The Biophilic Office research project
Exploring Biophilic Design in Office Spaces
Challenges
We spend 90% of our lives in buildings, which means our indoor environments have a significant impact on our health and wellbeing. In our typical office environment in the UK up to 60% of staff don’t have sufficient access to daylight. More than 130 million days are lost to sickness absence every year in Great Britain and working-age ill health costs the national economy £100 billion a year. A 1% reduction in absenteeism would convert to a saving in lost days alone of £1 billion to the economy. In addition a 15% increase in operational productivity enabled by the internal fit-out of your office adds further benefit.
Solutions
The Biophilic Office project was conducted to try and create an indoor environment that improves wellbeing. Biophilic design acknowledges that we are genetically connected to nature and that a human-centred approach can improve many of the spaces that we live and work, with numerous benefits to our health and wellbeing and efficiency.
The scientific evidence for the positive influence of biophilic design, on the health and wellbeing of building occupants is substantial and growing. In an office environment this is shown as quantified improvements in productivity, wellness and a reduction in days absent due to illness.
Phase 1 summary report
The Phase 1 report gives an overview of the pre-refurbishment phase of the project after one year. This phase of the project focused on monitoring occupant behaviour within the space to establish the indoor environmental quality, the occupant’s perceptions and responses and their typical behaviours. It also explores the initial design concepts by Oliver Heath Design using biophilic principles in different zones.
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