Nature Forward
Workplaces
As work becomes more urban and more screen-based, many employees spend nearly the entire day indoors and it adds up. In the U.S., people spend about 90% of their time indoors, and indoor air can be 2–5× more polluted than outdoor air.
That’s why biophilic design matters at work. By bringing nature into the office, employers can create spaces that feel better to be in — supporting employee well-being, comfort, and focus throughout the day.
Employee health and wellbeing isn’t a “nice to have” anymore — it’s become a core part of how companies retain talent and get the best work out of their teams. In fact, research has shown a major rise in mental health strain among workers in recent years, including a sharp increase in reported anxiety and depression symptoms during the pandemic era.
At the same time, employers have increasingly recognized that wellbeing directly affects performance — with major workplace studies reporting that poor mental health has undercut job performance for a large share of employees.
Health & Wellness
How Employers Are Prioritizing
90%
of UK employees believed the pandemic had impacted their mental health.
40%
of businesses are extremely worried about the impact the pandemic is likely to have on their employees.
As expectations for the office evolve, workplaces are being redesigned around what employees actually need to feel good and do their best work. Dense rows of desks are giving way to more intentional layouts, with a renewed focus on air quality, comfort, and everyday wellbeing.
One of the most meaningful shifts has been the rise of biophilic design — the integration of natural elements into the workplace. The term “biophilic” comes from the Greek roots bios (life) and philia (love), often described as a “love of living things.”
In practice, biophilic design is a sustainable strategy that helps reconnect people with nature through elements like plants, natural light, organic textures, and earthy materials.
And importantly, it doesn’t have to mean costly renovations. More companies are looking for flexible, affordable ways to add nature to their spaces — which is why living plant wallshave become such a popular solution. They’re easy to install, visually impactful, and deliver real benefits for the health, comfort, and wellbeing of the people working around them.
Studies have also explored the numerous advantages nature offers when designed in an indoor space, such as improved air quality, enhanced productivity, greater health, and more.
Nature
The Benefits of
Air Quality
Workplace competition has increased the demand for high-quality air filtration and proper ventilation. While this has led to a dramatic rise in sales of filtration systems, the answer to combating airborne disease spread may lie closer to home.
According to NASA's Clean Air Study, plants can contribute significantly to healthier indoor air, improving indoor air quality by up to 85.8%. Their research found that plant roots and their associated microorganisms destroy pathogenic viruses, bacteria, and organic chemicals, before converting these air pollutants into new plant tissue.
This is hardly surprising, considering that we owe the cleanliness of our air to the vast rainforests that span the globe. Indoor plants, including the extensive collection you’ll find on a living wall, simply allow us to enjoy cleaner and more purified air on a smaller scale.
85%
According to NASA’s Clean Air Study, plant can contribute significantly to healthier indoor air, improving IAQ by up to 85.8%.
Productivity
There is clear evidence directly linking biophilic design elements such as living walls with an increase in employee productivity. An Exeter University study found that employees were 15% more productive when working in a space containing plant life. Furthermore, those working in green-certified offices enjoy a 26% boost in cognition, leading to improved productivity.
Research by Harvard also states that 70% of employees believe views of nature improve their work performance. Thankfully, you don’t need an office overlooking a park to reap these benefits. Setting up living walls within workspaces provides the same nature-filled environment employees need in order to thrive.
15%
more productive when working in a space containing plant life.
70%
of employees believe views of nature improve their work performance
Creativity
In recent years, companies such as Google and Apple have reinvented their workplace culture to favor and foster employee creativity. This is because organisations that nurture a workplace culture of creativity are likely to have happy and motivated employees who remain more productive and loyal.
Boosting creativity in the workplace isn’t just reliant on introducing games rooms or chill-out zones, for example. Incorporating an abundance of plant life through living walls has also been proven to get those creative juices flowing.
A study conducted by Texas A&M University revealed plants can boost creativity by 15% or more within the workplace. The reason for this may lie in the appearance of plants themselves. In one study, German researchers had subjects stare at certain colors for just two seconds before doing a creative task. They found that the color green enhanced people’s creative output more than other colors, including white, grey, red, and blue. As a result, more companies are banishing their plain office walls in favor of those covered with foliage.
15%
A study conducted by Texas A&M University reveled plants can boost creativity by 15% or more within the workplace.
Employee Wellness
A study by a research group at the University of Exeter, in association with Indoor Garden Design, found that foliage in an office can boost staff wellbeing by up to 47%.
Research also shows that the benefits of plant-purified air extend to an employee’s health and wellbeing. As a result, plants increase the flow of oxygen in the body, lower blood pressure and heart rate, strengthen the immune system, cleanse the lungs, alleviate stress, and energize the body.
47%
plants in an office can boost staff wellbeing by up to 47%.
Sound Absorption
Exposure to prolonged and excessive noise isn’t just annoying. It can also cause a number of detrimental side effects, including lack of focus, decreased productivity, hearing damage, increased stress, headache disorders, and communication difficulties.
Thankfully, studies have shown that living walls can reduce indoor sounds by an average of 15 decibels. For perspective, this is the difference in volume between a vacuum cleaner (75 dBA) and a lawnmower (90 dBA). In an environment filled with the hum of chatter and photocopiers, a reduction of 15 decibels can make a huge difference.
15 dBA
studies have shown that living walls can reduce indoor sounds by an average of 15 decibels.