New Research from Interface and Human Spaces: The Biophilic Side of Wellbeing Design

Wellbeing-based design is swooping graciously into the forefront of current interior design theory, but the topic is extremely broad, and there’s still much to be discovered. Lying within the circle of wellbeing design are several sub-areas, including active design, holistic ergonomics, social and emotional design strategies, and biophilic design.

The last of these, biophilic design, was the focus of a recent global research study by Human Spaces: “The Global Impact of Biophilic Design in the Workplace.” Global flooring manufacturer Interface commissioned the research, which was led by Professor Sir Cary Cooper, professor of Organizational Psychology and Health at Lancaster University and founding director of Robertson Cooper.

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Interface identifies closely with the causes of environmental sustainability, biophilia (people’s inherent connection to nature) and biophilic design through both its products and its manufacturing processes. And so it’s no surprise that its approach to workplace wellbeing research focuses on nature.

“The benefit of design inspired by nature, known as biophilic design, is accumulating evidence at a rapid pace,” said Professor Sir Cooper in the report. “Looking at a snapshot of global working environments, up to one in five people have no natural elements within their workspace, and alarmingly nearly 50% of workers have no natural light. Yet a third of us say that workplace design would affect our decision to join a company. There’s a big disparity here and one that hints at workplace design only recently rising to prominence as a crucial factor.”

The study surveyed 7,600 office workers from 16 countries to explore on a global level the role of biophilic design in creating environments that support employee health, happiness, creativity, productivity and overall wellbeing. Globally, 33% of respondents stated that office design was important enough to unequivocally affect their decision whether or not to work somewhere.

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Workers In Offices With Natural Elements

The research also found that employees who work in environments with high levels of thesenatural elements report a 15% higher level of wellbeing, are 6% more productive and 15% more creative overall. Workers’ most wanted elements in their workspace were reported as:

2015/2015.0406.InterfaceBiophilicDesignResearch.MostWantedNaturalElements.jpg1. Natural light

2. Live indoor plants

3. Quiet working space

4. View of the sea

5. Bright colors

The How and Why Behind Biophilia

Nature has always been here, and we’ve also known for some time that humans are quite fond of it. This report, however, seeks to set the record straight on how and why humans are attracted to designs that incorporate the natural environment:

“Biophilia, a concept first popularized by Edward O. Wilson in 1984, describes the innate relationship between humans and nature, and concerns the need we have to be continually connected to nature…

“Although it has been proposed that this desire for a connection with nature is the result of an anti-urban bias combined with a romantic view of nature, environmental psychology research tells us that being connected to nature, is in fact, an adaptive human function that allows for, and assists with, psychological restoration. This means that within an urbanized environment, bringing in elements that allow direct nature connection (such as parks and lakes) or indirect connections (i.e., interior design using natural elements, nature-resembling colors and patterns, indoor plants and views of greenery) can help us to mentally recover and provide respite from our day-to-day activities, to maintain positive well-being.”

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While most of us know by now that natural light and living plants have a profoundly positive impact on our lives, both inside the workplace and out, this research points out the jarring lack of natural elements that still exists today. Globally, nearly half (47%) of office employees have no natural light in their working environment, and almost two-thirds (58%) have no live plants in their workspace.

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A closer look at the by-country breakdown shows that the three countries with the highest percentages of workers who reported having no windows – Canada (32%), Australia (28%) and the U.S. (27%) – also all reported above average levels of stress. Conversely, workers in Indonesia and India reported some of the highest levels of light and space at 93% and 92%, respectively, and reported some of the lowest levels of unhappiness.

The Urban Element

The research also seems to imply the coming struggle of people’s ability to cope with urbanization and the loss of connection with green spaces.

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85% of global office workers surveyed are based in an urban environment [‘urban environment’ includes city center, city suburb, town and downtown], and the largest proportion of respondents spent between 40-49 hours per week in the office. Despite city-dominated lives, the research found workers have an inherent affinity for elements that reflect nature.

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And at the same time that urbanization, rising real estate costs and the resulting open plan workspaces are contributing to a significant decrease in employees’ personal space, nearly two-fifths (39%) of workers are reporting that they feel most productive at their own desk in a solitary office, according to the Human Spaces research.

The full Interface/Human Spaces report is available at http://humanspaces.com/global-report/ and is an excellent starting point for knowledge in biophilic design theory and practice. The research raises important questions, one of which will serve as a concluding note: although we are growing increasingly skilled at accommodating growing numbers of people in urban areas, per square foot, does that mean we want to or should do so?