Benefits of Biophilic Design on Cognitive Performance in the workplace

HERO natural foods, Swiss headquarters - biophilic design by Biofilico

Firstly, what is biophilic design anyway?

Biophilic design is a way to integrate nature into the built environment, at building and interiors level. By combining elements of both sustainability and wellbeing, biophilic design is aligned with People and Planet, with green building standards as well as healthy building standards.

By bringing the outside world in, we can create spaces that are aligned with our evolutionary past, while respecting and protecting the environment and promoting human health and happiness.

Biophilic design in offices

Utilizing biophilic design in office and working environments can have tangible benefits on the mental wellbeing of all personnel by increasing productivity, creativity and overall morale. The basic idea of biophilic design centers around the physical, emotional, and cognitive wellbeing benefits of multi-sensory connections with nature.

The main idea behind bringing biophilic design into an indoor environment, (whether it be work or residential) is applying architectural and interior concepts that recall or reflect the natural world. This design strategy brings us in touch with human biology and our deep connection to nature that is often neglected in dense urban contexts today.

leveraging The elements in biophilic design - light

One possible interpretation of this concept when designing a biophilic design space comes from harnessing the four elements: fire, earth, air and water. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6491965/#B69 )

The idea of using fire can be seen through UV light and heat therapy. The right amount of lighting can help align the body’s circadian rhythm by mediating shifts in light exposure that modify duration of nocturnal melatonin production (the hormone that promotes sleep).

This is important because by pushing melatonin production to sleeping hours, people are more awake and energized throughout the day. Light exposure also has important implications for serotonin production: the happy hormone.

Activation of serotonergic neurons helps regulate brain development and function. Irregularities in these neurons are associated with many psychiatric disorders (such as depression and anxiety) that are often seen developing amongst individuals working typical 9-5 jobs. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6405415/ )

A general increase in alertness can be attributed to a light source that mimics the sun because of the hormonal production it promotes in the brain so for environments where performance and efficiency are required, it would be of use to have lighting that most resembles nature and can support these biological processes. 

leveraging The elements in biophilic design - plants & earth

The next element, earth, really relies on innate biological processes and connecting us to nature. Getting people away from urbanized workspaces by including plants, natural lighting and other natural elements has been proven to increase positive feelings, manage heart rate and control stress.

Forest bathing is a practice of “taking in the forest” to inspire a reconnection to the earth (see our article on this subject here). Practices like forest bathing that involve multi-sensory immersion in deep nature have been shown to significantly increase scores of positive feelings while significantly decreasing scores of negative feelings after stimuli compared with the urban stimuli. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0033350610003203 ).

Also, heart rate analysis indicated that the forest environment significantly increased parasympathetic (restores body’s sense of calm) nervous activity and significantly suppressed sympathetic (activates fight or flight) activity of participants compared with the urban environment.

Alongside this decrease of nervous energy throughout the body there is an important decrease in cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone that plays an important role in; helping respond to stress, fighting infection, regulating blood sugar, maintaining blood pressure, regulating metabolism.

Elevated cortisol levels are associated with less perceived control which means, more difficulty paying attention to the task at hand. Hypothesized disturbance in circadian rhythm (relating to cortisol production) needs further investigation but is linked to a change. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8882096/ ). 

Air goes along with the idea of using plants in a working environment because of the clean air benefits they provide. The importance of this element relies on a lack of pollution in the surrounding environment (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13181-011-0203-1 ).

Emerging preclinical evidence suggests that air pollution may induce oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, microglial activation, and cerebrovascular dysfunction, while potentially altering the blood–brain barrier.

Oxidative stress (https://www.healthline.com/health/oxidative-stress#:~:text=Oxidative%20stress%20is%20an%20imbalance,easily%20react%20with%20other%20molecules. ) is an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants that can have a chain reaction in the body. This can cause large chemical reactions in your body that can either be beneficial of harmful.

Neuroinflammation refers to the process of the brain’s immune system response. This is important to keep in check because too much inflammation, like among most things, means brain disease.

Microglia are the macrophages of the central nervous system that play a keep role in brain development so microglial activation are important in coordinating “a plan of attack” when disease is sensed in the brain. But if this are activated when not needed, they can potentially cause more harm than good. 

Cerebrovascular dysfunction just refers to insufficiencies of blood supply to the brain that result in a multitude of issues. The importance of having fresh, clean air helps to prevent from many diseases and can be utilized in a working environment with the inclusion of plants or air filters or things alike. 

leveraging The elements in biophilic design - water

The last element, water, is one that can prove a little more difficult to incorporate into an everyday workspace. The main therapies involving water are things like hydrotherapy and balneotherapy. Hydrotherapy is just using water in any form as a form of noninvasive treatment while balneotherapy is the practice of bathing in minerals and other additives and is used more particularly in spas and pools for arthritis support.

Hydrotherapy reduces pain/stress through easing muscle tension with water support and also promoting the release of endorphins. (https://connecthealth.org.au/enews/why-water-works-4-hydrotherapy-health-benefits/#:~:text=Warm%20water%20hydrotherapy%20has%20been,to%20further%20reduce%20muscle%20soreness ) Endorphins are the hormones released when your body feels pain or stress.

They act as messengers from the brain to the rest of the body to let it know something isn’t right and to reduce pain, relieve stress therefore, improving mood. Hydrotherapy also helps boost immunity by increasing circulation of white blood cells that allows lymph (immune system fluid that helps get rid of waste) to better work and move around body.

While not all office spaces are equipped to have saunas or pools clearly(!), having water accessible in an office yields similar results. (https://solaramentalhealth.com/can-drinking-enough-water-help-my-depression-and-anxiety/#:~:text=Water%20has%20been%20shown%20to,can%20create%20feelings%20of%20relaxation. )

Not only is it important to provide employees with a drinkable water source for hydration, it may also be of use to implement water features within the interior design of a workplace too. (https://www.workdesign.com/2012/12/pros-and-cons-of-workplace-water-features/ )

The steady movement of a water feature provides for a natural and calming sound source as well as a soothing visual that keeps people in tune with nature. The flow of water can also help to mask the noise of a busy office environment while providing visual respite from screens.

Something such as a water fountain or a water cooler often becomes a place of interaction among workers and can increase personal relationships through the act of gathering. Something important to keep in mind, however, is that water features could be distracting for some because of the same beneficial reasons laid out above: too noisy, easy to stare at for hours or prompting people to gather and chat rather than work.

The benefits of water in an office space go far passed the obvious necessities and can spark an important conversation about how to incorporate this element to improve employee performance.

One of the most important concepts when creating an optimal working environment is connecting back to nature. An easy way to do this can be through using techniques outlined by the four elements: fire, earth, air and water.

Further reading:

• Benefits of healthy coworking offices