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The Plant Based Office

The plant-based diet is not the only thing picking up traction for its benefits, the plant-based office has become one of the top features that companies now look to include when designing their office spaces.

Biophilic Design is the principle of incorporating natural elements into our built environments and allowing us to connect with nature wherever we may be. Architects, designers, and companies are now leveraging the benefits of biophilic principles and transforming office spaces creating features using water, fish tanks, or plants.

Large Companies have really bought into the concept and investing big in biophilic design elements within their offices. Amazon’s Seattle Headquarters has a glass dome filled with 40,000 plants and Google’s New York Campus was designed to be “biophilic’ moving past just plants, it also includes beehives, rooftop vegetable gardens, and even a resident praying mantis. With such large investments being put in place what exactly are the benefits of incorporating nature into your office design?

Amazon Seattle Headquarters

What are the benefits of Biophilic Design?

There is growing evidence that interacting with nature makes people happier and healthier. Research by the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that the presence of plants inside a building increases occupants’ feeling of well-being by 40%. Plants have also been proven to help to reduce blood pressure and stress levels. While further research by the University of Exeter found that there was a 15% increase in productivity from employees and a reduction in absenteeism when biophilic elements were introduced to the environment.

Some research has shown that 40% of all sickness absence can be traced to indoor air pollution and poor air quality. Plants can improve air quality by absorbing pollutants and also restoring the air’s water vapour levels. Within this pandemic era, an employer should be doing all to create a healthy workplace as staff begin to return to the office, using plants can be one way of doing so.

For buildings that are seeking LEED or Well Building Certification, adding biophilic elements can also be a cost-effective way to add points to the overall score.

Investing in your workplace means investing in your workforce. Employees want green, dynamic, and beneficial environments, by creating these in their office spaces, businesses can use their offices as strategic devices to attract top talent.

If you would like more information on biophilic design, or how our team can incorporate these elements into your next office fitout, get in contact today.