Some of the biggest and most successful companies are opening new offices and their trendiest feature is focused on plants and insects. After moving to Seattle, Microsoft began to build its work spaces outdoors— and more specifically, in the trees, which are now compromised of 125 buildings.
This style of biophilic (亲自然的) design an integration of natural materials, natural light, views of nature and other experiences of the natural world into the built environment—sounds pretty and good for the planet. But that hardly seems like enough of a reason for big companies to pay billions for biophilic designs. In fact, they are motivated by economics.
A study with employees of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District Call Center revealed that workers who had a view of the natural environment handled about 7% more calls than those who did not. The cost of reforming offices to give each employee an outdoor view was about $1, 000 per employee, while their increased productivity added up to $2, 900 in increased income per employee per year.
Another study by the Think Wood campaign concludes that nature can have a beneficial effect on creativity, concentration and well-being. Not only do cool-looking biophilic offices help companies recruit (招聘)talent in an incredibly tight labor market, but they also nudge the new talent to perform better at work.
"Being more creative and flexible with our workspace allows us to be more creative and productive in our work and the products we create. It's like a little getaway, Said Bret Boulder, Head of Capital Assets.
Of course, small companies don't have a spare couple of billion to spend on"park-like" outdoor offices. But the good news is that biophilic design is not necessarily expensive. Even just staring at a neighboring green roof for less than a minute has been shown to boost productivity.
