Jumping on the biophilic bandwagon

Offices are moving away from the traditional desk and four grey walls. This soul-sucking environment can hinder employee performance, especially when the highlight of the day is just a trip to the kitchen.

Now, many workplaces are incorporating green spaces and organic materials in their design. Not only is this approach more aesthetically pleasing, it can have numerous benefits to the company and workers.

The 2018 Work and the Outdoors Survey said that 87% of indoor workers enjoy the outdoors, but 75% rarely have time to work outside.

Psychologists have explored the idea of humans having an innate desire to connect with nature, which is now referred to as “biophilia.” Rapid urbanization has made this need much harder to access.

Companies are attempting to combat this by, not only adding plants and greenery to the space, but by increasing natural light and using natural materials like wood and stone.

Even some of the world’s largest corporations are jumping on the biophilic bandwagon. For example, Amazon’s Seattle headquarters opened the Sphere, which are three glass domes that contain 4,000 square feet of space and over 40,000 plants.