Introducing more natural elements into any workspace environment can have a significant impact on employees. Particularly at a time when companies are asking basic questions about the future role their offices should perform.
Questions relating to the way a space supports collaboration and creativity – while also ensuring employees feel safe if and when they make the return.
The catch all phrase for creating office spaces that ‘bring the outdoors inside’ through a thoughtful blend of nature, space, and place, is biophilic design. A concept that’s growing in influence as employees seek more people-focused design, able to connect them to the wider, natural environment as lockdowns begin to ease.
It’s also a design philosophy that delivers immediate benefits. The RHS for example, suggests the greatest benefits of biophilic design, include wellbeing and productivity improvement. In addition, the use of plants can also:
- Reduce anxiety, tension, and fatigue by up to 37%
- Decrease symptoms of ill health by 25%
- Clean the air by absorbing CO2 and releasing oxygen
Add in ‘living walls’, and businesses can look to enjoy:
- Increased productivity – up as much as 15%
- More social interaction – ‘small scale greenery’ is proven to have a positive impact on organisational cohesion
- A calmer workspace – living walls can help halve ambient noise in an office
Getting back to nature via inspired biophilic design is a sure-fire way to help improve productivity and wellbeing, as businesses look to ensure a safe return to the office. It’s also a good way to help reduce carbon emissions by introducing the technologies needed to cut energy usage and improve the working environment.
Form Workplace Solutions can help with both. We have a highly experienced design team with a long track record of bringing biophilic concepts to the office; And as a registered supplier with the Low Carbon Workspaces initiative, we can also ensure new innovations are delivered in the most cost effective way possible.
We’re bursting with ideas on how to bring future office designs to life. If you’re looking for expert know-how and practical support, then get in touch by contacting Alex Ryan on 01494 464686 or email us at [email protected].
