How to improve wellbeing in the office with biophilic design
A healthy workplace used to be an advantage, now it is a necessity.
Our desire to truly leave the Covid 19 behind us is accelerating the demand for healthier environments, with a strong focus on residents’ conditions and wellbeing.
If employees aren’t healthy or happy, there could not be any innovation, collaboration, or productivity, which leads to no profit.
Nature can play its part in helping businesses and workers thrive. Thanks to biophilic design it’s not only possible, but also easy to stimulate the return to the office of your teammates, while recreating a comfortable work environment in the post-pandemic era.
In the years prior to the pandemic, the value of biophilic workplace design was fastly gaining momentum and today it becomes mandatory to acknowledge the benefits that it can have on your company.
What is biophilic design?
Biophilia means "love for nature"
The concept was initially described in the studies of biologist Edward O. Wilson, who explained the innate biological connection humans have to the natural world; developed in our enduring coexistence with nature before industrialization.
According to EPA, we now spend more than 90% of our time indoors, hence the quality and liveability of these spaces becomes of primary importance. And thus the concept of biophilic design comes into play to recreate an environment to bring nature back into our lives and help us recharge with natural elements.
How does biophilic design improve the work environment?
Better air quality
It is estimated that indoor air quality is nowadays 5 times more polluted than outdoors. NASA revealed that plants can remove up to 87% of air toxins in 24 hours, creating healthier and cleaner environments for those within them.
Green in thus not just for design. A study from Harvard and Syracuse University tested the differences between two different groups of employees: one working in typical office conditions and the other in a "green" office with better ventilation and reduced carbon dioxide levels thanks to plants. The results showed that employees working in contact with nature performed 61% better on cognitive tasks. Then once working in a standard office showing a significant increase in productivity.
Furthermore, healthier environments led to an increase in company productivity of 31%, in sales of 37% and the ability to achieve goals grew by 19%.
Healthier, less stressed employees
Physical health is intrinsically linked to psychological health; plants do also warm up your mood and nourish the soul by improving the wellbeing of company members by 70%.
The University of Technology in Sydney found that plants introduced into offices directly impacted workers who interacted with them, decreasing stress by 37%, depression by 58%, anger by 44% and fatigue by 38%.
Plants seem to be great for the environment, but their appearance also matters!
Pre-pandemic studies showed that up to 33% of employees were considering office design as a determining factor in choosing a job position. For all those employers currently planning a full/hybrid return to office, it seems to be quite clear that incorporating green elements and plants to your workplace will be key to attract the best candidates.
Hexagro’s mission is to help companies bring nature into their spaces through edible plants that can both improve wellbeing and increase employees engagement thanks to a 5 senses experience.
Reconnecting people to nature through food and creating unique wellness experiences through indoor vertical farming.
Taking inspiration from the unifying patterns of nature and combining the latest exponential technologies, Hexagro created the Living Farming Tree. An innovative and elegant indoor garden for growing edible plants and medicinal herbs one step away from your desk.
Hexagro combines the power of technology and nature to reconnect people with healthy and productive habits, stimulating genuine human relationships and improving the quality of the space in which we live and work every day.
Download our Wellness Report to know more!
Bibliography:
- https://www.univda.it/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2012-Cult-Sostenibilità-10-161-184.pdf
- https://www.epa.gov/report-environment/indoor-air-quality
- http://interfaceinc.scene7.com/is/content/InterfaceInc/Interface/EMEA/eCatalogs/ Brochures/Well%20Building%20Design%20Guide/English/ec_eu-wellbuildingguide-en.pdf
- http://interfaceinc.scene7.com/is/content/InterfaceInc/Interface/EMEA/eCatalogs/
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http://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/featurednews/title_409094_en.html
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https://tropicalplantrentals.com.au/research-resources/wellbeing-improved-by-indoor-greenery-australian-uts-study
- https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/industry-research/the-future-of-wellness-at-work/