“Nature is not a place we visit. It is our home,” wrote the poet Gary Snyder, describing the yearning all human beings feel for the deep connection they have with nature. Snyder was really reflecting what we are now coming to know as biophilia, a concept introduced by the biologist and naturalist Edward O. Wilson, referring to the inherent, natural connection humans have with nature and other living beings.
The tendency in modern societies has been toward an increasing separation between man and nature, between urban and natural spaces, sunlight and fluorescent lights. For many, though, now is the time to rethink the design of our spaces to satisfy this yearning that Snyder wrote of. Is nature just a place we escape to? A privilege we contemplate occasionally? Or is it possible to restore our connection with nature and integrate it into our day-to-day instead of just fleeing toward it? We can incorporate it in all of our spaces, including the workplace, and enjoy the benefits.
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Greenery in workspaces is key for well-being
Going to work is also a synonym for opening up oneself to the world. Offices can be places that inspire, with work spaces which are transformed into stages for collaboration and conference rooms into meeting points that invite dialog and creativity.
At the end of the day, the design of spaces should be at the service of the needs of the people who are going to occupy them and the activities they are going to carry out. As French architect Anne Lacaton, winner of the 2021 Pritzker architectural prize, explained: “Good architecture is open – open to life and enhancing personal freedom – where anyone can do what they need to do.”
In this respect, integrating nature into work spaces has become a fundamental pillar of wellbeing for those using them. Several studies support the affirmation that the presence of natural elements in the workplace improves concentration, reduces stress and increases employee satisfaction.
The report, The Global Impact of Biophilic Design in the Workplace, for example, headed by Professor of Psychology Sir Cary Cooper and Interface, concludes that introducing biophilic elements into the workplace increases the well-being of employees by 15%, their creativity by 15% and their productivity by 6%.
At work, when we focus our attention on a demanding task, the factors in our environment that disturb us can cause mental fatigue. But work spaces that incorporate nature offer calmer environments that allow attention without effort and are mentally less exhausting. They can restore, instead of exhausting, our mental capacity, the study points out.
Light and vegetation, essential elements
In 2014, a study by researchers from Exeter, Cardiff, Groningen and Queensland universities was the first to evaluate the effects of plants on office life over time. The researchers compared “spartan” offices (without decoration) with “green” offices (with plants) in companies in the United Kingdom and Netherlands, confirming that the presence of plants increased productivity by 15%, as well as improving satisfaction at work, concentration, and perception of air quality.
But how can performance and wellbeing be further improved at work? A study by Madrid Technical University (UPM), in collaboration with Keio University (Japan), showed that biophilic design not only improves perception of surroundings, but also increases productivity in creative tasks, reduces sleepiness and produces a sensation of thermal comfort. The investigation compared a conventional work space with another adapted according to biophilic principles and the results spoke for themselves: participants in the environment with vegetation and natural light scored nearly 5 points more in creativity, demonstrated less fatigue and reported 8% more satisfaction with the temperature, although it was exactly the same. The study also suggested that both vegetation and natural light performed an important role in the health and cognitive function of people, and that the effects can be measured objectively through physiological and psychological parameters. In other words, it is not a question of perceptions, but a real biological basis behind the wellbeing we feel when we work surrounded by nature.
To summarize, work spaces need to be rethought from the beginning, evaluating how they are affected by light, silence, or the air we breathe, and how this translates the space into energy, attention and creativity. A sole plant will not transform an office, but, integrated into an environment that cares for the body and the mind, it can be the first sign of a more ambitious transformation: the understanding that working well starts with feeling well.
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