Taking Root: The Newest Bay Area Office Amenity Is An Urban Garden

Ping-pong is so 2019.

After four years of climbing vacancy rates, landlords in challenged office markets like the Bay Area are getting creative when it comes to luring tenants back to their properties. For today’s office workers, property owners increasingly find that pre-pandemic amenities like tabletop sports, flowing beer taps and endless snacks don’t cut it.

Instead, workers at major tech and life sciences companies in the Bay Area are getting their hands dirty as urban gardens take root as the newest form of office amenity.

At the 1M SF Cove at Oyster Point in South San Francisco, employees at Big Pharma giant AstraZeneca work in a 250 SF rooftop garden that caters to younger workers’ sense of community while allowing them to step out of their stainless, stark laboratories.

“Employees want to take mental health breaks and get outside after spending all day in a lab,” said Lara Hermanson, co-founder of landscape design firm Farmscape, which creates gardens and outdoor spaces for corporate campuses, schools and stadiums in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. 

AstraZeneca hosts workshops designed by Farmscape to learn about and tend to the garden, “which encourages their presence” in the office, the company’s Health and Wellbeing Manager Elena Zorn told Bisnow in an email.

These opportunities educate employees about horticulture and sustainability and foster a sense of community, Zorn said.

Plus, they get to enjoy the fruits — or vegetables — of their labor.

The “Farmacy” team of gardeners regularly brings freshly harvested crops to the kitchen, allowing employees to enjoy seasonal produce, Zorn said in an email. 

While the Oakland-based landscaper installed and maintains the garden, AstraZeneca employees provide hours of assistance maintaining it, Hermanson said.

Healthcare REIT Healthpeak owns the Cove as well as its on-site food hall and bar, Foundry & Lux. Foundry uses produce and herbs from the property’s urban garden for the menu.

“The Foundry & Lux garden is a major marketing component for both the Cove ownership and the restaurant,” Hermanson said.

Installing urban gardens in underutilized spaces can also further maximize a property's value, according to a 2022 Cushman & Wakefield report.

“Beyond [environmental, social and governance] benefits, real estate owners can achieve greater economic outcomes as green buildings generally command higher rents,” according to Cushman. “Tenants too can benefit by occupying these kinds of facilities, satisfying their own ESG commitments and demonstrating that commitment to employees who want to work for good stewards of the environment.” 

Common locations for these gardens include rooftops, parking structures, courtyards or other common areas, Cushman said in its report. 

Urban gardens lower the carbon footprint of a building by making it greener and more sustainable, helping investors achieve their environmental goals, Cushman reported. Furthermore, integrating agricultural production into a building’s design assists in slashing energy demands by providing additional insulation to properties, resulting in energy savings of between 1% and 15%.

Some of Farmscape’s larger projects that have significant impacts on local air quality and sustainability include the 10K SF Stem Kitchen & Garden at Chase Center, a 5K SF garden at Oracle Park and a quarter-acre crop garden atop Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

Silicon Valley stalwart Adobe has four urban gardens at its campuses in the Bay Area, including its 2.5K SF rooftop garden that serves as “a rooftop oasis for Adobe staff by softening the harsh industrial HVAC and solar hardware with organic plant material,” according to Farmscape’s website. 

Hands-on gardening not only helps companies achieve their sustainability goals, it enables greater collaboration and positively impacts employee mental health and well-being, a topic increasingly important among landlords following the pandemic.

Hybrid work schedules and employee health and well-being have become increasingly intertwined as employees continue to spend about three days a week working remotely, according to a July research report on emerging office design trends by JLL.

The brokerage said that employers will include health- or well-being-focused amenities, including healthy food options along with wellness rooms and gyms. 

Both employees and employers cite collaboration as a key factor for returning to the office. To balance the need for collaboration space with virtual and face-to-face meetings, employers should incorporate flexibility in both layout and furniture solutions, JLL research shows. 

“I see the integration of gardening and stress-relief activities as highly positive for our workplace environment,” Zorn said. “The educational aspect of the Farmacy workshops and the opportunity for employees to spend time outdoors significantly contribute to their overall well-being. This holistic approach to wellness undoubtedly enhances productivity by fostering a healthier and more engaged workforce.”