Resources
Biophilic Design
Plants are more than just a typical decoration – they connect people with nature.
Biophilia is the innate desire for humans to affiliate with nature and other life. In today’s built environment, people are spending up to 90% of their days indoors surrounded by concrete, bricks, and mortar and many of our natural and open spaces are lost in favor of built and indoor environments. Biophilic design is the process utilized by architects, interior designers, and urban planners to incorporate natural elements in to built spaces and connect occupants with nature. Plants are an integral part of this process, but it also includes rethinking lighting, air quality and ventilation, water, and other natural elements in the design interior spaces.
Recognizing the role live plants play and working with colleagues who subscribe to the biophilic design process, the PLANTZ team delivers plant life to indoor and urban environments. The benefits of having plants inside and in close proximity to you are more important than you might realize:
Help people breathe easier – When you breathe, your body is inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide through a process called respiration. During photosynthesis, plants do the reverse by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. This opposite pattern of gas use makes plants and human beings perfect partners for sharing indoor spaces.
Purify the air – According to research conducted by NASA, plants are known to remove up to 87 percent of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, from the air. These potentially harmful airborne toxins include substances such as formaldehyde, which may be found in everything from furniture and fixtures, carpeting, to vinyl, and grocery bags, as well as benzene and trichloroethylene. Climate-controlled, airtight buildings are known to trap these harmful pollutants, which is why it is so important to include plants in the spaces.
Improve health and sharpen focus – Recent studies have proved that adding indoor plants to hospital rooms speed up the recovery rates of surgical patients. Adding plants to an office or workplace setting not only decreases fatigue, but also reduces the amounts of colds, coughs, and sore throats that get passed around the office. Plants are also known to increase attentiveness and focus in classrooms and offices.
Increase value – Studies show that the presence of foliage plants in interior environments increase the perceived value of goods and services. This is particularly true in hospitality and retail businesses where surroundings are leveraged to support the price points of items sold and services delivered.
Additional benefits of plants in the built environment:
- Increase productivity and creativity of office workers.
- Raise employee engagement and satisfaction.
- Reduce ambient noise.
- Reduce symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome.
- Reduce work-related stress.
All the attributes of plants listed above are conveyed to your employees and customers when you choose to add plants to your space. Besides all that, we think they just plain look good too.
At PLANTZ, we’re finding new and innovative ways to bring plants and natural elements into your space and enhance your biophilic quotient.
