This e-newsletter brings you the latest information and resources on biophilic design, the industry, and GPGB updates. 

Credits: Athena Blue Global
Photo credits: Photo by Dmitry Dreyer on Unsplash

Biophilic Design: Transforming Retail Environments
In today’s fast-paced, digitally-saturated world, retailers are turning to nature to create balance, wellbeing, and emotional connection in their stores. Biophilic design is emerging as more than a visual trend—it’s a strategic approach that aligns physical spaces with human experience.

Key Insights:

1. The Power of Pausing – Greenery, living walls, and natural textures encourage shoppers to slow down, fostering reflection and deeper engagement with the brand.

2. A Counterbalance to Digital Life – Nature-inspired spaces offer calm and connection, standing out against the sensory overload of screens and algorithms.

3. Strategic Wellbeing – Natural light and plant life improve mood, reduce stress, and enhance dwell time, customer satisfaction, and even sales.

4. Reflecting Brand Purpose – Materials like reclaimed timber and plant installations communicate sustainability, authenticity, and human-centered values.

5. Designing for the Senses – Incorporating stone, bamboo, ambient natural sounds, and subtle scents creates fully immersive experiences that engage all five senses.

Takeaway: For architects and interior designers, integrating plants and biophilic principles in commercial spaces is a meaningful strategy. It elevates aesthetics, strengthens brand identity, and fosters emotional connection with visitors, creating memorable, human-centered retail experiences.

Credits: Ambius

National Indoor Plant Week (NIPW), observed during the third week of September, highlights the mental, physical, and functional benefits of indoor plants. Founded in 2007 by plant expert Mark Martin, NIPW encourages businesses, hotels, offices, and commercial spaces to incorporate greenery to boost well-being, productivity, and overall experience.

Key Benefits of Indoor Plants:

• Mental & Cognitive Gains: Increases memory (20%), concentration (20%), creativity (15%), and productivity (15%), while reducing depression and anxiety (20%).

• Environmental Enhancements: Improves air quality, stabilizes moisture, softens acoustics, and contributes to energy savings.

• Emotional Impact: Even brief exposure—20 minutes around plants—elevates positive emotions and encourages social connection.

Design Considerations:

• Choose the Right Species: Low-light, low-maintenance plants thrive in commercial and office settings.

• Strategic Placement: Desk plants boost productivity; group areas and conference rooms stimulate creativity. In hospitality, plants enhance lobbies, wayfinding, and guest relaxation areas.

• Professional Partnerships: Interior landscaping professionals, like Ambius, ensure plants are healthy, sustainable, and aligned with your brand’s aesthetic, from classic to modern designs.

Takeaway: Indoor plants are more than décor—they’re a strategic investment in well-being, brand experience, and space functionality. Find showcased plant designs, events, giveaways, and other great ways the message was shared via #NationalIndoorPlantWeek.

In this insightful session from AIA25, Dr. Tuwanda Green explored the contrast between biophobia—our fear or aversion to living organisms—and biophilia, the innate human tendency to connect with nature. She shared research-backed insights on how these responses impact well-being and offered practical strategies for architects, designers, and interiorscape professionals to create spaces that foster connection, calm, and human-centered design.

Credits: International Plantscape Industry Alliance

 Celebrate Excellence

The International Plantscape Awards honor outstanding achievements in interior plantscape design, installation, creativity, renovation, and innovation. Recognizing the remarkable ways interior plantscapers connect people with plants, the awards highlight excellence across a wide range of categories—from living walls and atriums to hotel pools, green roofs, and horticultural services.

Key Details:

• Submission Portal Opens: Wednesday, September 17, 2025

• Eligible Projects: Completed between Jan 1, 2023 – Dec 8, 2025

• Entry Fee: $349.99 USD per project, up to 10 entries per organization

• Judging: Entries are scored on merit, with Gold, Platinum, and special Diamond & Emerald awards for top submissions

Winning an International Plantscape Award not only celebrates your team’s exceptional work but also serves as a valuable business asset and marketing point. Join the global community in showcasing the best in plantscaping and inspiring the industry!

Submission Deadline: Monday, October 24, 2025, 11:59 PM CDT

EILO 2025 – European Interior Landscaping Organization
September 25–26, 2025 | Madrid, Spain
Join EILO in vibrant Madrid for two days of connection, learning, and inspiration. This year’s event unveils a refreshed Best Project Award with new categories, including recognition for projects thriving five years after installation. Expect expert-led sessions, innovative project showcases, and networking with interiorscape leaders from across Europe.

ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture 2025
October 10–13, 2025 | New Orleans, LA
A must-attend event for landscape architects. Explore the intersection of outdoor and indoor design, green infrastructure, and planting-led sustainability.

CoreNet Global Summit North America
October 27–29, 2025 | Anaheim, CA
CRE professionals focus on the future of workplace and real estate strategy—an ideal venue to highlight how plants enhance performance, wellness, and value.

Greenbuild International Conference & Expo 2025
November 4–7, 2025 | Los Angeles, CA
The world’s largest green building event. With themes of sustainability, resilience, LEED, and wellness, it is a premier stage for biophilic design and plant integration.

