Office & Commercial Landscaping in Singapore

From a hotel lobby on Orchard Road to a CBD office floor or a condominium’s clubhouse deck, greenery is no longer a nice-to-have in Singapore’s commercial property scene. It signals brand quality to tenants and visitors, supports staff wellbeing, and increasingly earns measurable credit under BCA Green Mark and NParks skyrise greenery incentives. This guide breaks down how office and commercial landscaping works here, what it costs in SGD, and how to choose a contractor who can actually maintain the result.

The main types of commercial landscaping

Most Singapore premises use a mix of the formats below rather than just one. A good contractor will help you weight them against your space, ceiling heights, light levels and air-conditioning conditions.

Interior plantscaping

Potted floor plants, desktop greenery and statement specimens in reception areas. Indoor settings are demanding: low natural light and constant air-conditioning suit a fairly narrow palette such as Aglaonema, Sansevieria, Zamioculcas, Epipremnum and Dracaena. This is the format most commonly delivered on a rental basis because plants need periodic rotation.

Green walls and vertical gardens

Living walls make a strong branding statement in lobbies, F&B frontages and retail. They require irrigation, drainage and often supplementary grow lighting indoors, so they carry higher install and upkeep costs. See our dedicated guide to green walls for the engineering and cost detail.

Planter displays and outdoor or entrance landscaping

Feature planters, seasonal displays, frontage shrubs and entrance beds shape first impressions for offices, hotels and retail malls. Outdoor works in Singapore’s climate favour hardy tropicals and need attention to drainage and the monsoon planting cycle.

Rooftop gardens and skyrise greenery

Roof decks, sky terraces and amenity gardens on condominium common areas and commercial towers. These involve structural loading, waterproofing and irrigation design, and they are the formats most likely to qualify for NParks skyrise greenery support and Green Mark greenery provision credits.

Why commercial greenery pays back

Wellbeing and productivity

Biophilic design, the practice of bringing natural elements into the built environment, is associated with lower reported stress, better concentration and higher perceived air quality among occupants. For employers competing for talent, a planted workplace is a low-cost lever on staff experience and retention.

Branding and tenant appeal

A well-maintained green lobby reads as a premium, well-run building. For landlords this supports tenant attraction and lease renewals; for retail and F&B it lengthens dwell time; for hotels it reinforces the brand promise from the moment guests arrive.

BCA Green Mark and NParks incentives

Greenery provision contributes towards BCA Green Mark scoring under the relevant sustainability and wellbeing criteria, and NParks runs skyrise greenery initiatives that have historically co-funded rooftop and vertical greenery installations. Treat these as part of the business case, but confirm current scheme rules and eligibility with your consultant, as criteria and funding are periodically revised.

Plant hire versus purchase

One of the first decisions is whether to rent (plant hire) or buy your greenery outright. Both are common in Singapore; the right answer depends on cash flow, the permanence of the fit-out and how much risk you want to carry.

Rental / plant hire

• One monthly fee that bundles the plants, pots, regular care and free replacement of any plant that declines.
• No capital outlay and predictable operating expenditure, which suits leased offices and shorter occupancy horizons.
• Typically billed per plant or per arrangement; indicative range of roughly SGD 15–60 per plant per month depending on size, species and pot.
• Best where you want zero horticultural risk and the flexibility to scale up or down.

Outright purchase

• You own the plants and planters, so the long-run cost can be lower for stable, long-lease premises.
• You carry replacement risk, so a separate maintenance contract is strongly recommended.
• Makes sense for permanent features such as built-in planters, green walls and rooftop gardens delivered through a full landscaping & design service.

How maintenance contracts work

For commercial greenery, the maintenance regime is what keeps plants looking sharp year-round. Whether bundled into a rental or contracted separately for purchased greenery, scrutinise the scope before signing.

What a good contract covers

• Visit frequency: interior plants commonly need weekly or fortnightly attention; outdoor and rooftop areas vary with season.
• Scope per visit: watering, feeding, pruning, cleaning foliage, pest and disease checks, and tidying or topping up mulch and media.
• Replacement policy: whether declining plants are swapped at no charge, and within what timeframe.
• Irrigation and lighting: servicing of automated systems for green walls and rooftop gardens.
• Reporting: condition reports and photos, which matter for managing agents and Green Mark documentation.

Indicative maintenance pricing

Standalone interior maintenance contracts often start in the low hundreds of SGD per month for a small office and scale with plant count and visit frequency. Green wall servicing is usually quoted per square metre per visit given the irrigation and access involved, while rooftop and outdoor garden maintenance is scoped by area and complexity. Always get the contract priced against a defined plant schedule so you can compare quotes like for like.

What to look for in a commercial landscaper

Commercial work has higher stakes than residential: access constraints, building management coordination and brand-sensitive spaces. Use these criteria to shortlist.

• Relevant portfolio: proof of similar projects in offices, retail, F&B, hotels or condominium common areas.
• Horticultural competence: qualified staff who can specify the right species for your light and air-conditioning conditions.
• Maintenance capacity: a real service team and clear response times, not just an install crew.
• Compliance: appropriate insurance, safe work practices, and proper handling of any work-at-height or building access requirements.
• Green Mark and skyrise experience: familiarity with documentation needed for BCA Green Mark and NParks submissions.
• Transparent quoting: itemised install costs separated from recurring maintenance, with a defined plant schedule.

Typical SGD cost structures

Commercial budgets split into a one-off fit-out and a recurring contract. The figures below are broad planning ranges for Singapore; obtain site-specific quotes before committing.

• Interior plant rental: roughly SGD 15–60 per plant per month, care and replacements included.
• Interior maintenance (purchased plants): from the low hundreds of SGD per month for a small office, scaling with plant count and visit frequency.
• Green walls: typically several hundred SGD per square metre installed, plus ongoing servicing; see our green walls guide.
• Entrance and planter displays: project-based, driven by planter specification, plant size and quantity.
• Rooftop and outdoor gardens: highly variable, dependent on structural, waterproofing and irrigation works.

Explore the full range of options across our Singapore services to map the right combination for your premises and budget.

Frequently asked questions

Featured project by Gensou Aquascaping