Biophilic Design: Making the Workplace Livable

Humanity has always been connected to nature. Frank Lloyd Wright, famed architect whose aesthetic mixed the natural world with buildings designed to blend into their surroundings, once said “study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” Green vegetation, running water, and natural light are vital to our everyday health. Countless studies have shown that exposure to natural elements increases cognition, reduces stress, improves overall health, and ultimately makes people happier, healthier, and more productive. Bringing natural elements into the workplace is a trend that was first considered in the 1980s by environmental theorist Edward O. Wilson. In 1995, the first test of biophilic design took place at a Herman Miller manufacturing facility. The facility incorporated a lot of natural elements including natural lighting and greater access to outdoor views. This had a revolutionary impact not only on the plant’s energy bill, but also on the workers, who felt more connected to the outdoor world and loved the exposure to the natural light. Productivity doubled and retention soared.

So What is Biophilic Design?

At its heart, biophilic design centers around incorporating natural elements into the workplace environment. It includes environmental features like green walls or water features, natural shapes, patterns and forms, and light and space. Its impact on well-being is profound, reducing blood pressure and stress, and increasing short-term memory. Exposure to natural elements in the workplace has also been shown to promote positive emotions — 67% of office workers reported that bright, naturally-lit office environments accented with outdoor colors makes them happy. The study also found that workers even benefitted from virtual reality digital representations of nature.

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As we return to the office, employers are concentrating on how to attract their people back, and workplace design that stimulates, motivates, and enables innovation is a must — not just for business success, but also the well-being of staff."

Dr. Chesley Black

Impacting Commercial Real Estate

Clearly, the application of healthy building design has become a necessary element in sustainable development. Commercial buildings are turning to daylighting, operable shading, nature views, green spacing, and enhanced filtering to produce better indoor air quality, increased intake of fresh air and natural light, and improved ventilation to make the workplace a safe, healthy, and enticing place to be.

As we return to the office, employers are concentrating on how to attract their people back, and workplace design that stimulates, motivates, and enables innovation is a must — not just for business success, but also the well-being of staff. In a Human Space global study, one-third of 7,600 office employees surveyed stated that the design of an office would affect their decision to work at a company. Another study conducted by the Harvard Business Review found that views of outdoor spaces and natural light were more important to employees than features like on-site cafeterias, fitness centers, and even childcare. But the benefits of biophilic design are not limited to employees: views of vegetation and access to natural light and outdoor spaces can improve worker productivity by as much as 12% — resulting in accelerated delivery times and greater output volumes. Offices with biophilic design see nearly 20% less sick days taken than those where biophilic design is not used. Overall, employees in an environment that deploys biophilic design report a 15% higher level of well-being.

Biophilic design also impacts the perceived value of an office space, as well as the savings it can generate. Research found that higher usage of vegetation to improve overall aesthetics added approximately 7% to the perceived value of a space. This correlates to greater success in recruitment in an ever-increasing war for talent, because for many candidates, a clean, healthy environment that includes elements of nature translates to a company that cares about the environment and its employees. The use of natural lighting can also have a huge impact on energy costs since it can replace some or all of manufactured lighting in a space. This can create an overall reduction in energy costs by 50% to 80%. In addition, biophilic design can improve indoor air quality by reducing toxic and volatile organic compounds through plants that remove these elements as part of their natural function.

How Can ISS Help?

Biophilic design is not a new trend, but as the workplace settles into a new normal where offices must offer a healthy, safe, and engaging environment, biophilia offers a way to keep employees connected to the outside world, healthy, and productive — while the company wins the war for talent.

As an integrated facilities solutions company, ISS can assist an organization and its architects or space planners in understanding how biophilic design impacts a facility’s energy usage; enhances operations, cleanliness, hygiene, and efficiency; and aligns with or advances wellness initiatives in food programs. The goal of biophilic design is to create an environment that brings the overwhelming benefits of the natural world into the office, making it a more appealing, livable space. Our skilled force of service experts has the experience to maintain the benefits derived from these non-traditional designs while connecting your people to places that work, think, and give.