Octopus Energy

Client overview

Octopus Energy, the renewable energy folk who's brightly coloured vans you just can't miss, relocated their office to Friargate, Coventry.

They were miserable with their current planting and wanted to have a fresh start for their new offices. Their fun ideas and playful nature meant they matched perfectly with our cheekiest rep.

The brief

Working closely with the Octopi and fitout contractors Maris, we worked on a brief that made planting a central element, immersing staff and visitors in greenery. We recommended a mix of live, replica, and preserved planting to balance greenery with maintenance needs.

Challenges

The under-stair planters were a unique addition to the project—something we hadn’t done before—but worked out really well, brighting up what would otherwise be a dull space in a bright pink stairwell!

What we did

Here's a run-down on the planting systems and plant types we used throughout the space:

Stairwell Planting

The under-stair areas are dark and lack either natural or artificial light. This meant our best bet was high-quality replica planting. As most of the planting seen through glass, it's less obvious that it's not live planting. We used larger specimens including Strelitzia, Monstera, and Dracaena, along with some Sansevieria.

Coffee Bar & Tea Point Planting

There are several large coffee bars throughout the space. For these, we used our Ceiling Raft system with 100% foliage coverage. Again, for these we used replica planting due to both loading weights and maintenance requirements. We used trailing plants such as Scindapsus, Pothos, and ferns so the planting cascaded down from the grids. At the tea points, there are lots of shelves for kitchenware, we planted these up with pots containing Chamaedorea Elegans and Scindapsus Aureum.

Palisade Planting

The palisade planting is one of the first things that you almost hit as you walk in. You're greeted by a giant pink neon floor number on a reindeer moss backing and the shelving is filled with fluffy octopi. On these shelves, we also have troughs of Aglaonema, Asplenium, and Dracaena Lemon Lime softening the vibrant pink with some greenery.

There are more palisades with integrated planting throughout the space breaking up open spaces and separating off meeting areas.

Snug Spaces

In most corners of the floorplate, there are small snug areas with seating looking out over coventry city. In these areas we created vertical versions of our Ceiling Raft to hang on the walls and regular versions above the seating the goal was to create calm, peaceful areas for people to relax in.

Relaxation Area

The relaxation area has views across the city and is separated from the main office space with vertical frames holding pots filled with trailing plants. The ceilings have full coverage ceiling rafts that make the area feel enclosed, safe and quiet - offering both prospect and refuge.

Floorstanding Planters

Dotted all around the space, nice clusters of plants like Kentia Palm, Ficus Lyrata, and Aglaonema Silver Bay soften areas that are more desk-focussed.

Outcome

When you step into Octopus' new offices, you feel like you've been enveloped by the octopus' tentacles and pulled right into their culture. The purples, pinks and neon lights give a playful, fun vibe (along with the noise of laughter, banter, and conversations) whilst the greenery brings a calming, relaxed feel to social and quiet areas.

The restaurant absolutely comes alive at lunch time, where it's packed with friendly people gathering under the light of a giant illuminated octopus sign surrounded by hanging greenery.

Another stand-out area is the relaxation space, where vertical frames hold lots of pots, giving an alternative take on a living wall and full, lush ceiling rafts soften laughter, the clacking pool table and the thwacking darts.

We actually couldn't put it better than our client, Sharron Bentley: