Why Is Sustainable, Biophilic Design Still Going Strong In The Commercial Space?

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Why Is Sustainable, Biophilic Design Still Going
Strong In The Commercial Space?
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Why Is Sustainable, Biophilic Design Still Going
Strong In The Commercial Space?

• Generally, commercial buildings and spaces are
  assumed to be antagonistic when it comes to
  nature and its offerings. Living in a concrete
  jungle, high-rise buildings and commercial
  projects are often assumed to be threatening to
  the natural environment around us. However, many
  organisational workspaces have taken the
  initiative of incorporating nature in their
  designs via sustainable, biophilic designs.
• What Is A Biophilic Design?
• Biophilia refers to the love one has for life and
  living things. Biophilic designs are extensions
  of the same love for nature. A biophilic design
  is a type of design that incorporates nature and
  its elements while designing interiors. It is a
  way to stay connected with the natural
  environment while incorporating modern elements
  of design.
• A lot of commercial spaces use biophilic interior
  designs to develop a symbiotic relationship with
  mother nature. Some of the biggest industry tech
  giants use biophilic designs in their interiors
  to stay in touch with the natural environment.

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What Is A Biophilic Design?

• Such designs help people working within
  commercial spaces receive the benefits of nature,
  such as fresh air, sunlight, cool breeze, and
  much more. At the same time, biophilic designs
  allow commercial projects to nurture nature
  instead of working against it.
• Some of the most common traits and elements of a
  biophilic design include
• Use of natural materials
• Incorporating plans in the designated space
• Natural light
• Open and unrestricted airflow
• Use of natural patterns and shapes

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What Is A Biophilic Design?

• Architecture in sync with natural landscapes
• Use of nature-based textures, shapes, and colours
• Using water as an integral part of interiors
• Biophilic designs may include direct use of
  natural elements or analogues of the same. For
  using direct natural elements, designers often
  choose to use natural vegetation, animals,
  natural light, shadows, and more within the
  spaces designed by them. On the other hand,
  natural analogues involve the use of natural
  objects, colours, shapes, and patterns in the
  furniture, furnishings, and overall décor of the
  space.

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Why Is Biophilic Design Still Popular With
Commercial Spaces?
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Why Is Biophilic Design Still Popular With
Commercial Spaces?

• Most commercial spaces involve a number of people
  working long hours under artificial conditions
  using man-made machines. While we live in the age
  of digitization, it is important for humans to
  feel the touch of nature once in a while.
• Sustainable, biophilic designs allow people
  working in commercial spaces to have a breath of
  fresh air (quite literally!) while working,
  thereby providing them with a conducive work
  environment.
• After struggling with a global pandemic that
  forced us all to stay indoors for several months,
  it is healthy for human beings to reconnect with
  nature instead of working behind closed doors
  with no ventilation for hours.
• Here are some of the major reasons why
  sustainable, biophilic designs are still popular
  in commercial spaces

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Use Of Sustainable Materials

• Whether you put a single potted plant inside a
  cabin or create a miniature lake with pebbled
  stones, biophilic commercial designs often use
  sustainable materials. As most (if not all)
  sources of such designs are natural, you do not
  need to worry about any of these elements harming
  the environment.
• Creating biophilic interior designs for
  commercial spaces assures you that you are not
  polluting the environment. In fact, some of these
  designs allow you to cater to the nature around
  you and help it flourish.
• Improved Mental Health
• People often choose to go out for a walk in the
  garden and take a barefoot stroll on natural
  grass when they feel stressed out. While working
  in conventional workplaces, employees generally
  go out for a walk and some fresh air to take a
  break or after a stressful meeting. Biophilic
  commercial designs aim at bringing these elements
  to the interiors.

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Improved Mental Health
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Improved Mental Health

• Moreover, as biophilic commercial designs involve
  bringing nature to the interiors, they tend to
  prolong energy, good mood, and sound mental
  health for the employees working in an
  organisation. This is always a sign of a
  conducive work environment.
• Creative Freedom For Designers
• As compared to conventional interior designs,
  creating biophilic designs offer greater creative
  freedom to designers while working in commercial
  spaces. This is because natural elements offer a
  range of different possibilities, patterns, and
  innovative approaches to designing interiors.
• Depending on the area being designed, the
  personality of the company, and the preferences
  of the client, designers can mould different
  elements to suit the biophilic design being
  created specifically for the said organisation.
  There are a number of different combinations that
  can be used and patterns that can be innovated
  while using biophilic designs for commercial
  interiors.

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Creative Freedom For Designers
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Aesthetic Appeal
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Aesthetic Appeal

• Along with all the health and environmental
  benefits of biophilic commercial design, it is
  important to address the fact that it really adds
  to the aesthetic appeal of the space! Nature is
  beautiful by itself and using its elements to
  design your office would only make your office
  look more beautiful.
• Using biophilic design in commercial spaces often
  portrays contrast in a unique way, giving these
  spaces an exotic look. Incorporating elements
  like plants, pebbles, bamboo sticks, etc. makes a
  commercial building stand out amidst a concrete
  jungle!

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Longevity Of Designs

• Unlike most trends and fads, biophilic commercial
  designs are not short-lived. They often stand the
  test of time and only get more beautiful with
  time. Essentially, this is because nature never
  really gets old and out of fashion. Most
  biophilic designs age really well and provide
  longevity to the interiors of commercial spaces.
• Unless you are using living elements like plants,
  you do not need to worry about the articles
  getting old over time. They retain their elegance
  for a long time, saving you all the toil and
  trouble that goes behind redesigning.
• Better Air Quality
• Instead of stepping outside the office to get
  some fresh air, biophilic designs allow employees
  to breathe fresh air indoors. The use of greenery
  and plants in commercial interiors allows you to
  improve the air quality of the concerned place.

