Fitting in with the building schedule

If you are planning to install plants in a new or refurbished building, how do you know when it is the best time to do it?  Can you leave it to the last minute or do you have to schedule the plant installation for an earlier stage?

There are no hard and fast rules.  It all depends on the type of building and the type and size of the plant displays you wish to install.  Here we will only discuss installing large plants in new buildings - possibly the most complex type of installation.  However, all large-scale displays require a degree of planning and it always worth making allowances for this in your project management programme.

New buildings, big plants

This is, perhaps, the most complicated set of circumstances as you have the whole time span from project initiation to final fit-out to work with.  However, it also means that you should be able to get an interior landscape that fits in perfectly with your vision.  Careful project management is required as there are many elements involved.

Factors to consider

There are many factors to consider when planning an interior landscape in a new building.  These are summarized below.  You can also find useful information in Module 3 of this training course.

Available space

Unless you are designing a space specifically for tropical plants, e.g. a conservatory or other horticultural facility, you will probably be thinking about fitting the plants into the space available, not changing the space to suit the plants.  Even so, you need to have a fair idea about the space you have available as that will influence your choice of plants.  You also need to consider whether there is enough space or suitable access to get plants into and out of the building.  If the maximum dimension across the floor is less than the height of the plant you have in mind, then it might be difficult to get the plant in and upright.  See access for installation below for some of the alternative methods of getting big plants into buildings.

Provision of services

If you are planning to have live plants inside your building, you will want to ensure that they will thrive and give pleasure for as long as possible.  This means that you will need to make provisions for light, water and heating.

If you are planning a large installation with built-in planters or tree pits, you might wish to consider specially made irrigation and lighting systems.  Water and power outlets will have to be sited near to, or incorparated into the planting beds.  These will make the maintenance of the plant displays much easier and quicker.  Large interior landscaping contractors will be able to design, source and install such systems.

Access for installation

There are many ways of getting big plants into buildings, but some methods require more planning than others.  Here are some things to consider.

• Are the plants bigger than any doors or opening windows?
• If the plants are brought in lying down, is there enough room to hoist them up to their vertical position?
• Is there enough height to allow the plants to be lifted into their final position, even if the final position is recessed into the floor?
• If you are planning a large scheme, will there be enough space to install the last few plants once the first ones are in place?
• Do you have adequate space outside the building to position cranes, fork-lift trucks, delivery vehicles, etc.?
• If the plants have to be installed before the walls or roof have been installed, can you keep them warm enough?
• If you need to use a crane to lower plants into the building from above, have you checked for overhead cables?

Above five pictures: different methods of handling and installing large interior plants. Below: large palm trees in atriums.  In both these cases, the palms had to be lowered into the atrium by crane before the glass roof was put in place.  The trees were installed just before the roof was added to make sure that they were exposed to the elements for as short a period as possible.

As you can see, some aspects of plant installation have to be planned well in advance, and may need to take place before you might reasonably think.  For example, if the plants are too big to fit through doors, they might need to be installed before the front of the building or the roof have been finished.