Neoplants

Neoplants was born from a dream: what if our indoor plants could purify the air we breathe?

This dream became a reality when Patrick Torbey, a PhD in synthetic biology from ENS, crossed paths with Lionel Mora, who had spent some time at Google.

In 2018, through the Entrepreneurs First program at Station F, Neoplants was founded and has since become a key player in green tech.

The initial offices, developed in partnership with Factory at the Institut des Plantes de Saclay, quickly became too small to accommodate the company’s rapid growth. Neoplants once again turned to Factory to help them find new workspaces closer to Paris, where they could bring together offices and laboratories.

The goal was to create the ideal space for their first concrete projects and early prototyping. The challenge was significant: finding a location that met the high technical standards of a laboratory while remaining within the first ring of Paris, all within a tight 12-month timeframe from the start of the search to the completion of renovations.

We relied on the invaluable expertise of an engineering firm, which helped us develop the layout, particularly the laboratories—an infrastructure unfamiliar to Factory at the time. This collaboration allowed us to grow and demonstrated our ability to bring together top-tier expertise for a company’s project and its users. Additionally, while the green tech sector typically does not consider office spaces as a marketing tool, Neoplants strongly believed in the importance of having offices that were both functional and attractive for their teams and broader ecosystem, including investors, journalists, and public officials.

Our challenge was to design spaces that met the strict requirements of a synthetic biology lab—temperature control, humidity levels, lighting, air treatment, rigorous safety standards, and floors resistant to corrosive substances—while ensuring they remained pleasant environments within a residential neighborhood. For the interior design, we set up the teams in a spacious open-plan office under the glass roof, warming up the space with terrazzo, Socialite Family furniture, custom fittings, and vintage pieces, complemented by essential greenery for Neoplants.

This project marked a turning point for Neoplants, becoming a key element of their branding and communication strategy.

Every new visitor—whether employees, journalists, clients, or investors—gets a tour of the offices, as they perfectly embody the company’s mission: leveraging synthetic biology advancements to enhance well-being.

With 95% of employees satisfied with their work environment, the teams greatly appreciate the balance between laboratory space (700 m², including 36 workstations in experimental labs and the humidity control center) and a 500 m² open space—an enthusiasm shared by the company’s founder.