The term biophilia was popularized by Edward Wilson back in the 1980s. The reality today is that we work like recluses, working in cramped office boxes.
In this regard, biophilic design comes to the rescue of office workers. It aims to bridge the gap between urban lifestyles and nature to the maximum extent possible, increase employee productivity, increase concentration and reduce sickness benefits. Decorating with stone, wood and green walls will help restore the lost connection with nature.
The challenge for biophilic interior design is to make office workers feel the same indoors as they do outdoors. K2 Space design director Chris Aldred argues that biophilic design doesn’t mean a large number of plants in an office. This design is much more complex, it is a multidimensional, cumulative process.
Biophilic design includes, first of all, the decoration of walls and ceilings with natural materials, lamps that imitate sunlight, plants and dynamic water structures, everything that we are used to seeing in nature.
Laura Light, UKIME Concept Design Team Leader at Interface, believes that interior design should convey natural cues and natural cues to office workers.
Biophilic design is able to establish a connection between humans and nature. Research in this direction is not only growing quantitatively, but also qualitatively. The main benefits of biophilic design include:
The World Health Organization claims that cardiovascular diseases, as well as mental health disorders, come to the fore in terms of the incidence of the disease. This is primarily due to the fact that the connection with nature is decreasing, and technological development is growing at a rapid pace. It is necessary to find resources and time to restore mental energy. Biophilic design helps to reduce stress, the employee in the office must feel and see a connection with nature. According to experts at Harvard University, offices in which this method is implemented reduces the number of sick leaves by a third.
According to Oliver Heath, author of the books “Interior from Design to Implementation”, if the office uses biophilic design, then labor productivity will increase by 8%. It is no secret that such large giants as Amazon have equipped greenhouses in their offices in which plants grow. The administration of such trading giants pays maximum attention to ventilation and air quality in office premises. As for the main office of the company, more than 40 thousand plants and several hundred representatives of flora live here.
Biophilic design not only improves the productivity of office workers, but also improves their mood. Moreover, closeness to nature stimulates the employee’s creativity. A 2015 Human Spaces report also found that employees whose offices included natural elements were 15% more creative than offices without such elements.
Attention recovery theory suggests that looking at nature – and even just images of nature – can switch the brain to a different processing mode, making employees feel more relaxed and focused.
Employees ZIKZAK studios by personal example, they already know all the advantages of a green office. We will help you create a lively mood in your workspace as well.
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