How the colour green will dramatically change cities and workplaces
Where today's city centre worker likely looks out of their window to a sea of concrete, brick and urban infrastructure – workers of tomorrow will benefit from far greener views.
This will be driven by two primary factors. First is the pressing need to fight climate change from the places most out of balance with natural cycles – major towns and cities. Second is nature’s profound and little understood impact on our own wellbeing.
Taking the climate change fight to the workplace
The fight against climate change is going to intensify infinitely over the coming years and decades. Not only are towns and city centres busy work and leisure hotspots – energy use and heat retention means they are they are also temperature hotspots.
As the free-thinking drivers of change, cities and connected towns will be the most productive places to begin realigning ourselves with nature.
Living buildings – greenery and nature in office design
Where current concepts of green building focus on things like insulation, energy generation and reducing the carbon footprint – the future objective will be to create buildings that act like forests to generate energy and consume greenhouse gases.
Poised to help realise this ambition are living buildings, characterised by the use of huge amounts of plants both inside and outside. Their integration, will improve the urban landscape, quality of air and performance of our major towns and cities for generations to come.
New build projects will only be part of this shift. Major transformation projects will create office buildings that feature living exteriors, green interior walls and garden roof tops that attract nature and produce food. This will literally breathe new life into the workplace and bring us closer to nature again. It will give destination work a huge pull factor.
Nature and worker wellbeing
Just as scientists agree regular exercise is good for us – they also concur that nature provides a plethora of benefits.
Nature is a backdrop for restoration and contemplation. Exposure to natural elements such as trees, plants, flowers, natural light and bodies of water are proven to lower the heart rate and blood pressure, reduce stress hormone production, boost the immune system, and improve overall feelings of wellbeing1. Brought within the context of the workplace, it can help boost the mood, morale and productivity of employees.
Evidencing this, a study from the University of Queensland in Australia noted that offices with plant life demonstrated 15% higher productivity rates2.
Positive measures don’t cost the Earth – and they could save it, so wherever possible, gear your business up to become a green force for change.
Sources:
1 Science Daily (www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190404074915.htm)
2 The University of Queensland Australia (www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2014/09/leafy-green-better-lean)
