walking trails

The effects of COVID-19 on workplace trends has shined a spotlight on outdoor spaces. As employees return to their offices across the country, landscape contractors have found opportunities to serve commercial clients by creating or improving outdoor areas for both employees and visitors at a business. Here are ideas to consider. Britt Wood, Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP), shares insights.   As businesses welcome back employees and customers against the backdrop of COVID-19, it’s important to make people feel safe and ensure that workplaces are inviting. One way for property owners and businesses to achieve this is to take advantage of the site their building occupies and transform outdoor areas into occupant-friendly spaces. “If you can create some sort of outdoor amenity, I think that’s going to be one of those things that will really change the re-entry process,” says Gib Durden, vice president of business development for HighGrove Partners, LLC, a landscape maintenance, design-build, and water management service company based in Austell, GA. “That’s probably the biggest thing is just being able to utilize the property you have and have some area where people can congregate six feet away, but outside.” Choosing The Right Spot. If an outdoor area has to be created from scratch, take the time to consider the three site elements of shade, grading, and drainage first. “Every office or site has a potential spot for an outdoor space,” Durden says. “Look for somewhere on the property that already has ...