Research Design Connections: Value of Green Design

Sansom reports on research (“Reap What You Sow: Valuing Workplaces That Grow Good Ideas”) conducted to quantify the value of environmentally responsible design.  He shares that the completed study “demonstrates that an office with greenery and views to the outside could achieve up to a 200-per-cent uplift in wellbeing and environmental value compared with a typical workspace. . . both qualitative and quantitative methods to monitor participants’ wellbeing and environmental quality during each scenario. Qualitative methods included questionnaires and interviews, while sensors and wearable technology were used to collect quantitative data on air quality, heart rate, steps, sleep quality, noise level, and EEG (brain waves).” The research Sansome reports on was conducted by PLP Labs, Joyce Chan-Schoof (Loughborough University), Derek Clements-Croome (University of Reading), and the Benholm Group.  Sansome also shares that “Biophilic design features include green walls, pot plants, skylights, water features, and wood furniture. These aspects can add value to the workplace, not only by improving air quality and aesthetics but also by exerting a positive influence on employee health, creativity, productivity and satisfaction.”

Andrew Sansom. 2023. “Monetary Value of Biophilic Design Calculated in Office Wellbeing Study.” https://salus.global/article-show/monetary-value-of-biophilic-design-calculated-in-office-wellbeing-study

Sally Augustin, PhD, a cognitive scientist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designers’ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwithscience.com) and can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.