Waking up to the growing role of houseplants in buildings, this Sunday sees a one off programme called Bionic Buildings air on BBC3.

Presented by architect Charlie Luxton, the programme looks at how nature can influence architects’ and designers’ choices in developing buildings for us to work and live in.

Advised by the not for profit organisation, Plants for People, the programme offers advice and information on the broad range of benefits that plants bring to our interior spaces.

Plants for People spokesperson, Colleen Smith said: “It is great to see a national institution like the BBC trying to satisfy the public’s interest in finding out more about the benefits that plants can bring to our lives. Hopefully this is the beginning of a much greater media focus on bringing nature into our living and working environments.”

The programme may contain some useful information for deputy prime minister John Prescott’s office’s effort to rebut the recent accusations of extravagance in plant spending.

Specifically, that international research has found that plants not only improve our general well-being, but as they help to reduce common ailments such as headaches and blocked sinuses so they can significantly reduce absenteeism at work.

That plants clean the air, help to keep us calm and enable us to concentrate better - especially if you happen to be one of the millions who spend hours each day in front of a computer screen.

Crucially for the deputy PM, that research collated by Plants for People suggests that far from being an extravagant purchase, plants in office environments can help to reduce absence caused by sickness and improve productivity thus actually saving money.

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