ADVICE & OPINION
FARM WORK
FMJ AIMS TO SUPPORT TECHNICAL EXPERTISE IN THE FM MARKET
Patrick Dumas Co-Founder at Square Mile Farms on why he thinks every
oƝ ce should have a farm and how it could be a great way to pull people
back into the workplace
Driven by a passion for creating
healthier, more sustainable cities,
I created Square Mile Farms in 2019
with my Co-Founder Johnno Ransom.
We learnt of vertical farming and how
it can enable the growing of food, in
practically any urban environment
and were immediately passionate
about creating a network of farms
that did just that.
The team is now made up of six people,
united behind our mission to make
urban farming a lifestyle. We want to
empower consumers to make healthy,
sustainable food choices through
technology, knowledge and exceptional
experiences.
We achieve this by installing innovative
Farms in o… ices and providing the
tools and knowledge for learning
around growing at home, nutrition and
wellbeing, by creating an o… ice farming
experience for the employees of the
businesses we work with. We don’t
intend to stop at o… ices. We’re already
working with operators of co-living
spaces to provide farms as an amenity
for their residents.
HOW OFFICE FARMING WORKS IN
PRACTICE
So what does an O… ice Farm look like in
practice? For us, it’s two-fold. Firstly, we
design and install a vertical farm. This
could be a Farm Wall, a ‘plug-and-play’
hydroponic tower, or a bespoke design
to fit a new o… ice design.
We use vertical, hydroponic (growing
without soil) systems to maximise the
growing area, minimise water use and
grow fresh food indoors all year round
without harsh chemicals. We utilise
our roo• op Farm in British Land’s
Paddington Central campus to grow
seedlings ready to be deployed into our
network of Farms across London.
Our farms grow ultra-fresh produce for
16 AUGUST 2021
the communities they serve. We grow
a variety of leafy greens, herbs and
salad leaves: some of our customers’
favourites are Kale, Basil and Rainbow
Chard.
The second part of our o… ering is all
about engagement, with the aim of
getting employees away from their desks,
interacting with their colleagues in a
di… erent way and teaching them about
how they can live a healthier, low impact
lifestyle through their food choices.
We run guided harvest sessions,
whereby employees come along
and harvest their veg with our Farm
Community Manager. So not only are
they getting to take home fresh food,
they’re also taking a break from the
usual work day by tending plants and
engaging with nature, which is great for
our wellbeing!
Additionally, we o… er a suite of
seminars and interactive workshops on
topics from growing at home, to nutrition
and sustainability. In this way the O… ice
Farm acts as a platform for catalysing
conversations around food choices and
how we can all play a role in building the
sustainable future our planet needs.
FARM INSPIRATION
As we adjust to the new normal a• er
COVID, employers are looking for
ways to attract employees back to the
o… ice and support them when they
are working remotely. There is a great
value to remote and hybrid working,
but we think o… ice working will remain
relevant (albeit in a di… erent form).
Employees will want a good reason
to come into the o… ice and are unlikely
to come in just to work at a desk every
day (and don’t intend to: nine out of ten
workers say they’d like to continue to
work from home in some form).
The missing element from working
remotely is engagement with our
colleagues, which is so important for
collaborative working, team building
and our mental wellbeing.
That’s why workspaces should
be inspirational places, supporting
collaboration and providing
opportunities to interact with our
colleagues in new ways. O… ice Farming
does exactly that by contributing
significantly to placemaking and
biophilic design. Interacting with plants
in this way brings biophilia in the
workplace to life in a new way.
Not only do the Farms look and smell
great (as do conventional green walls)
they also o… er endless opportunities
for engagement, helping to build the
experiential workplace of the future. We
want to take biophilic design to the next
level by enabling employees to interact
with it directly and reap the benefits
associated with spending time in nature,
looking a• er plants and growing your
own food!
O… ice Farming has the ability to
transform the physical workplace
and simultaneously o… ers endless
opportunities to support employees
working remotely and help them to
feel connected to their colleagues.
We provide the tools, knowledge and
support to enable people to grow at
home. They can collect seedlings from
the O… ice Farm to grow their own herbs
and vegetables and they have access to
our resident Plant Doctor to get advice
on looking a• er their plants.
As the return to the o… ice is slowly
accelerating we’ve had lots of interesting
conversations with businesses looking to
take this opportunity to reinvigorate their
working environments. Earlier in the year
we installed an O… ice Farm at a FTSE 100
business in Paddington.
They sought to bring more greenery to
their o… ice as well as create an engaging,
experiential and welcoming workplace
for employees to return to post-COVID.
We worked with their Workplace
Strategist and Human Resources teams
to design the farm and curate employee
engagement as part of an o… ice re-fit.
They now have a Farm Wall as well as
two hydroponic farm towers, growing in
total 170 edible plants!
We also recently installed an o… ice farm
close to our second hub in Wandsworth
at Mindful Chef’s new o… ice, they’re a
forward thinking business in the food
and wellness industry. We worked with
the interior designer to install this Farm
as part of the fit-out. Their Farm Wall
serves their employees growing fresh
produce right where they’re working!
Another exciting project we’re working
on is a community Farm at an Aberdeen
Standard Investments co-living space,
operated by JLL. This Farm will serve the
residents with fresh herbs and veggies
and we’ll be on call to act as their Plant
Doctor for any home growing questions
they’ve got. The possibilities are endless
when it comes to Urban Farming and
we’re excited about what the future holds
for Square Mile Farms.
FAST FACTS