Biophilia. It’s now one of the most influential elements in today’s design trends. And it’s having an increasing influence on interior design and architecture decisions across almost every sector. Biophilic Design integrates nature and natural elements, materials and forms into the architecture and interiors of the buildings we occupy day in and day out.
“Biophilic Design is fast becoming one of the most
important design considerations of this century”
If you were asked to picture a scene where you felt most calm and relaxed, you would most probably imagine a place in nature. Researchers have found that more than 90% of us imagine a natural setting.
We feel good in nature. But even more than this, our physical and mental well-being depends on continued interaction with our natural environment. It affects our personal well-being, productivity and creativity. In the last few decades studies into Biophilic Design have been conducted by the scientific and design communities. These have reported convincing evidence of the positive benefits of interaction with nature.
Plants and greenery have been proved to be a great way to introduce a biophilic element which can have a very positive contribution to wellness in the workplace. They are minimal in cost compared to a refurbishment, make a huge visual impact and can be installed extremely quickly.
Interface conducted a global study of 7,600 employees across 16 countries into the impact of biophilic design on office workers and has revealed that those who worked in spaces with natural elements such as greenery and daylight reported:
· 15% higher level of wellbeing
· 6% more productive
· 15% more creative
Interestingly, 33% of respondents said office design would affect their decision whether or not to accept a job offer
The study also identified the 5 most wanted elements in office space:
1. Natural light (44%)
2. Indoor plants (20%)
3. Quiet working space (19%)
4. A view of the sea (17%)
5. Bright colour (15%)
Note regarding Point 4: This was a global survey so a view of the sea could be interpreted as a nice outlook or if this is impossible, it has been found, perhaps surprisingly that even looking at pictures of scenes of nature has the ability to lift our spirits and make us feel more relaxed.
And it's not just office environments enjoying the benefits, another recent study showed that the hospitality industry sees guests spending 25% more in spaces incorporating biophilic design. Whilst rooms with a view attract a premium of 23%. More research can be found here: https://www.benholm.com/biophilic-design-planting
Hospitals with an abundance of nature see patients recuperate faster too. Dr Charles R. Hall of Texas A&M University reports:
“Shrubs, trees, and flowers have a practical application in hospitals: the presence of plants in patient recovery rooms greatly reduces the time necessary to heal. The soothing effects of ornamental flowers and plants are so great that simply having daily views of flowers and other ornamental plants in landscaped areas outside patient recovery room significantly speed up recovery time.”
Benefits of plants aren’t just felt by patients; their calming effect can also be particularly useful for staff that are working in this type of high-stress environment.
Retail outlets with plants and flowers benefit from shoppers spending more. With customers enjoying a real shopping experience they perceive the products sold by stores filled with nature to be of better quality and value the brands more highly.
Natural elements such as plants and greenery can be combined with Argenta’s range of beautiful scenic images to create realistic three-dimensional scenes in any of these spaces for increased impact. By collaborating with Argenta we are opening up a host of new visual display opportunities for our customers to transform their interior environment. Take this forest scene for example; we are confident it would take a keen eye to tell the difference between this created indoor space and a true stroll in the countryside!
So, in answer to the question: Is Biophilic Design always relevant, we can conclude that yes, it is. This design principle can be applied to almost any interior situation in almost any market sector and the positive benefits can be seen and felt.
Adrian Byne, Marketing Manager, Benholm Group
At the Benholm Group we use plants creatively to enrich people, places and spaces.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you'd like to explore some ideas for a biophilic makeover in your premises. Call Freephone 08000 724723
Podcast Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the awesome intro and outro creation (“Footsteps, dry leaves” and “Concrete” sound samples included courtesy of InspectorJ).