N·P·K Associates Inc., provides horticultural services to commercial businesses, from advertising companies and law firms to building management corporations and hotels. One of N·P·K Associates Inc., strongest selling points is our ability to service our clients quickly and efficiently, without unnecessary channeling through managers and various divisions. We can't stress this point enough.

We expect each member of our team to make every attempt to satisfy the requests of our clients, or at the very least, to notify our office so that another member of the organization can manage that request. Without this willingness to meet the expectations of our clients, we become no better than the larger interiorscape companies and lose our edge as a superior service company.

Whether it’s plant sales, or a rental or maintenance program, N·P·K Associates Inc., delivers fast, courteous service at an affordable price. Our track record is spectacular. We're very proud of our service, the work we do for our clients and the dramatic value we deliver every day.

Our team of degreed horticultural specialists are ready to answer your questions and suggest the best material for your landscaping needs.

As a premier commercial interior landscaping company, N-P-K Associates, Inc. has been providing superior interior landscaping services to the Chicago area since 1985.

NPK offers a full range of services including interior landscape design, interior foliage plant rentals, interior foliage plant maintenance service and interior plant rental services. We also offer exterior container gardening and holiday decorating services.

Plants Cleanse the Air and Combat ‘Sick Building Syndrome’

The problem is large and growing. Contemporary buildings are sealed tightly to increase HVAC efficiency. Inside those sealed environments, man-made articles such as paints, plastics, insulation, plywood, carpets, synthetic fabrics, and detergents omit up to 300 harmful pollutants. NASA-funded studies directed by Dr. B.C. Wolverton, a 20-year veteran in horticultural research, proved that the plants commonly used in interior plantscaping cleanse the air of many harmful pollutants such as formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene. Golden pothos, philodendron, and bamboo palms are particularly effective in cleansing the air of formaldehyde. Spathiphyllum (peace lily), dracena warneckei, and dracena “Janet Craig” remove quantities of benzene, such as that from tobacco smoke. Marginata, warneckei, and spathiphyllum work well in removing trichloroethylene. The Plants for Clean Air Council recommends one potted plant for each 100 square feet of floor space.

This information was provided by Barb Helfman, CLP, TOPsiders, Inc., Cincinnati, OH



Office Plants Are Keeping You Healthy

HERNDON, VA—Did you know that you are more likely to develop a cold or catch the flu when the humidity in your home or office is too low? You are also more vulnerable to disease and illness if the humidity is too high. The answer to these problems will probably surprise you…interior plants actually stabilize the humidity, making you and the environment healthier.

Interior plants are vital to maintaining the approved human comfort range for relative humidity in offices. A study conducted by Virginia Lohr, Ph. D., at Washington State University determined that when plants were placed in offices, the relative humidity increased significantly and actually stabilized at the recommended range of 30 to 60 percent. In the absence of plants, the relative humidity in offices was slightly below the recommended range for human comfort and health.

The relative humidity of air inside office buildings is often found to be extremely low, especially in the winter when buildings are being heated. This occurs because relative humidity drops as air is heated if no supplemental moisture is added. Relative humidity is defined as the amount of moisture in air and is expressed as a percentage of the maximum amount the air is capable of holding. Warm air can hold more water than cooler air.

Plants contributed to interior humidity by adding moisture to the air through transpiration and secondarily through evaporation from growing media and drainage dish surfaces. The relative humidity in the offices stabilized because plants naturally reduced their levels of transpiration when relative humidity was high and increased the rate of transpiration when lower relative humidities were present. The study documented that plants did not contribute excessive amounts of moisture to any of the interior spaces studied.

Researchers recorded the relative humidity of office space in a building with a central, forced air system in the presence and absence of plants. Measurements were taken during four consecutive winter months. Once each week, plants were added or removed as required. Humidity and temperature were recorded every six hours. A variety of plant species were used. Air exchange rates were estimated to average one to two air changes per hour.

Relative humidity inside buildings should be maintained to prevent damage or harm caused by high or low levels of moisture. Buildings are routinely designed to remove humidity by venting interior air to the outside. Without the exchange of air, interior relative humidity would rise to saturation because there are many sources of moisture in most buildings: people release moisture through their skin and as they breathe, and moisture may be emitted from cooking and washing.

source: www.alca.org