Before, I used to think workplace productivity was closely tied to the most cutting-edge tech gear, the most ergonomic seating, and the most phenomenally streamlined workflows. But then I walked into a biophilic office and everything changed. The natural environment is characterized partly by infinite richness, what Harvard biologist E. O. Wilson has called “half of the total mystery of the world,” and some of that life-giving, energizing, infinitely inventive and rejuvenating feel has been brought into the built environment. To great effect. Even on our built persons.
Integrating nature into our surroundings is the definition of biophilic design. It’s a movement that has gained steam in recent years for a very simple reason: it’s beneficial for our mental and physical health. The whole concept is to take what we know intuitively about the pull “towards the outer world” that we feel when we’re cooped up inside and to use “a structure of knowledge” to help us make better decisions about design, ones that lead to a healthier, happier time for all of us spent in buildings. But how, you ask?
The well-being of people is closely tied to their connection with nature, with copious research substantiating the salutary effects of environments in which the human bond with nature is allowed to express itself. Biophilic design has, as its essential purpose, the creation of salutary work environments. What makes biophilic design an especially potent driver of human happiness and productivity? Here are the few of the most compelling findings from our research.
Enhanced Mental Wellness and Stress Reduction
Among the most important reasons to adopt biophilic design is that it is linked to several indicators of positive effects on mental health. Exposing people to nature and natural spaces, even if they’re just pictures of it, can create physiological responses that increase our wellbeing. Compared to when we’re exposed to, say, a sterile hospital room or a fluorescent-lit office space, being in a space that embodies natural elements can lead to stress reduction, mood improvement, and increases in cognitive ability. Our brain’s evolution in natural spaces, a large part of which occurred over the 200,000-some years that the human species has existed as selected for a range of responses to nature that are good for us. The structures we build can either harness these beneficial effects for us or cut us off from them.
Not long ago, I served in an office setting which had just become the object of a biophilic redesign. Enormous fresh portals to the sun and the outdoor world had been blasted through the walls, allowing natural light to pour inside. The floors had been carpeted with wild grasses and reeds, and if I listened closely, I could almost hear the wind rustling these now-indoor plants. Both humans and animals, resource economists say, have a demonstrable need to connect di