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Better Air Quality
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Better Air Quality

• It is common knowledge that plants absorb carbon
  dioxide to release oxygen, thereby purifying the
  air around them and making it fresher. Moreover,
  installing plants inside commercial spaces and
  providing them with natural light allows them to
  transpire through their leaves and makes the air
  around them more humid. This helps you deal with
  the issue of dry air without using any electrical
  appliance.
• Plants are also known to absorb volatile organic
  compounds (VOCs) which include the chemicals
  added to domestic cleaning products, used in
  making carpets, and emitted from electrical
  appliances. This further enhances the quality of
  air around you and allows you and your team to
  work in a healthier environment.

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Improved Productivity

• Working in closed mechanical surroundings tends
  to exhaust people very soon, affecting their
  ability to give their best. If you make your
  employees work in an office where they cant tell
  if it is day or night, their productivity is
  likely to take a hit.
• Using biophilic designs for commercial interiors
  provides workers with a fresher and more
  comfortable environment to work in. With elements
  of nature around them, the world gets less
  mechanical and more organic for people to work.
  This allows your workers to give their best and
  increase their productivity.

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Better Employee Retention

• One of the biggest reasons why sustainable
  biophilic designs are still going strong in the
  commercial space is that they help companies
  retain their valuable talent. After going through
  the catastrophic COVID crisis, employees around
  the world want a break from working within four
  concrete walls.
• Incorporating natural elements in commercial
  interiors allows your employees to work in a
  comfortable and invigorating environment. This
  makes them genuinely motivated to come to work
  and engage themselves better. When you have high
  employee engagement, you do not need to worry
  about retaining talent within your organisation.

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Creating A Happier Environment

• Along with ensuring the mental wellbeing of the
  workers, biophilic designs help you create a
  happier work environment. Nature makes people
  happy, cheerful, calm, and composed. When you
  have a small water fountain, a miniature lake, or
  plants as a part of your interior design, it
  enhances positive thinking, creativity, and
  motivation.
• Using biophilic designs allows you to change the
  complete vibe of commercial space, making people
  there feel as if they are in touch with nature
  (irrespective of the scale at which you
  incorporate the natural elements).
• Helping The Natural Ecosystem
• We live in an age where the natural ecosystem is
  being destroyed in a plethora of different ways.
  From all kinds of pollution and deforestation to
  inadequate waste management and depletion of
  non-renewable resources, it is important to
  control the manner in which we are destroying the
  natural elements.

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Helping The Natural Ecosystem
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Helping The Natural Ecosystem

• Biophilic designs allow you to help the natural
  ecosystem by using natural elements for creating
  innovative and sustainable interior designs.
  Instead of destroying nature by building
  commercial spaces, this approach allows
  corporations to integrate nature in the best ways
  possible. Sustainable biophilic designs
  facilitate healthy and fruitful co-existence
  between nature and humans without extensive
  depletion of natural resources.
• Incorporating Biophilic Designs On A Budget
• When used in commercial spaces, biophilic designs
  need not be too expensive. As a lot of these
  designs make use of natural elements, they often
  cost less as compared to man-made articles and
  furnishings. You can easily incorporate biophilic
  designs for commercial interiors without spending
  a fortune for the same.
• Moreover, biophilic designs do not always need to
  be implemented on a larger scale. You can follow
  a low-key approach and still avail yourself of
  all the benefits offered by these designs.

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Using Potted Plants

• Here are a few ways in which you can use
  biophilic designs at a smaller scale without
  spending a lot of money
• Using Potted Plants
• This is the most basic way to go about using
  biophilic designs. If you want to incorporate
  these designs on a shoestring budget, you can
  simply get some potted plants and place them at
  strategic places within the concerned commercial
  space.
• It is common for companies to keep potted plants
  on the balconies, hallways, cafeterias, and a
  range of other locations. This is arguably the
  most cost-effective way of using biophilic
  designs for commercial spaces. You can, of
  course, incorporate potted plants in your
  interior designs in an innovative way to enhance
  the aesthetics of the place.

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Using Natural Light

• Using Natural Light
• The use of natural light is one of the most
  overlooked aspects of biophilic interior designs.
  While you incorporate natural elements within a
  commercial space, make sure that the area is lit
  well by natural light. Design interiors in a way
  that people working therein can get access to
  enough natural light throughout the day.
• Making Innovate Use Of Water
• Using water in innovative ways is another
  cost-effective way of incorporating biophilic
  designs in commercial spaces. If you do not want
  to go overboard with the money, you can get small
  table-top fountains and place them at suitable
  places within the premises.
• As these fountains mimic the sounds of a natural
  spring or a waterfall, it has a calming effect on
  the minds of people working at the office. Along
  with improving memory and reducing stress,
  implementing such articles would also help in
  lowering the blood pressure of your workers.

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Modifying Furniture

• Modifying Furniture
• Without spending a lot, you can replace some of
  the furniture at your office with articles made
  of bamboo or wood. This would give an exotic look
  to the space and add a touch of nature to your
  office premises.
• The Final Word
• Sustainable biophilic designs are still going
  strong in the commercial space and are likely to
  remain so in the future due to their benefits.
  This approach to commercial interior design
  allows you to work for nature instead of against
  it while building commercial spaces.
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