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/ BUILDING DIALOGUE / DECEMBER 2014
Office of the Future: Integrating Biophilic Design
I
n 2030, millennials, born after 1998, will be
middle-aged. How will their attitudes about
work impact the workspace of the future? As
a recent winner of NAIOP’s 2014 Office of the Fu-
ture design contest, DLR Group’s concept, known
as “The Magnet,” addressed this idea, acknowledg-
ing that the future office is no longer tethered to
a technology leash. Rather, workplaces will draw
workers into a hub of social energy that surrounds
creative collaboration,
unique work zones,
technology driven re-
sources as well as “un-
plugged” space to un-
wind in silence.
Attributes of “The Mag-
net” include:
• Physical connection
through materials and fin-
ishes, which are varied, vi-
sual and tactile.
• User-friendly intuitive
space to promote personal
choice.
• Amenity-rich space to nur-
ture interaction, team building
and wellness.
• Health-conscious design
through sustainable features.
These evolving sustainable
features address typical issues,
such as day lighting, heat gain and
operational efficiency. However,
one trend moving quickly into in-
tegrated design is the incorporation
of biomorphic elements, such as
bio-walls, which not only naturally
filter air for a healthier environment,
but also address the idea that hu-
mans have a natural orientation and
preference toward things in nature, or
“biophilia.” Acknowledging this con-
cept within the walls of a workplace has
developed into a movement of biophilic
design. And if the elements of nature are
integrated into a room or a workplace,
then people will naturally feel drawn in
some way to be there.
This “office of the future” concept incor-
porates several bio-walls in strategic spots
throughout the floor plan. This unique fea-
ture utilizes philodendrons planted directly
into an air filter and watered by a hydropon-
ic loop. Air is drawn in through the filter to
the return plenum and also directed back out
to the occupied space. The wall requires very
little maintenance and is even designed to wa-
ter itself. The O2 factories improve air quality in
the space, save energy and provide a calming
ambiance by bringing nature inside the office.
Studies of these types of spaces are indicated signif-
icant improvements of incidents of respiratory issues,
headaches, eye irritations and other ailments. These
biophilic elements will continue to “grow” more and
more in offices, public spaces and even in homes as
this concept moves from “fad” to a defining element
of workplaces of the future.
\\
Angela
Castleton, IIDA
Principal,
DLR Group
TRENDS
in Office Design
Bio-walls utilize philodendrons planted directly into an
air filter.
