Many of us have an opportunity to spend vacation time near water during the summer, and even winter months, close to a river, lake, or seashore. We can see the water itself and light glinting off its surface if we’re lucky, and if we’re really lucky, we can hear the sounds of it gentling moving. Research indicates that it’s a plus for us to be exposed to water as we work, just as it is when we’re taking a break.
In some instances, water access is easy; some offices are located on the banks of rivers or lakes, for example, and in those cases, the major issues to resolve boil down to providing as much visible and physical access to the bodies of water as possible. It is straightforward, however, to incorporate some water into offices even if the only H2O that’s ever visible through windows is in puddles after a rainstorm.
How can designers use water in manmade spaces?
Scientists have found that incorporating a water feature such as a fountain, particularly one with gently moving water, into a courtyard, even a courtyard without any plants, makes looking into that area as mentally refreshing as looking at a natural environment, such as a meadow. Viewing this “courtyard” water also boosts mood. Our professional performance-type thinking and ability to get along with others are improved when our mood gets better, and all knowledge workers need opportunities to restock their levels of mental processing power after they’ve depleted them doing work that requires concentration.
Adding indoor water features with gently moving water is also calming. And when water is indoors, it’s more likely people can hear it “in action.” The sounds of water moving is also calming and restorative and has been tied to enhanced creative performance. So get out that desktop fountain that your aunt gave you years ago, fill it up, and plug it in.
Seeing an aquarium makes people feel more relaxed, and looking at moving fish also aids in restocking mental energy levels – some researchers have even found looking at fish tanks without any fish in them helps restore cognitive energy.
Hydration stations are not the only ways that we should add water to workplaces – there are significant, science-informed reasons to introduce fountains and similar features to offices, indoors and via window views.
Sally Augustin, PhD, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com). Research Design Connections reports on research conducted by social and physical scientists that designers can apply in practice. Insights derived from recent studies are integrated with classic, still relevant findings in concise, powerful articles. Topics covered range from the cognitive, emotional, and physiological implications of sensory and other physical experiences to the alignment of culture, personality, and design, among others. Information, in everyday language, is shared in a monthly subscription newsletter, an archive of thousands of published articles, and a free daily blog. 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.