Following 18th-century botanical expeditions, new plant species were introduced to the Caribbean from other continents. Between 2014 and 2017, we created a 500 m² garden with an extensive plant collection subdivided into six continental zones, featuring over 1,000 plants from 130 species present in Haiti, arranged according to their geographical origin.

Within a rectangular corporate structure inspired by the medieval Roman cloister of the Basilica dei Santi Quattro Coronati, we reinterpreted a classical space with organic, Caribbean-friendly curves. The fountain, inspired by the medieval original, was surrounded by papyrus and water hyacinths that attracted hummingbirds, butterflies, and dragonflies.

Raised planters isolated plants from the debris layer covering the former seabed now occupied by our client’s offices, preventing marine osmosis. The continents—Asia, Oceania, Africa, Europe, America, and Antarctica, symbolized by the fountain—hosted native plants from all five continents, with surprising results. Though the climate was uniform, we adjusted soil composition, irrigation frequency, and leveraged sunlight to create a balanced and fertile environment under a semi-desert, saline climate less than 1,000 meters from the sea.

We have renaturalized an industrial site using Nature-based Solutions (NbS). By incorporating green zones and corridors in industrial areas, we can reduce environmental pollution and improve the physical and mental health of workers. The ecosystem services generated in this project were multiple, particularly regulatory and cultural services, with immediate effects on the well-being and health of employees.

In this case, our client hired us to, in the words of the president of this concrete plant in the Caribbean, “humanize a concrete factory.” We chose to wrap a grey space in a green layer. Aggregate hoppers, conveyor belts, silos, office areas, and rest and unloading zones were enveloped with native tropical plant species. The results were higher employee performance; green areas absorbed pollutants and “humanized” a grey, demotivating, and polluting environment.

We are aware that our effort is only a small contribution to greening an industry that produces over 4 billion tons of cement annually, representing around 8% of global CO₂ emissions and a huge carbon footprint—but it is a start.