The term biophilic design may be relatively new, with “biophilia” first coined by psychoanalyst Erich Fromm in 1973 and popularized in 1984 by Edward O. Wilson’s book Biophilia. But the basic principles of biophilic design have been core tenets of architecture pretty much forever. (Hanging Gardens of Babylon anyone? Or windows for that matter!)
This is no surprise given the intrinsic health benefits of biophilic design, well known to ancient designers and builders as fundamental. Check out this quick read if you’re looking for more background and ideas on how to incorporate biophilic design into new builds and renovations. We’re focused here on six benefits of biophilic design.
#1 Reducing Stress & Anxiety Levels
The very term biophilia was invented by a psychoanalyst. So, it’s probably no surprise that a hallmark of biophilic design is reducing stress and anxiety. Some say this benefit is inherently natural. How do you feel after spending a few hours in a windowless room of concrete walls, versus a few hours in that same footprint but with a window, anything-but-concrete walls, and some plants? Test over.
But others seek qualified metrics to this benefit. If you’re in that camp, you’re in luck. Others have done this work for us. The Impact of Biophilic Design on Worker Efficiency collects findings from a number of studies to conclude, generally speaking, office workers in biophilic-friendly atmospheres “experience less discontent and are more motivated.” And more specifically that such workers are 15% happier and 15% more creative. A separate study published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine found biophilic design can even cure stress. Researchers measured psychological factors such as heart rate, blood pressure, and other biological factors while conducting stressor tasks. They found the “effects on physiological responses are immediate after exposure to biophilic environments” with positive benefits within just four minutes!
#2 Increasing Productivity
Perhaps we should have added a spoiler alert to #1 above. After all, the name “The Impact of Biophilic Design on Worker Efficiency” clearly points to our second benefit. Sure enough, there’s a cause and effect relationship between reducing stress and anxiety and increasing productivity. Researchers in the UK and Netherlands reported in “The Relative Benefits of a Green Versus a Non-Green Office” that productivity jumped 15% simply by adding plants to offices.
Another famous example is a Herman Miller manufacturing facility in Michigan. By introducing 66 skylights, operable windows, and a host of other green principles that helped shaped LEED standards, the manufacturing facility doubled production.
Suddenly, what has sometimes been described as extravagances of some forward-thinking employers – like living walls and interior plantscapes – are actually beneficial to the bottom line. A company with $5M in revenue could spend $50K on such features and contribute to $750K in increased productivity. (It’s worth noting that introducing biophilic design features can be achieved for far less than $50K.)
#3 Reducing Energy Bills
Depending on the size of your facility’s footprint, green building principles can save a few thousand to a few hundred thousand dollars per year. Not all green building features are biophilic design features, such as heat recovery in HVAC systems, motion-sensor lighting, on-demand water heaters, and so on. But some eco-design features are biophilic design features, such as planting shade trees or plants along south and east exteriors, using skylights, and incorporating plants to reduce reliance on energy-consuming purifiers.
#4 Reducing Cardon Dioxide (CO2)
Speaking of air purification….plants! We all learned in elementary school that plants absorb carbon dioxide, and high levels of CO2 are not good for humans. So, give thanks to the indoor plants. It is not known for sure what level of CO2 poses a threat. Previous thinking was a concentration of 5,000 parts per million (ppm) was the danger zone. But that has been revised in more recent studies to 1,000ppm, which is a pretty common concentration for offices, schools, and other shared spaces. A separate Harvard study found that reducing CO2 to 550ppm during the workday can improve cognitive scores by 50%. Regardless of the baseline you use, the universal fact is that plants purify air, and better air quality is always a good thing.
#5 Reducing Turnover
If you’re in the HR field, this is your everyday reality. But others are sometimes surprised to find that replacing a salaried employee equates from 6 to 9 months of their salary, or that Gallup finds 70% of office workers are disengaged, costing employers $450 to $550 billion per year in the U.S. Also a well-known fact in the HR world is that employee wellness (or lack thereof) is among the primary causes of turnover.
We’ve already covered how biophilia reduces anxiety and stress while increasing happiness. And that is directly correlated to job satisfaction. The Society of Human Resource Management found that direct ad indirect cost of unhealthy work environments amount to 25% to 35% of payroll.
#6 Making Life Better
Everything listed above factors into this ultimate benefit of biophilic design: it makes life better. We don’t need research or stats here. We’re just gonna go out on a limb and state it!
If you’re interested in innovative ways to add biophilia to your place of work, even if it’s your home office, reach out to Articulture Designs to consider living walls, preserved plant walls, interior plantscapes, and more options.