Piper Sandler Office Suite

Project Overview

The client: Piper Sandler, an investment banking and financial services company, and the marquee tenant of the North Loop Green office building

Job description: Provide plant design and installation throughout five floors of office space and five outdoor terraces

Goals: Create visual cohesion between the building lobby and common spaces and Piper Sandler’s private office spaces 

Timeline: Two-month design phase plus multi-day installation

Key plant design components:

• Interior plants ranging from small “art objects” to tall Ficus trees 
• Exterior patio planters
• Planters built into custom furniture in office spaces

From the Client

“The space is amazing but what tipped the scale was adding live plants, both interior and exterior, to the space. Employees and clients have all noticed; it makes the space that much more special.” — Danielle Breva, Director, Interior & Construction Management at Piper Sandler

Considerations: 

• Integrate plant design with common spaces of larger office building
• Choose plants that balance tall ceilings without blocking sweeping city views
• Assist with traffic flow throughout the office spaces
• Select plants and installations that tolerate sun and wind on the exterior terraces

Results:

Office Lobby

Pothos and snake plants are planted along with soft green mood moss in small planters and serve as objets d’art on open shelving and a coffee table. 

The eight-foot Ficus lyrata in the corner balances out the proportions of the tall shelving on the opposite wall.

Sunken Living Room

A sunken living area with a fireplace creates a relaxing area for employees to gather. To ensure everyone could see and safely navigate the step down, we surrounded the area with 12 rectangular planters filled with Aglaonema Spring Snow. Not only do the plants enhance safety, they also increase the coziness of the space.

The choice of Spring Snow further continues the visual motif connecting the private office floors and building common spaces. The low height of the plants and planters also maintains the sightline to striking floor-to-ceiling views of downtown Minneapolis.

Collaboration Space

Aglaonema Spring Snow with mood moss top cover are placed in tall fluted planters. The planters demarcate the collaborative seating area in a larger open floor plan. They also continue the theme of Spring Snow used throughout the building.

‍Lounge Floor Plants

Tall plants including Birds of Paradise and a ficus tree balance out high ceilings without blocking the sweeping views. We used planters finished in different textures in the same color for a balance of visual interest and collective harmony. Light streams in from the banks of windows, creating abundant light for the plants, as well as interesting leaf shadows that evolve dynamically throughout the day. 

Hospitality Center — Central Staircase

Tall Sansevieria Zeylanica planted in a built-in display beneath the suite’s central staircase provide a sleek, unexpected centerpiece for passersby and for people in the adjacent glass-walled conference room. 

The plants also provide a practical function: protecting people from walking under the staircase and hitting their heads.

Small Planters

Throughout the space, we included smaller plants such as Sansevieria Hahnii and Pothos Marble Queen in low planters as small art objects. We chose planters in an array of harmonious neutrals, including gray, black, off-white, brass, and ash.

14th Floor Terrace

A mix of Mandevilla, Sedum Lemon Balm, and Pentas receive full sun and high wind on this fourteenth floor terrace. The vining plants are trellised for stability, while the low-lying lemon balm and Pentas will withstand wind. The client chose locally produced containers in dark colors, which reinforced the need to choose plants that can tolerate heat as well as direct sun.

Together, these plants provide a balance of foliage and flowering plants with varying shapes, textures, and colors. We used this design across five floors of outdoor terrace.

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From the Client

‍“The nice touches of greens and color have taken the space to the next level. From my initial meeting with the team to execution all was seamless. The team from Plants by Design is amazing, thoughtful, caring and their knowledge of plants is incredible. I could not have asked for a better experience.” — Danielle Breva, Director, Interior & Construction Management at Piper Sandler

‍To work with Plant By Design’s talented team of designers and plant installation and maintenance experts, send us a message or give us a call.