or enjoy on-site!) the leafy greens and herbs they have harvested, fostering a unique sense of connection in the office… with colleagues, with their health and with the environment.

How Office Farms transform the office

1. Increased productivity

A recent report by Exeter University showed that people working in offices with natural greenery experienced a 15% rise in productivity over three months compared to those without natural elements around them.

2. Truly engaging experiences

Office Farms are highly interactive, allowing for new experiences between employees. People can actively participate in how the farm is run, such as voting on the next plants to grow. Teams can work on their farms together, fostering team spirit and opening conversations about nutrition and food production.

3. Inspiration for positive personal change

Office Farms create awareness about the unsustainability of current food production and the need to shift to more local and less wasteful methods. They make wellbeing and sustainability much more personal, empowering people to make positive changes in their own daily habits and routines.

4. Meaningful experiences for employees

Today, many employees, especially millennials and younger generations, prefer experiences over material things. They expect employers to support their efforts to be healthier and more sustainable. According to a report by IBM, 69% of the full potential workforce say they are more likely to accept a job with an organization they consider environmentally sustainable. Having a farm in the office is one of the few company perks that deliver meaningful experiences whilst also promoting sustainability.

5. Attracting and retaining talent

Office Farms are a compelling way to demonstrate corporate values and commitment to sustainability and wellbeing. In highly competitive cities and industries in particular, employers are looking to offer a much more holistic employee proposition than competitive salaries. For employees, it is the design-led ESG experiences that can differentiate one company from another and be a determining factor in their decision to join, and stay with, an employer.

What’s next: Extending beyond office design

Square Mile Farms envision a world where farms become integral to the modern city design, and it becomes perfectly normal to find farms in all places that bring people together, not just offices and residential buildings, but schools, hospitals, and other public campuses.

By integrating food production into the design of our workplaces and other public spaces, Square Mile Farms is on a mission to make our cities healthier, happier and more sustainable. All thanks to farming, a process that is as old as civilization itself.