Biophilic Offices: How Green Walls and Plants Lend to Wellbeing in the Workplace

What is a Biophilic Office?

Simply put, a biophilic office is a workplace that incorporates outdoor features indoors. Grass walls, vines cascading from the ceilings, and water features bring a fresh feeling into the office. Something as simple as making use of or enhancing natural light in the workplace can make a big difference. A biophilic office provides an environment that has the potential to improve workers’ moods and limit stress. A biophilic office brings nature closer to us. Biophilic designs create a sense of tranquility and peace while promoting health and well-being. These designs help make use of blank space. Corners that are too small to use for desks or storage might be perfect for a potted plant. Do you have a large entryway? This is the perfect space for a water feature surrounded by plants. This is just one of many ways to incorporate greenery into the office. The right location depends on the desired impact. Incorporating plants into the office might not seem like it would make that big of a difference. However, studies have shown how well just a few plants can positively impact workers and their lives. What some office designs set out to accomplish with special furniture or layouts, biophilic offices accomplish with greenery. The impact plants have on an entire office makes the decision to incorporate them into the design an obvious choice.

The Science behind a Biophilic Design

Workplace Stress

The benefits of incorporating greenery in the office extend beyond just an enjoyable atmosphere for workers.

Biophilic offices also had an impact on cognitive function. Just like stress recovery and minimized fatigue, exposure to nature, or greenery. The study found that this working environment led to better memory and problem-solving abilities. The benefits of green spaces lead to increased performance as well as worker fulfillment. The impact that greenery has on workers also has implications for individual satisfaction. As well as improved productivity and efficiency of workers.

The Atmosphere of a Biophilic Office Design

Office visitors experience the same tranquility and benefits when stepping foot into the office.

Since every office has a different layout, a different number of workers, and different accessibility there’s no standard way to design a biophilic office. The only thing that remains the same is the idea that plants in the office have a positive impact on workers. One of the markers of a biophilic design is greenery. Like in nature, plant life can come in all different shapes and sizes and it’s no different when talking about nature in the workplace. Flowers, plants, vines, and even trees are all used to build a creative and supportive environment, and they can all have the same impact. Office visitors experience the same tranquility and benefits when stepping foot into the office. This is why it is common to see large trees and water features incorporated into entryways. A building can welcome its guests with stunning visuals and sounds. Being greeted by impressive natural scenes can set the tone for a person’s experience in the building. A biophilic design can have the same positive impact on all who visit or work in the office.

Designing a Biophilic Office

A biophilic office design will give workers a more positive work experience while having the same positive impact on a business.

In addition, the integration of biophilic office design is now being adopted across various styles, including modern, futuristic, and minimalist layouts. Regardless of the design, the positive impact of greenery on workers remains consistent. Furthermore, greenery is also becoming a functional part of the office. Along with the benefits that a biophilic space has for workers, plants are being used as partitions to create different sections of an office. Office designers are beginning to replace traditional partitions with bright, vibrant greenery that serves the same purpose.

Creating a Custom Space

There’s no one size fits all solution to introducing plants into the office. It might benefit an office to use plants throughout the office. Other companies might find plants have a greater impact in highly collaborative spaces. Where plants are used depends greatly on the space and the nature of the work. Creating a peaceful, supportive environment is the main goal for designing a biophilic office and that might look different for everyone. Whether an office decides to use greenery as decoration, incorporate into its architecture, or use it as a functional piece, the benefits extend beyond the aesthetics. Regardless of the size of the office and the number of employees, working among nature is aesthetically pleasing, beneficial to employees, and even functional.

Is a Biophilic Office Worth it?

Introducing greenery into the office is proven to have a positive impact on workers and their productivity.

There are studies that prove a biophilic office design increases productivity. Hiaken reports a study conducted by Exeter University discovered there was a 15% increase in production by only introducing a few plants in the office. Human Spaces published a research report about biophilic designs in the workplace that showed a 6% and 15% increase in creativity and productivity respectively. Introducing greenery into the office has a positive impact on workers and their productivity. This means that a biophilic office design will give workers a more positive work experience while having the same positive impact on a business.

Is a Biophilic Office Design for You?