You don’t often see an office that screams, “I’m one with nature,” but that’s starting to change. Although biophilic design for offices was first only a fad, its demonstrable positive effects on employee morale, output, and health have prompted widespread adoption.
We want to design offices that employees can’t wait to enter and encourage them to interact with their coworkers and the natural world around them. What is biophilic design, and how can we incorporate it into a business setting?
What Is Biophilic Design?
The term “biophilia” refers to a visceral connection with the natural world, while “biophilic design” refers to the practice of incorporating elements from nature into contemporary building design.
By incorporating natural elements into the design of spaces like homes and office desks, “biophilic design” fosters a sense of community with the natural world.
To satisfy our biological desire for a relationship with the natural world, “biophilic” architecture and interior design focus on surroundings already familiar to humans, specifically those features of the natural world that have been shown to improve people’s health.
Compared to biomimicry, which aims to be a carbon copy of nature, the biophilic design seeks to foster uplifting connections between people and the natural environment.
Oceanic biomimicry, for instance, is aesthetically pleasing but has no relevance to our evolutionary contexts or instincts. Biophilic design is an approach to interior space planning that aims to recreate the calming effects of nature, which are typically overlooked.
How To Achieve Effective Biophilic Design In Your Office
Here are some interesting ideas to help you build a balanced and beautiful biophilic office.
Welcoming The Sunlight
Take advantage of the abundance of windows at your workplace. The best option would be a place with plenty of windows, but you’ll have to work with what you’ve got.
Take down heavy, musty drapes and blinds, as well as any large, opaque furniture such as bookcases or filing cabinets that may be blocking the sun’s natural rays from entering the room. An open floor design, for instance, would let more light and airflow through the space during the day.
Use Potted Plants To Create Green Spaces And Paths
Ample greenery is at the core of the biophilic design. Put some foliage in a planter, and you’ve got a simple and stylish way to bring plants into the office. However, avoid single or lonely pots since they have a poor biophilic impact.
Instead, you should work to ensure that all plants flow together. You may use planters to frame walkways, line walls, the corners of an l shape desk or create mini-islands of vegetation that offer a welcome sight and sound of nature wherever they are placed.
Enhance Air Quality
The air quality in a building is crucial to the health of employees and clients, and using natural elements, such as airflow, is essential to biophilic design.
You may increase the air quality at your workplace by installing air filters, increasing the number of windows and doors that flow outside, and, of course, bringing in a lot of plants.
Choose Natural Elements
When decorating the office, natural materials are preferable to synthetic ones since they allow one to incorporate the patterns, forms, and textures found in nature into the workplace. You may, for instance, opt to have environmentally friendly oak tables rather than plastic ones, or you could use natural upholstery materials rather than pleather.
Use Art That Reflects Nature
Returning to the biophilic design concept of reframing your workspace within the terrain and history of the area, a lovely method to show tribute is through meaningful artwork.
Dedicating places to the artwork that represents nature and history boosts staff morale and fosters a feeling of community. Consider engaging local artists to paint murals on the walls or showcasing sculptures or handicraft that honors the human-nature bond.
The Benefits of a Biophilic Workplace
Studies have shown that bringing elements of nature into the workplace makes people more productive, creative, and happy. Biophilic office design is becoming more popular and used in more offices. A recent Human Space report showed that when nature is brought into the workplace, mental fatigue decreases and workplace welfare increases.
The same report talks about Maslow, known for his “hierarchy of needs.” In the 1950s, Maslow analyzed office design and workplace aesthetics and discovered that the quality of a workplace design affected the energy and motivation of the staff.
Plants can also help clean the air, reduce noise, and capture dust. Ewelina Solecka, Senior Workplace Research & Development Consultant at Nowy Styl Group, asserts that research reveals that employees are more creative when they have access to greenery and sunlight. Their well-being improves by 15%, and they are 6% more productive at work.
