New Plymouth-based volunteer travel company IVHQ today celebrates the opening of its new offices complete with two interior vertical gardens and other features aimed at creating a positive and inspiring work environment for staff.

Formerly a café and a sports complex, the office building has been earthquake strengthened and renovated with a new fit-out that has been designed to represent what IVHQ stands for.

IVHQ Executive Director Dan Radcliffe says the inclusion of the interior green walls in the fit-out lines up with the company’s need to maintain a connection with nature and the environment.

“The green walls are an awesome feature of our fit-out and we’ve been able to create an office space that will make our energetic team feel good about coming to work,” says Dan.

“We chose the green walls as a feature because of their calming effect on people and the improvement in air quality we can achieve.  That plus our use of solar power in the building are central to the concept of having green, sustainable office premises.”

Local firm Clelands Construction project-managed the job and Commercial Manager Michael Braggins says it was not a typical office fit-out.

“Dan put his trust in us and the designers, Boon Goldsmith Bhaskar Brebner, to come up with something that tied into the values of IVHQ and we’ve included joinery features, elevated video conferencing booths and the green walls to achieve that,” says Michael.

“We were excited to bring Hanging Gardens in to design and install the two green walls.  Specialists in this area, they were wonderful to work with and their passion and expertise in vertical gardens shines through in the finished office space.”

Hanging Gardens Managing Director Leigh Nicholson says she believes the IVHQ green wall installation is the largest soil-based interior vertical garden in the country.

Located near the Len Lye Centre the new IVHQ offices should be a welcome addition to the emerging cultural precinct in New Plymouth’s CBD.