Workplaces are one of the most potentially fertile spaces where the use of biophilic design approaches, namely bringing building users closer to a sense of nature, can bring huge dividends. For increasingly busy and stressed office workers, in a pressurised economic context, connection with nature in the workplace can provide a measurable physical, mental and productivity benefit, reducing sick days and increasing retention. From increasing oxygen levels to providing potentially otherwise elusive psychological benefits from simulations of nature, the ethos is one of support but also business sense.
However, what are the realistic approaches to consider, and does biophilia need to avoid stigma of being corporate wellness ‘emperor’s new clothes,’ or even ‘greenwashing’ sustainability claims for interior design which brings in some natural elements? We will gather specifiers, architects and supply chain representatives in order to look at how biophilic design can and is being applied in workplaces, and share analyse examples of good practice.
We will also refer to research among architects we did in 2022 which looked at their views on design for ‘wellness’ including biophilia, as workplaces continued to strive to persuade staff to return to city offices, with working from home having become more prevalent post-pandemic. Our research saw over half of architects surveying saying that employees’ wellness was a very important factor for their clients in workplace projects, which outstripped sustainability by nearly 10% in the survey.