Biophilic design is an innovative strategy that incorporates reconnecting people with the natural environment. One easy way to implement this within your office space is through greenery. Plants can do wonders for a workplace environment and there’s plenty of research to prove so. Offices devoid of pictures, souvenirs or any other distractions are “the most toxic space” you can put a human into, say psychologists from the University of Exeter. So why not design your office in this way? We spoke to Plant Plan, a provider of innovative plant installations for corporate spaces, to find out the real benefits of biophilia.
Team Performance
Studies show that incorporating plants into a workplace can boost team productivity and overall performance by as much as 15%. The Human Spaces report states office environments with greenery and other biophilic elements such as natural light, can increase creativity by 15% too.
You can also increase you and your team’s smarter thinking with plants. Think of it as a natural life hack! Let’s be honest, we can only stare at a spreadsheet for so long before attention can start to lag and, in turn, productivity is not as high. Having an interesting green feature in the room, no matter whether it’s real or artificial, can regenerate attention and keep staff interested on the job in hand.
Improve Health
Within an office space, there are common problems that we face in the enclosed environment it can be. For example, dust can get on surfaces and in the air, possibly leading to problems with employee health. A study by Washington State University found that the amount of dust can be reduced by as much as 20% by adding plants to a space. This is partly down to the large surface of plants which helps to act as a filter when cleaning the air.
Reduce Toxins
As well as dust, plants can also clean the air by removing toxic compounds, acting like a sponge. There have been many studies conducted on the benefits of this. This includes NASA’s famous Clean Air Study and this university study claiming that 3 to 6 plants in the office can keep air toxins below the recommended total.
Additionally to these three main benefits, EFIG, the European Federation of Interior Landscape Groups, lists the other ways in which indoor plants can make a positive difference:
- Plants reduce absenteeism by reducing the effects of “Sick Building Syndrome”
- Plants reduce noise levels
- Plants lower stress levels
- Plants conserve energy by creating a microclimate
- Plants give structure to an office area and help to guide people around the space
So with biophilic elements providing many benefits to employees and adding to overall design, why not consider incorporating it into your office space?