Pile on the Biophilic Experiences

Aristizabal and colleagues have found that more simultaneous biophilic experiences are better than fewer: when people in their study “were exposed to three biophilic design interventions (visual, auditory, and a combination (multisensory)) and a baseline condition, with weekly variations over eight weeks. . . . Cognitive performance improved in all biophilic conditions compared to baseline. Most satisfaction with workplace appearance, and visual privacy was reported in visual and multisensory conditions, and stress ratings were lower in the multisensory condition compared to baseline. . . . Experimental conditions consisted of 1) biophilic visual content including indoor plants and rotating, digital projections of nature that included fractal imagery and canopy-type plants, 2) biophilic auditory content reminiscent of the natural, regional environment including blowing wind, trickling water, and sounds produced by regional fauna, 3) a multisensory combination of biophilic visual and auditory components, and 4) no biophilic interventions, serving as a baseline.”  Nature visuals and sounds used were consistent with each other and the region of the US in which data were collected.  In the multisensory condition, a small indoor water fountain enabled study participants to see water and hear the sound of gently moving water.

Sara Aristizabal, Kunjoon Byun, Paige Porter, Nicholas Clements, Carolina Campanella, Linhao Li, Aidan Mullan, Shaun Ly, Araliya Senerat, Ivan Nenadic, William Browning, Vivian Loftness, and Brent Bauer.  2021.  “Biophilic Office Design:  Exploring the Impact of a Multisensory Approach on Human Well-Being.”  Journal of Environmental Psychology, vol. 77, 101682, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101682