A Guide to Biophilic Design in Offices & Coworking Spaces

What is biophilic design?

Biophilic design is a technique that respectfully harnesses the restorative, energizing properties of Mother Nature for physical and mental health benefits.

So where better to implement this approach than in the workplace where many spend upwards of eight hours a day, five days a week? 

In this video we explain the contents of our free e-book on biophilic offices where we look at the science-based rationale behind our design concept, what steps you can take to implement some of the basics (or what a design consultant like us would typically propose!) and four illustrative case studies of offices doing it right, from an Amazon building in Barcelona to a natural food conglomerate’s global headquarters in Switzerland.

If you enjoy our content click here to go to the PDF download page on our site.

Our biophilic design principles

So, the way Biofilico design sees things is most clearly illustrated in our simple three-phase diagram featured in the main PDF:

Let’s start with the three key 'principles' of biophilic design as we see it - healthy, natural and sustainable - the foundation stones, the guiding principles that create the magic when brought together!

We implement the principles through eight main ‘applications' from light to scent, to plants, decor, air quality, sound, colours and materials.



Benefits of biophilic design office interiors

Biofilico design case study: natural foods conglomerate global headquarters

The results of that can then be categorized as follows:

1. tangible attributes for the office in question (for the office owner)

2. internally oriented benefits for the office workers

3. value generation for the brand / tenant

Let’s go through those one by one because they are what will help justify investing budget in a biophilic office design and without a bit of budget, none of this can go very far!

The office itself gains tangible selling points, such as boasting purified, toxin-free air and earth-friendly interiors for a healthy workplace. 

This might be the starting point for an external certification process such as LEED or WELL, or simply a way to attract a certain type of tenant, whether it be a forward-thinking tech company concerned about their office worker credentials or a business with its own environmental policy for example.

For the office workers themselves, the eventual users of the space, we’re looking at improved concentration, reduced stress levels, enhanced mood, a greater sense of vitality, and a higher levels of comfort and wellbeing. 

We have lots of links to these illustrative studies online here.

Finally then, added brand value for the office tenant who will have a stronger sales pitch when attracting and indeed retaining top talent, it’s a way to drive employee satisfaction and maintain a happy workforce while creating a positive brand image.

Biofilico design case study: natural foods conglomerate global headquarters

Biophilic office interiors case studies

In the e-book we provide case studies on the Amazon offices in Barcelona, Second Home cowering in Lisbon, Uncommon coworking in London and one of our own recent projects in Switzerland for the Hero natural foods global headquarters.

So there we go, check out the full PDF, its free after all!

Look after your plants people, eat your greens and get some sunshine when you can.