BIOPHILIC DESIGN AND THE WORKPLACE

Covid-19 means that the form and purpose of offices are changing. The home working revolution is forcing offices to evolve in order to remain relevant and cost-effective. The rise of hybrid working challenges companies with new propositions for their employees. Could the back-to-nature principles of biophilic design provide the solution?

But what exactly is biophilic design? What are the benefits of biophilic design in the workplace? What are the risks of biophilic design? This explainer blog answers these questions and more.

WHAT IS BIOPHILIC DESIGN?

The pandemic has brought about a generational shift in home-based work, a good thing for many. What would have taken 10-20 years has happened in just six months of lockdown. Home working is here to stay and home offices are a convenient (and commute-free) workplace space.

Employers can now save costs with less demand for office space by moving to smaller, more flexible spaces. This offers a unique opportunity for companies to rethink their offices and create more welcoming and productive spaces. This is where biophilic design comes in. 

EXPLAINING BIOPHILIC DESIGN

Biophilic design involves incorporating the natural world into a built environment.

It is not just about placing a few planters, but about appreciating the connection we humans have with our environment and thinking carefully about how someone can interact with all forms of nature throughout their working day. It is about seeing nature as an important asset, not just as decoration.

Biophilic design is independent of green and sustainable building ideas. For example, a green roof, low CO2 concrete, and thick wall insulation may be environmentally friendly construction methods, but these are largely hidden elements that would not affect the user's experience of the space. Biophilic design is about incorporating elements of nature into a space.

WHO INVENTED BIOPHILIC DESIGN?

One of the leading advocates of biophilic design was ecology professor Steven R. Kellert.

In the 1980s he helped develop the then-emerging theory of "biophilia", a term coined by the biologist and environmental theorist Edward O. Wilson. Biophilia describes humanity's innate connection to the natural world. Together, Kellert and Wilson explained the concepts of biophilia in a series of works, including the seminal book "The Biophilia Hypothesis".

Professor Kellert's contribution to biophilic design is now recognized annually. The Steven R. Kellert Biophilic Design Award is given to a building project that highlights the process and principles of biophilic design. Here in Europe, it is organized by Living Future Europe.

WHAT WAS THE FIRST BIOPHILIC DESIGN EXPERIMENT?

The first real experiment in biophilic workplace design took place in 1995 in a Herman Miller factory. This experiment in biophilic design was designed by William McDonough + Partners and was one of the first to consider how economic benefits could be achieved by connecting building occupants with nature.

The floor plan incorporated plenty of natural light through skylights. The building that would later become known as "the GreenHouse" had cost slightly more per square meter than the company's conventional pre-engineered buildings, but that extra investment was quickly earned back. The new plant's energy bills were significantly reduced and, within five years of opening, productivity had doubled. People working inside the building "loved" the natural light and the feeling of being connected to the outdoor space.

WHAT ARE THE BIOPHILIC DESIGN  PRINCIPLES?

The experience of nature can be incorporated either directly or indirectly. Direct incorporation involves using all elements of nature in the building itself. This could be plants, animals, moving water, or natural light. Indirect incorporation involves mimicking nature through non-natural means. For example, images of nature, the use of natural colors, or organic shapes. These are all important biophilic design elements.

In his book “Biophilic Design”, Professor Steven R Kellert suggested six principles of biophilic design.

• Environmental features – incorporating direct contact with vegetation into a built environment is a successful way to foster human-nature connection in design.

• Natural shapes and forms – the natural world can be mirrored by showing complexity across different levels of the design, rather than straight edges and harsh lines.

• Natural patterns and process – because human survival has always required managing highly sensuous and variable natural environments, biophilic design in the workplace must stimulate all the senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, and other sensory systems.

• Light and space – natural daylight creates a stimulating and dynamic space that changes over the course of a day

• Place-based relationships – spaces should be connected to the local environment through their design

• Evolved human-nature relationships – all humans need to feel safe and secure, and so biophilic design in the workplace should incorporate areas that can provide refuge for people but without isolation.

BENEFITS OF BIOPHILIC DESIGN

Biophilic design can offer considerable benefits across a number of areas.

BIOPHILIC DESIGN AND PRODUCTIVITY

The Herman Miller experiment mentioned above was the first to show the productivity benefits that can come from biophilic design. Since then, other firms have proved that biophilic design can deliver significant productivity gains.

In their report “The Economics of Biophilia”, sustainability consulting firm Terrapin Bright Green analyzed several examples of low-level investments in biophilic design in the workplace. These investments included providing employees access to plants, natural views, daylight, and other biophilic design elements.

BIOPHILIC DESIGN AND EMPLOYEE ABSENCE

The poor building design is behind 10% of employee absences, and biophilic design concepts cut absenteeism and increase productivity

A study into workers at an administrative office at the University of Oregon highlighted this. It found that employees with views of trees and natural landscapes took an average of 57 hours of sick leave per year, compared with 68 hours taken by employees with no view at all. An urban view ranked somewhere in the middle.

