Large scale green walls and other elements of biophilic workplace design have become increasingly popular in the entrances of Class A office buildings. Beyond the lobby, however, a lot of office design in Boston sport neutral colors and man-made furnishings without much greenery or nature. The short-term encounter with the green lobby, despite its initial wow factor, wears off over time as employees spend majority of their time in their offices.
In a paper by Barton and Pretty published in 2010, researchers cited significant benefits to self-esteem and mood in the first five minutes of exposure to nature. While prolonged exposure may not be practical in workplace design, small doses and frequent exposure to nature can compound the restorative response by capitalizing on the ‘first five minutes’ benefit. Imagine how many ‘first five minutes’ can be provided by incorporating desk and floor plants across the floor plan.
Garden Streets installation at Siemens Boston.
When budget planning for employee wellness investments, consider adding greenery throughout your workplace design with smaller, more human scale interior plantscapes that are more easily implemented, scaled, and accessed than large scale projects.
Are you considering ways to bring nature into the workplace to improve employee wellness and health? Talk to us and discover the best options for you!