Tropical Plant International Expo (TPIE) 2026
January 21–23, 2026 | Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA

The Tropical Plant International Expo (TPIE) is the premier trade event showcasing the latest trends in foliage, floral, and tropicals. Held annually at the Broward County Convention Center, TPIE brings together professionals from over 50 countries to explore innovative plant varieties, network with industry leaders, and discover cutting-edge products. Attendees can expect a vibrant marketplace with over 1,000 exhibit spaces, offering a comprehensive look at the diverse world of tropical plants.

✨ Why it matters: These events provide architects, interior designers, and landscape professionals with inspiration, insights, and practical strategies for integrating plants into the built environment. Attendees can explore how biophilic design, interior landscaping, and innovative plant applications enhance aesthetics, occupant well-being, and sustainability, while connecting with peers and industry leaders to advance cutting-edge, nature-focused design solutions.

Connect. Collaborate. Grow.

At Green Plants for Green Buildings (GPGB), we believe the best ideas take root when our community comes together. That’s why we host Monthly Supporter Open Forum Calls—an engaging space to share experiences, exchange strategies, and explore innovations shaping the interiorscape industry.

These aren’t just discussions—they’re opportunities to learn directly from peers and leaders who understand the challenges and opportunities of working with plants in the built environment.

 Why Join?

• Collaborate with industry professionals facing similar challenges

• Gain fresh ideas and real-world solutions from diverse perspectives

• Stay ahead of the trends influencing interiorscapes and green building design

• Catch up anytime with access to recordings from previous sessions

 Mark your calendar: Join us every last Wednesday of the month at 12 PM EST. Your voice and perspective are what make these forums thrive—don’t miss the next opportunity to connect. Opt-in today!

Not a supporter yet? Join today!

Grow with Us: Volunteer at GPGB

At Green Plants for Green Buildings (GPGB), volunteers are the heart of our mission—championing biophilic design, promoting education, and expanding awareness of the vital role plants play in the built environment. Serving on a GPGB committee or board is more than volunteer work—it’s a chance to shape the future of green building while developing your own skills and professional network.

We’re currently welcoming passionate individuals to join us for a two-year volunteer term. As part of the team, you’ll gain access to exclusive tools, educational resources, and a collaborative community leading innovation in architecture and design.

✨ Opportunities Available:

• Marketing & Communications

• Supporter Development

• Education & Professional Development

Each committee supports GPGB’s Strategic Plan, ensuring your time and expertise create a lasting, meaningful impact.

 Ready to make a difference? Step into a GPGB committee role and help us advance healthier, more sustainable spaces where people and plants thrive.

Thank You for Growing With Us!

At Green Plants for Green Buildings (GPGB), everything we do is made possible by you—our dedicated supporters and advocates. Your commitment is transforming how plants are integrated into the built environment and strengthening the presence of biophilic design in workplaces, schools, and gathering spaces.

We’re deeply grateful to have you alongside us. Together, we’re not just adding greenery—we’re creating healthier, more inspiring places for people to thrive.

 Want to get involved?
Show us biophilia in action! Share your 15–30 second videos, reels, stories, or shorts highlighting plants in the built environment here , and your content could be featured on GPGB’s social media.

Find Trusted Interiorscape Professionals with GPGB

Designing healthier, more sustainable indoor environments starts with connecting to the right expertise. The GPGB Provider Directory is your go-to resource for interiorscaping professionals who specialize in biophilic design.

These experts don’t just add plants—they create living spaces that enhance air quality, elevate well-being, and align with your design vision and organizational goals. From innovative installations to tailored plant programs and ongoing care, GPGB’s directory links you with professionals who deliver measurable and lasting impact.

☑️ Discover how to bring nature indoors—beautifully, strategically, and sustainably—with GPGB’s trusted experts.

Credits: EILO

A Natural State of Mind-Meeting Room at Bury Zuidkoop, The Netherlands
A conventional meeting room has been reimagined as a serene, immersive interiorscape that enhances wellbeing, creativity, and focus. The design features three lush green walls—including a sloping back wall that creates a sheltered, forest-like atmosphere—layered plantings that surround occupants, and a ceiling that evokes the Dutch sky. A hidden irrigation system maintains the greenery without disrupting the clean aesthetics, while a glass panel visually connects the room to the library below, extending the greenery across two levels. The result is a space where nature is integral to the experience, transforming meetings into refreshing, restorative moments.

Credits: Plants By Design

Bringing Lush Greenery to Minneapolis’ North Loop Green
North Loop Green, a landmark mixed-use development with two 48-story towers in Minneapolis, now features vibrant, immersive plant installations throughout its interiors and exteriors. Plants By Design transformed lobbies, lounges, roof decks, pool decks, and terraces with green walls, planters, and custom plant features, bringing life and softness to the polished concrete and steel spaces. The installations provide striking visual contrast, enhance acoustics, and create a welcoming, nature-infused environment across this iconic urban development.

Want to Help Keep Nature in the News?

Everything we accomplish happens because people like you are stepping forward and supporting GPGB’s focus on having conversations with the building professionals who can #BringNatureIndoors.

If the spirit moves you, please consider supporting our work by making a donation.