Workplaces that Make You Feel Like You’re Outside
By Sara Gilgore – Staff Reporter, Washington Business Journal
Mar 20, 2018, 6:00am EDT
You’ve seen it. Shrubs covering and protruding from walls. Tree trunks repurposed as tables. Potted plants lining windows — on the inside.
It’s a growing trend proliferating into Greater Washington’s office and residential buildings: elements of nature incorporated into the workplace, part of a design strategy called “biophilia” that sets out to promote health and wellness for employees by bringing the outdoors in.
But it’s more than just plants in an office, or even “green walls,” though that can be an important and appealing piece of the puzzle, according to David Cordell, senior technical coordinator and associate principal for architect Perkins & Will. A strategy that considers things like natural patterns and the shapes of spaces sits at the core of this design.
“We’re seeing more and more of a focus on this intersection between the built environment and occupant health, and what role can building and interior design play on helping people to be healthier,” Cordell said. “As people start to expect that more often from their environment, I think we’re going see things like biophilic strategies become something that more clients are looking for and expecting.”
Nixon Peabody’s D.C. law office is one example. The firm, which worked with Perkins & Will on the project a few years ago, wanted a design that promoted physical activity and connectedness. It has a three-story staircase that links all of the floors together, with a living wall as its backdrop and a rock bed at the bottom. Wood floors throughout the space bring in another consistent natural aspect, he said, along with a wood table that’s clearly from a tree trunk, wood veneer panels in the elevator lobby and other natural materials in irregular forms.
“This was a project where everyone wanted to push the needle, everyone wanted to think really broadly, everyone wanted to be really creative about the design… beyond just the usual LEED focuses,” said Jeff Lesk, partner at Nixon Peabody.
And not only does the natural environment have a positive impact on people’s psychology and physiology (due to improved indoor air quality, for instance) but it also makes the building smarter; for instance, with condensation from the HVAC system watering the plants on the three-story green wall, according to Lesk.
Oh, and it sounds like a rainforest.