Versatility | Biophilia – Movable biophilic walls on wheels empower users to reconfigure the space to meet their needs in the M Moser New York workplace designed to WELL Platinum, LEED and RESET Certification standards
The physical space we work in every day has a significant impact on our physical and mental wellbeing. Companies that have invested in redesigning their offices to maximize health benefits have seen a huge impact on their employees, from improvements in individuals’ moods and productivity, to increased collaboration and a sense of belonging.
With these benefits, investing in the physical space is gaining traction globally. While some office spaces may inherently fair better than others – for example, a space with many windows – one can use healthy design metrics to make the best out of any given layout.
To understand in more detail how architects design to improve employee wellness, let’s look at what makes or breaks a workspace and what elements create an ideal space for employee creativity and energy. We can then examine how creative solutions can transform a workplace and revolutionize office culture.
What it takes to feel well at work
What makes a ‘healthy workplace’? For starters, there are some fundamental tangible elements:
the physical properties of materials used from construction through furniture selection to ensure clean air and resilience,
the quantity and quality of light,
the control of reverberation, and the integration of speech privacy detailing.
Beyond materiality, light and sound, there are also many intangible architectural moves that are critical to human physical and mental wellbeing – including but not limited to, versatility, spatial choreography, effective detailing and design ingenuity.
Spatial choreography can most easily be understood in terms of the experiential journey, but there is much more than sequence involved for a truly healthy workplace. Designing a considered sequence begins with creating an office entry that allows pause from the outside world. This means a welcoming and enveloping space, ideally incorporating reflective, non-glare lighting, natural materials and offering a clear next step directions into a place of active welcome design, where one can be met by a concierge or colleagues.
From there, the sequence transitions to a social, energizing area, such as a cafe, or another communal space. The idea is for this phase in the spatial journey to stimulate the employee, so natural fragrances such as coffee and fresh fruit, and areas for casual interaction play a key role.
This area of the office ideally leads into a wide variety of microenvironments, including areas to settle for a short face-to-face catch-up, to remove coats and belongings, to read or focus on deep work, to collaborate and hold meetings.
Creating versatility in an open space
Microenvironments can easily be achieved using separate rooms, but permanently walling off these rooms would lock an office plan into one fixed design. Many designs aim to create versatility within large rooms by employing furniture, biophilia, or walls on wheels to create spatial definition. With such versatile dividers, environments can be arranged to suit and accommodate employees’ changing needs throughout the day, and can change usage from heads-down work areas to spaces for wellness and team-building activities.