Press release
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october 19, 2021 - Actiu
Biophilic design: nature as a differential value in workspaces
Castalla/Alicante, October 19th, 2021.- Nature and biophilic #design offer a wealth of keys to creating a harmonious workspace that fosters well-being and adds value, while boosting inspiration and productivity. According to the Human Spaces research report on the Global Impact of Biophilic Workplace #design conducted by Interface, productivity and creativity levels increase by 6% and 13%, respectively, in environments that incorporate natural elements.
Lockdown and changes in living and working habits brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the influence that enclosed spaces have on #health, where we spend between 80-90% of our time. For years, #actiu has been working on designing and furnishing healthy and efficient workspaces.
“Our Technology Park in Castalla has, since its creation more than a decade ago, been a benchmark in Spain with regard to sustainable architecture and biophilic #design, recognised with the LEED and WELL certifications”, states Soledat Berbegal, Counselor and Head of Corporate Reputation at Actiu. “Our mission, she adds, is to collaborate with companies and offer them solutions to create healthy workspaces that safeguard the physical and emotional well-being of employees”.
Biophilic #design calls on elements linked to the natural world: connections with vegetation, water and wildlife, to bring unique experiences and differential value to new workspaces. Coined by Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson in 1984, “biophilia” refers to the relationship between humans and nature. His hypothesis is based on the fact that the natural world was the primary influence on the evolution of our cognitive and emotional functioning. In an increasingly urbanised world, contact with the natural environment is increasingly scarce: according to the United Nations, by 2030, 60% of the world's population will live in urban environments. This makes it all the more necessary to turn our attention to biophilic #design.
Natural environments
Through elements such as fresh air, natural light, water, acoustic comfort or aromas; and visual and physical connections with the natural environment, including plants, vertical gardens, landscaped patios and terraces, vegetable gardens, fountains or natural and recycled materials, biophilic #design makes workspaces much more attractive.
Over time, nature has gone from being a decorative element added to finished spaces to being a construction and #design tool. Curved shapes inspired by the natural world, lighting that reinforces healthy circadian rhythms, high ceilings that spatially "trick" the mind or textures and colours that awaken certain emotions, are some of the tools with which biophilic #design and architecture seek to give people's most natural essence back to them.
Cultural adaptation
With a proven positive impact worldwide, biophilic #design is also conditioned by the cultural factors of each area or region. In Spain, incorporating plant elements is directly related to creativity, while in Brazil water boosts worker productivity, and in India greater emphasis is placed on colour. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to pay particular attention to and analyse the cultural differences that condition the aesthetics and #design of each workplace.
Neuroarchitecture and biophilic design
Turning living, leisure, educational and work spaces into allies of #health is a need that has been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, when designing a workspace, aspects such as the importance of light, air quality, acoustics, colour, nature, morphology and interaction with its occupants were rarely given any thought.
Since the 1960s, neuroarchitecture has been studying how built spaces affect people's emotional state and behaviour, and biophilic #design forms a fundamental part of this discipline, as a tool for connecting with nature. Nevertheless, it is not just about adding colours, water, vegetation, natural light or flower shapes and forms; but also about creating spaces that get across the visual, tactile and auditory emotions of the natural world, and that send a healthy and sustainable message to their occupants.
Post-lockdown culture
The pandemic and the experience of lockdown are creating new post-lockdown spaces and architecture that are increasingly inspired by nature, both in terms of its capacity for change and constant adaptation, as well as its multidisciplinary and collaborative nature that never ceases to reinvent new relationships. Just as the plant environment responds to a specific environment and stimuli, so too must these new spaces, in order to provide a bespoke response with the well-being of their occupants at the centre.
As stated by Anna Ferrer, partner of the CU4 Arquitectura studio and WELL AP certified,“From an evolutionary point of view, our life in cities and buildings is extremely recent, so our organism is not fully adapted to them. Therefore, if, when designing, we take into account our physiology, our organism, it will lead to the creation of spaces that bring us much closer to nature. A trend that had been gaining momentum but which has been accelerated by COVID-19.”
Certifications
While the LEED certification focuses on sustainability through the improved energy efficiency of buildings, aspects such as air and light quality, thermal and acoustic comfort, biophilia and materials are analysed as part of the WELL certification process. A valuable instrument that, with a focus on people's well-being, ensures the creation of healthy and environmentally friendly workspaces.
About Actiu
Actiu is the Spanish leader in the #design and manufacture of furniture for work, hospitality, contract and home #office spaces. A family business with 50 years´ experience devoted to people's well-being; designing and creating furniture to create environments that are as comfortable as they are efficient. Its commitment to ongoing innovation and #design is evident in all aspects of the company.
Its Technology Park in Castalla (Alicante) is home to all of its production processes and has been awarded sustainability and well-being certifications such as the LEED and WELL v2 Platinum, and it was the first industrial building in the world to be awarded both of them. Its designs have won awards such as the Red Dot, #design Preis, FX, Delta Awards, If #design and The Best of NeoCon. In 2017, #actiu was awarded the National #design Award and its founder, Vicente Berbegal, was named European Entrepreneur of the Year.
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