The positive impact of well-designed space on employee’s wellbeing.

Do you feel calm, more focused and happier when in nature or surrounded by light and green space? Humans have always had a connection with nature. Civilisations have tapped into its unique and healing qualities since the beginning of time. Think the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. We have a look at the positive impact green spaces have on an employees wellbeing.

Do you feel calm, more focused and happier when in nature or surrounded by light and green space?

Humans have always had a connection with nature. Civilisations have tapped into its unique and healing qualities since the beginning of time. Think the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Experiences with nature are known to improve happiness, reduce stress and improve sleep, among a plethora of other positive effects (Bratman et al). Simply being outdoors gardening, taking a walk through the park or hiking through the forest can have a hugely positive impact on your mood, health and wellbeing.

And if lockdown has taught us anything, it’s the importance of nurturing our mental health and wellbeing.

However, with approximately 55.91 million of the UK population (83.6%) living in an urban area, people are searching for more unique ways to connect to nature, at home and at work.

Bring health and wellbeing into the office…

As people return to the workplace, there is a bigger emphasis on wellbeing, and embracing outdoor living and green landscaping. So, it’s no wonder biophilic design is increasingly becoming top of a project’s agenda.

Biophilic design is about reflecting nature in your space, which can have a positive impact on employee wellbeing and productivity. A third of office workers say that the design of an office would affect their decision to work at a company. So, as architects and designers plan commercial offices for a new way of working, there are high expectations of smarter layouts with a connection to nature.

How can you incorporate biophilic design into your workspace?

Two-thirds of employees report feel happy walking into bright office environments with green, yellow or blues. An office can embrace outdoor living through natural light, natural materials, incorporating plants, using clever lighting and landscape colour schemes.

But even better, if your building has a terrace space, rooftop or other outdoor space, make the most of this.

You can create green rooftops, recreational spaces, wellbeing gardens and creative workspaces in beautiful green landscapes.

Even if you have little or no room for traditional landscaping, you have options. Urban greening solutions, such as living walls by ANS Global, are an ideal way to bring a small space to life and champion biophilic design inside and out.

If space is of a premium, movable planters with shrubs and plants enable you to design a flexible terrace. Tension cables and pergolas are simple installations that can hold trailing and climbing flora to divide and enjoy the green landscape in various ways. Natural timber benches also provide excellent opportunities to enjoy a view or create a collaborative area.

And all of this can be made possible with a versatile terrace system, which enables you to create almost any terrace design, incorporating the seating, planters, accessories and surface finishes.

No challenge too big or small

At Kinley, we want to help you create amazing outdoor spaces and our landscape solutions can overcome any design challenge. Give us a call or email [email protected] to see how Kinley can help you promote outdoor living and wellbeing in your project.

View the Project

2 London Wall Place

Contemporary CorTen steel planters complements the rustic heritage of London Wall Place, a 500,000 sq ft development next to the City of London with two commercial properties and an acre of magnificent public realm space.