Employee well-being through biophilic interior design

Kenneth Freeman, Head of Innovation at Ambius, provider of interior and exterior landscaping services There has been a lot of debate recently about the value of interior landscaping. It is true that the headline costs of purchasing and maintaining interior plants can seem high for what many people perceive as being decoration. However, for less than one per cent of the typical annual running costs of an office building, those green ornaments can be made into something far more powerful. A tough economy and the need to ensure employees are able to perform at their best, places organisations under increased pressure. One area that companies can look at to improve effectiveness and performance is the well-being of their staff. We know, from the research literature, that physical and psychological comfort has a huge impact on well-being, and it’s directly influenced by the management of space in the workplace. Martin Seligman, a well-known psychologist, breaks the concept of well-being down into five distinct elements of positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and achievement. It is not inconceivable to recognise that all five of those elements, and especially the first three, can be affected by the way workplaces are managed. So, what has all this to do with interior plants? One way to improve well-being is to ensure that the working environment is designed in a way to encourage people to thrive. Research carried out by the universities of Exeter (UK) and Groeningen (Netherlands) has shown that enrichment of spaces with items such as plants and art enables people to realise a sense of their own identity. Furthermore, a degree of choice by office workers in the way that such enrichment is implemented raises productivity, engagement and well-being even more. Also, work carried out in the 1980s and 1990s by Roger Ulrich and his colleagues showed significant health and well-being benefits (mainly in terms of recovery from illness) when people are exposed to scenes of nature. Scientific literature has shown complaints associated with symptoms of sick-building syndrome (SBS), such as itchiness, dry skin, eye and throat irritations, headaches and nausea, reduced when interior plants are brought into buildings. Our need for nature was identified by the American biologist, Edward O Wilson, who developed a hypothesis called Biophilia, which he defined as “the innate affiliation people seek with other organisms and especially the natural world.” Wilson’s research shows that, when given complete freedom to choose the characteristics of their ideal environment, people gravitate towards a location that combines three major features: positioned at height, overlooking the landscape, and being close to open water. Other features also included as key elements in the choice of an environment are use of natural and local materials, dynamic and diffuse daylight, and natural odours and scents. Simple pleasures such as a visit to a park or garden have been shown to reduce stress and feelings of anxiety. By using combinations of plants, art, and lighting as well as a more naturalistic design style, it is possible to make significant improvements to well-being and employee engagement at a very low cost. Creating a healthy and nature-connected working environment can pay huge dividends in terms of well-being, productivity and business effectiveness – a real return on a relatively small investment in interior design.