Nature used to be all around us. Technically, it still is, but in our technology based world, the fundamental connection to nature can sometimes feel all but lost. One innovative way to bring back that connection is by creating a biophilic workspace. This blog will give you a few ideas to implement at your business that can trigger a strong, positive impact on employee health, productivity, and well-being. Luckily, creating a biophilic workspace isn’t as hard as you think!
Americans have become indoor animals in an environment devoid of nature and this can have a negative effect on health, productivity and well-being. On average, we spend about 90 percent of our time inside buildings and cars, separated from natural elements. When we do venture outside, we’re often so glued to our smartphones that we’re oblivious to the natural world. For those of us disinclined to spend time outdoors — or unable to get outdoors very often because we work long hours in windowless offices, it’s vital to incorporate a bit of nature into your workplace. By creating a biophilic workspace, we can create natural environments for us to live, work and learn. By consciously including nature in interior or architectural design, we are unconsciously reconnecting, and bringing the great outdoors into our constructed world.
There is a direct correlation between clever work space design and improved employee well-being and performance. Even simple changes that incorporate nature in the workplace can have a huge impact on how employees feel when they come to work, and how happy, creative and productive they feel when they are working.
Let’s Get Biophilic!
In order to most effectively reach people with biophilic design, it’s best to aim for multi-sensory stimuli. While seeing nature is not without benefit, if people are also able to smell or hear it the positive implications are even greater. The ability to smell plants, feel airflow, and hear water are simple examples of these far-reaching interventions.
- Plants are beneficial because they are living, breathing organisms. Studies have shown that plants enhance creativity, performance, and productivity—something we want to increase in our office and home environments.
- Indoor water features are another way to bring a sense of calm to a space. Interventions that add the presence of water to spaces have several health benefits, among them lowered blood pressure, lowered heart rate, and memory restoration. Reflection pools and indoor water fountains are wonderful ways to add ambiance and elegance to all kinds of spaces. Adding an indoor water wall, rain wall or bubble wall provides the benefits and effects of a water feature and art, all in one.
- While it logically seems best to keep indoor conditions constant (like the temperature in an office, for example) studies show that student performance is enhanced in spaces with variability in temperature and airflow. Airflow stimulation has been found to keep people awake, also naturally improving focus and performance.
- Light is a part of our rhythm. Maximizing natural light benefits people as well as energy bills, but biophilic interventions incorporate natural lighting from diffusion to temporal changes. A lighting system that either naturally or artificially changes throughout the day to mimic our circadian rhythm helps link people to the outdoor environment and, essentially, keep us on track with our natural 24 hour cycle. Maximizing natural light and changes throughout the day also enhances visual comfort.
For additional ideas on creating a biophilic workspace, please check out our June 2018 blog that details furniture product options. There are many options available to business owners that will help in reducing stress and encouraging renewal in the workplace
At Advanced Furniture Solutions, we want to give you the most out of our services and best customer experience possible. Our large range of manufacturers gives us the opportunity to give our clients their dream space. Give us a call at (904) 398-0807, contact us online, or visit our showroom on 9452 Philips Highway, Suite 7, Jacksonville, FL 32256. Hours: Monday-Friday, 08:00-5:00. Saturday hours available by appointment.
Let our experts assist you in developing practical and effective office solutions that will get you on the right track to improved workplace wellness, productivity, and inspiration.
Jacksonville’s only Kimball Select Dealer and named as one of the Fastest 50 Growing Businesses by the Jacksonville Business Journal in 2016, 2017 & 2018, Advanced Furniture Solutions is a premier woman-owned office furniture and commercial flooring store in Jacksonville, Florida. A certified 8M, Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB), AFS has been providing sustainable and affordable office solutions to organizations of all shapes and sizes in the Jacksonville area for over 20 years.
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