FOCUS WELLBEING
As oŠ ices are reoccupied a’ er
a year of disruption and
change, the role and importance of
workplace wellbeing is likely to be
the top priority. Research continues
to thrive in this area with findings
that suggest there is a strong
connection between employee
health, wellness and engagement
with productivity and overall
business performance.
One major focus for many
businesses has been interior oŽ ice
design, which is constantly being
reimagined to both creatively and
functionally support goals for greater
productivity and wellbeing. This
means understanding how design
can inspire, upli™ , or even motivate
staŽ , rather than allowing empty or
underutilised space to go to waste.
Design is o™ en experienced as more
than a backdrop by employees, but
as a creative space that impacts their
output.
But how can facility and oŽ ice
managers nurture a culture that
focusses on workplace wellbeing
through greener design? Better yet,
what can we learn from sustainable
design that can help upli™ and
inspire employees?
GREEN OFFICES
The term ‘green building’ has grown
in importance within key circles of
influence, whether that’s interest
from the public, politically, or even
as hard deadlines and goals set by
policymakers. There is a new demand
for sustainable design, which is an
area that has outgrown purely social
roots. Many leading businesses are
now trying to minimise their carbon
footprints, by applying sustainable
design into their oŽ ice settings, for
example with more natural décor.
Greener oŽ ice designs have the
power to achieve diŽ erent outcomes,
whether that’s the use of oŽ ice plants
to foster calmness and tranquillity, or
to help with worker inspiration and a
sense of creativity.
This means creating upli™ ing
environments that can balance
diŽ erent people priorities, such
as health and productivity, while
improving building eŽ iciency. This
brings with it a demand for low
carbon, resource-eŽ icient design
features and services that can
enhance the workplace in new and
meaningful ways. Productivity,
wellbeing, and health are all
influenced by your design choices,
but a truly sustainable oŽ ice can
help reduce levels of toxicity in the
workplace.
REDUCING TOXICITY
Green and sustainable initiatives are
o™ en complementary in how they
leverage design to seem both nontoxic
and environmentally friendly.
This means opting for products and
services that are recyclable, renewable
or, at least, align with the promotion
of non-toxic design elements.
Through innovation, sustainable
design has become more than
a matter of cosmetics. Rather,
sustainability is just as much about
how well an oŽ ice aligns with
environmental goals.
Research suggests, the likes of
pollution, poor air quality and other
toxins, especially in the workplace
environment, can interfere with the
productivity levels of employees. But
there are changes and interventions
that managers can use to reinforce
employee health through better
design.
BIOPHILIA
A rising area of interest in academic
and oŽ ice design, biophilia design
is inspired by nature, or better
connected to it. This goes beyond an
oŽ ice with views and access to the
outdoors, such as nearby parks of
canopied streets under trees.
Biophilia in design is linked to the
positive impacts of green spaces,
nature, and biodiversity on our mental
health. There are seemingly few
limits as to how nature can inspire
workplace design, whether that’s by
boosting productivity, increasingly
creativity or even helping manage
stress.
Product design and lifecycles need
to comply with sustainability goals.
For example, a recent Knowledge
Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the
University of Surrey illustrates ways of
embracing innovation to create a new
non-toxic biopolymer material
for our artificial green walls . The
focus on bio-based polymers will
help deliver a more renewable and
sustainable product, while also
adding a dynamic design element to
previously bland spaces, additionally
reducing costs of real plant
maintenance and the need for extra
plant maintenance personnel to visit
oŽ ices weekly.
This is especially important in the
COVID environment to reduce the
amount of people outside the work
force coming into the oŽ ice. Live
plants need weekly maintenance in
some locations.
Biophilia can be useful in many
ways, including the use of artificial
foliage and green wall systems to
create privacy barriers, control
acoustics, or even as a calming
counterpoint to a busy and energetic
oŽ ice. For urban oŽ ices, especially
those in a city, green features can
help so™ en and even energise the
impression of a workplace, which
might risk becoming overrun with
greys.
Through an open embrace of green
design features, including natural
solutions like artificial plant walls, an
oŽ ice becomes more of an experience
for its employees. This may result
in greater productivity, health, and
wellbeing, without compromising on
cost or creativity.
FMs can help create a healthy
working atmosphere through the
oŽ ice environment and design,
without compromising on the things
that truly matter.
GREEN DAYS
Paul Alder, Founder and Managing Director, Vistafolia on green ways of
reducing toxicity in the working environment
44 NOVEMBER 2021