Green Workplaces: Getir & Gorillas
Founded in May 2020 in Berlin, Gorillas offers more than 2,000 essential items at retail prices and needs only a few minutes to deliver them using e-bikes at the customer’s desired address. In December 2022, Gorillas became part of Getir, the quick commerce pioneer.
In line with the company’s move into a sprawling historical complex located in Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood in 2022, Plantclub was brought in to transform the extensive open spaces of a multi-house, multi-story space into an inviting green workplace.
Gorillas and its unique office space presented our design team lead with a major task: creating a cohesive visual composition in a large industrial building that reflected the company’s manifesto. The question was, how exactly does one marry the concepts of connecting with nature in a concrete jungle?
Emma Carey, Gorillas’ Global Workplace Manager, explained the Berlin startup’s intention behind adding greenery to the historic building.
“Being outdoors has always been a core aspect of our operations, along with a commitment to environmental sustainability.”
She went on to explain how the Bötzow site was once home to a grand brewery and when Gorillas moved in it was important to the team that the original rustic elements were preserved while using plants to “breathe new life into the space.”
Plants were used to create warmth in the industrial workspace.
Entering this work space you are greeted with a Philodendron pedatum.
Working with this historic interior design, Plantclub designer Ailsa MacKenzie utilized the multi-story nature of the house and lofty ceilings to bring in vertical plant placements with hanging and cascading plants to create a coherent visual composition from top to bottom.
The plant design also operated on a horizontal scale, in which plants act as the visual glue of the space.
“In order to draw the eye from one plant to the next throughout the space, we installed standing plants beside columns, placing complementary and contrasting plants by each column so no two varieties were next to each other. This created movement in the space and tied contrasting areas together.”
Ailsa’s design concept, following the company’s Jungle Membership subscription, featured the use of plants to conceal structural beams, large standing plants to accent furniture, and sprawling statement plants to fill open areas. The large skylight coupled with shaded darker areas also meant a wide variety of plants were able to be brought in, some bright light-loving, others being of a low light nature.
We checked in with Emma after the install to see how employees had taken to their new green workplace.
“Knowing that plants as an employee benefit can help support a team’s happiness and well-being in the workplace, made it a no-brainer to embrace greenery in the office. The plants have brought in a welcomed sense of calm and serenity in the workplace and are an important detail in making our office feel homey and familiar.”
On favorite areas of the office, Emma picked out the social hub of the space which lies under the skylight and is framed on multiple levels by rich strelitzia that offer a beautiful contrast against the building’s exposed brick and wood tones.
“Working with Plantclub has been an absolute pleasure. The team carefully curated the perfect selection of plants to brighten our workplace and elevate the employee experience.”
Check out more photos of the Gorillas workspace!
Plantclub.io provides you and your colleagues with the benefits of plants, wherever you work. Rent office plants and transform your space into a green oasis, with flexible monthly membership options to suit your size. Diversify your employee perks with a dedicated company store, where you can give green gifts and your team can buy plants for their home office. Book a time to chat with us today.