State Street’s path to BCA Platinum is rooted in a fresh approach to employee engagement & community with Grobrix

For global financial institutions, the modern workplace has moved beyond being a mere site for transactions; it has become the social fabric of the firm and a primary stage for corporate values. At State Street’s office in Singapore, Ralph Davies, Vice President, Head of Real Estate (APAC ex. India), found a way to bridge the gap between technical ESG requirements to obtain BCA Green Mark Platinum and the lived experience of his team.

 

Making Sustainability Tangible

In Singapore’s real estate landscape, environmental impact is measured by the BCA Green Mark. This framework evaluates how resource-efficient a building’s design and operations truly are, with the Platinum certification representing the highest tier of attainment.

Securing Platinum is notoriously difficult, requiring a holistic approach to sustainable office management. Working with CBRE Paia Consulting, who help companies assess ESG risks and implement sustainable solutions, State Street identified Grobrix as a way to make these environmental efforts both visible and tactile for their employees.

“I got talking to a peer in Corporate Real Estate whose organisation used Grobrix to score points toward their BCA Green Mark certification,” Ralph explains. “I wanted to strive for that same level of attainment, and it was about piecing those elements together to achieve our own Platinum status.”

Ralph Davies

Grobrix turns office walls into thriving vertical farms. These patented, modular hydroponic green walls make urban farming effortless, bringing fresh, edible greens directly into the heart of the workspace. By integrating edible greenery into the pantry area, it provides a vibrant aesthetic focal point that doubles as a measurable strategic asset, cultivating a sense of community in a way very few office initiatives can.

In a certification framework where every strategic point counts, the Grobrix system provided the necessary edge to clear the final hurdles for Platinum status.

"There are certain prerequisites for BCA Green Mark, and Grobrix was central for us to get over that hurdle by contributing the required points. Without it, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve Platinum. In fact, even though we scored points toward Platinum, we would have struggled to meet the pre-requisite criteria for Gold or above without the Grobrix activities."

Ralph Davies

From Paia at CBRE, the experience was reflected on as follows

“Paia from CBRE is delighted to have assisted State Street in aligning their sustainability efforts and achieving their first Green Mark Platinum award. We strongly believe that health and wellbeing is an integral part of Green Mark certification, and Grobrix played a significant role in this aspect. While Grobrix also contributed to point scoring, we were pleased to support State Street in improving their overall health and wellbeing program, based on their existing provisions and the comprehensive framework of the Green Mark” .

Chang Chia Chyi

Regular Harvests: Cultivating a Sense of Belonging

One of the most persistent challenges for any large-scale organization is building a genuine sense of belonging. State Street operates with five distinct legal entities on a single floor, a structure that can naturally lead to departments working independently. The regular Grobrix harvests have become a social anchor, physically drawing people together and turning the pantry into a genuine common ground.

“We have multiple business lines with some segregation across the floor, and sometimes staff won’t have met before. This has been a good opportunity for our employees to interact and start a conversation that may not have otherwise come. The younger employees and interns have engaged with it extremely well; they’re often here for the harvests and they post about it on LinkedIn. ”

Ralph Davies

For workplace experience managers looking to drive office attendance, the “farm-to-table” experience offers an authentic reason to return to the office, turning a regular Wednesday afternoon into a peak occupancy event centered around community.

Engagement with a Healthy Twist

Beyond the wall itself, Grobrix serves as a platform for State Street’s broader wellness strategy. These aren’t static office plants; they are the center of interactive workshops that get the team involved in the practical side of healthy living.

A recent highlight was a smoothie-making workshop held as part of the State Street X anniversary, where employees blended drinks using greens grown just steps away. That same energy carried into Family Day, when the office transformed into a space for shared learning. Children stepped into the role of urban farmers, germinating their very own seedlings to take home, fostering a deeper sense of connection between the firm, its people, and their families.

Grobrix Workshops
Grobrix Workshops

Learn More About Grobrix Workshops

Unite your team with hands-on workshops featuring fresh, locally-grown produce. Enjoy herbal tea tastings, smoothie-making sessions, new recipes, and plenty of fun along the way.

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High Value, Minimal Footprint

For a Head of Real Estate, the ROI of any installation is measured in both cultural impact and operational efficiency. In a high-density office where space is at a premium, Grobrix proved that “green” doesn’t have to be complex or bulky.

"From a real estate and facilities perspective, it’s a high-value, low-impact solution. Clearly, it doesn’t take up a ton of space, but you get a lot of value out of very little square footage; combine that with the fact that it’s very low-touch operationally, and it really ticks an awful lot of boxes for us. If we were to expand I’d be very much looking to make this a part of the design for the new staff lounge and pantry space from the outset."

Ralph Davies

Connecting the Global Workplace

The success of the Singapore installation stands as a testament to the effectiveness of the Grobrix solution and is now serving as a proof of concept for State Street’s global operations. The Real Estate team in Boston is in discussions with Green City Growers to explore integrating Grobrix into their flagship 1 Congress Street headquarters. This potential expansion underscores how a locally developed innovation from Singapore can set new benchmarks and elevate workplace standards on a global scale.

Ready to grow together?

Grobrix helps global firms bridge the gap between ESG compliance and a thriving office culture. Download our guide to BCA Green Mark & WELL Credits.

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