When view quality was combined with lighting quality and window area, architectural elements explained 10% of the variation in sick leave days taken. Furthermore, the study found the quality of a person’s view to be the primary predictor of absenteeism.

BIOPHILIC DESIGN AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

A further study into the value of a natural view highlighted the economic benefits of biophilic design. This study into the seating arrangement at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District Call Center showed how biophilic design can boost engagement. 

The study measured the number of calls handled per hour by employees with seated access to views of vegetation through large windows from their cubicles, compared to those employees with no view of the outdoors.

Researchers found that those with views of nature handled calls 6-7% faster than those with no views.

As a result of this study, the workspace was modified to increase access to natural views. The building costs were around $1,000 per employee, but the annual productivity savings averaged nearly three times as much ($2,990 per employee). The one-off initial investment was achieved within just months, with biophilic design in the workplace contributing towards ongoing increased profits.

COST SAVINGS OF BIOPHILIC DESIGN

The benefits of biophilic design are greater productivity, decreased sickness absence, and better engagement. However, these gains are arguably more abstract and can be difficult to quantify at the outset of considering any new biophilic design project. 

A more measurable gain from biophilic design in the workplace comes from natural light. Effective biophilic lighting will allow you to turn off artificial lighting. Depending upon the season, this might mean 10-14 hours of lighting costs saved per day. If biophilic lighting is well-designed, it can prevent heat gain and loss. This can create an overall reduction in energy costs of between 50 and 80%.

Some also claim that plants can filter harmful particles from the air, and so take the strain out of a building’s air filtration system.

BIOPHILIC DESIGN AND MENTAL HEALTH

Biophilic design can help mental health. It prevents issues and helps recovery in a number of different ways. 

BIOPHILIC DESIGN REDUCES STRESS LEVELS

A study has found that the impact of a biophilic design in the workplace environment is immediate and significant. This study used virtual reality to test the impact of 4 different biophilic design offices. The four biophilic design spaces tested were:

• No biophilic design in the workplace

• Indoor green biophilic design (incorporating natural elements into a space)

• Outdoor view biophilic design (natural light and long-distance view of nature)

• Combined biophilic design: both indoor green and outdoor view

The study subjected participants to stress-inducing mental arithmetic tests, then measured the acute stress reaction through physiological indicators, including heart rate variability (HRV), heart rate (HR), skin conductance level (SCL), and blood pressure (BP).

The study found that those in biophilic design environments have consistently lower BP and other indicators of stress and anxiety. The results indicate that indoor green biophilic elements facilitate the recovery of physiological stress, whilst an outdoor view biophilic design (including natural light) facilitates the recovery of anxiety. The results from the combination biophilic design strengthen this argument since it had an effect on improving both physiological stress levels and psychological anxiety levels.

BIOPHILIC DESIGN REDUCES FATIGUE

According to Rachel Kaplan and Steven Kaplan, people need to go through four phases to overcome mental fatigue: fascination-directed attention to the fascinating environment, contemplation, and deeper restoration experience.

Some tasks require sustained effort. These “directed attention” tasks require abilities that are vulnerable to mental fatigue and reduced performance if done for a sustained period. Studies have shown that biophilic design and nature can calm and stimulate the mind so that people can continue working, boosting performance and reducing fatigue.

In the same way, as the body gets tired through repeat use, moments created by biophilic design offer an opportunity for a mental “stretch”, allowing the mind to refocus.

WHAT IS NOT BIOPHILIC DESIGN 

In October 2015,  Professor Steve R. Kellert set out his set of five conditions for the effective practice of biophilic design. These conditions underscore what would not be considered biophilic design:

1. Exposures to nature irrelevant to human productivity and survival exert little impact on human well-being and are not effective instances of biophilic design. This is because good biophilic design should emphasize human adaptations to the natural world that have proven instrumental in advancing health and well-being.

2. Occasional, transient, or isolated experiences of nature are not good biophilic designs. These exert only superficial effects on people. The true biophilic design depends on repeated and sustained engagement with nature.

3. Exposures to nature within a disconnected space are not good biophilic design. For example, an isolated plant, an out-of-context picture, or a natural material that contrasts too much with other elements in the space are not good examples of biophilic design. Biophilic design requires reinforcing design interventions that connect with the overall space. The designed environment should be considered as a whole.

4. Design that omits the importance of emotion is not good biophilic design. Biophilic design should foster emotional attachments to settings and places. By satisfying our inherent inclination to affiliate with nature, good biophilic design will engender an emotional attachment to a particular space.

5. An environment that does not foster positive and sustained interactions and relationships among people and the natural environment is not good biophilic design. Humans are social creatures and our security and productivity depend on positive interactions with the rest of our species. A design that does not encourage social interaction is not good biophilic design (no matter how many plants or ocean views it might have).