Starting from the start 023. Keeping Nature in Everyday Office Life

In architecture and spatial planning, planting serves as a bridge between people, buildings, and nature, playing a key role in how comfortable a space feels. This way of thinking applies not only to products and public spaces, but also to our own workplace—we hope that even in daily work, colleagues can experience a sense of balance brought by nature and comfort.

However, office environments are not naturally friendly to plants. Limited daylight and year-round air conditioning create challenging conditions for growth. Because of this, bringing plants indoors cannot be treated as a purely aesthetic decision; it requires a more careful and practical approach.

As part of the spatial planning for the Construction Waste Upcycling Project, the META Design team invited plant designer Tim to join the process. Rather than simply selecting visually appealing plants, the focus was on reassessing how plants should be treated in an indoor environment. Starting from the actual conditions of the space, Tim helped identify plant species that could truly thrive indoors and developed a care system designed to function over the long term—not as a temporary display, but as a sustainable arrangement.

Based on the spatial conditions, Tim carefully planned the placement of plants, scheduled the positioning and timing of grow lights, and took time to explain daily care routines to the colleagues responsible for maintenance. From watering frequency and light duration to observing subtle changes in plant health, every detail was considered. The goal was not merely to place plants in the space, but to allow them to genuinely live there. Since the space was completed in 2021, the plants have remained in good condition, becoming some of the quietest yet most authentic presences in the office.

This planting strategy is not just about creating atmosphere—it reflects a choice in values. In a highly artificial environment, making room for nature and committing to the unseen work of daily care is a deliberate decision. Allowing plants not only to survive, but to thrive over time, is one of the values this space aims to express.

Photo Credit: META Design

Editor: Shih Yi Feng

Starting from the start 026. Where Cultural Change Began to Ripple

Complaints and doubts are not necessarily negative. Sometimes, they are simply the beginning of conversation. FG Next had been in preparation since 2017, with weekly meetings devoted to discussion and debate, gradually shaping Farglory’s direction toward “sustainability” and “sharing”. The 1.0 shared space was the first attempt to bring the idea of circular regeneration in architecture into the workplace. When a concept moves from discussion into everyday reality—when it becomes part of where people work—it naturally invites people to feel, to reflect, and even to question. That, too, is part of cultural change.

Starting from the start 025. The Night We Moved In: Project 1.0

Six months earlier, the FG Next team had visited the META Design studio in Tamsui for the first time. That visit allowed us to truly see how discarded resources could be transformed into something meaningful. It aligned closely with the conversations FG Next had been having for more than two years around architectural sustainability. When we shared the background of FG Next, the issues we care about, and the idea of using the 16th-floor shared space as an experimental site, META Design understood that this was not a one-off commission. It was a company choosing to test new approaches within its own workplace.

Starting from the start 024. A Phone Booth Between Vision and Reality

After the completion of the 1.0 shared space, practical needs led us to add a phone booth. Looking at a space built entirely from construction waste, and then flipping through catalogs of commercially available office booths, it felt clear that simply placing a ready-made product inside would the overall look and feel of the space. It would look out of place.