Green Desk Policy

The case for greening your home workspace

Many of us working at home through the Covid-19 crisis are becoming aware just how valuable a workspace actually designed and dedicated for work can be. Many will already be looking forward to returning to their office; a space away from the hubbub of family life and the barking family dog; a space with good ergonomics, good lighting, colleagues nearby and good coffee to hand.

When I think of my workplace in BDP’s Glasgow studio I cannot imagine it without my plants. I’ve been occasionally adding to my modest collection and will continue to do so when I return. When BDP transitioned to home working I brought some of my plants home, leaving the cacti and succulents to fend for themselves. Good luck guys!

My make-do home workspace consists of an old kitchen table, dragged out of the garage, positioned in a bay window with a pleasant view over our front garden. I’ve supplemented my office plants with others borrowed from around the house. I cannot quite put my finger on why I like plants around me when I work, but I know I am on to a good thing. One of the most obvious indicators of this being that, when I am not working, my family are drawn to my workspace to do their own study and their Zoom based social gatherings.

There has been a healthy amount of research into the benefits of plants in the workplace. A 2014 study involved academics from the University of Cardiff, University of Exeter, the University of Groningen in The Netherlands, and the University of Queensland, Australia. Lead researcher Marlon Nieuwenhuis, from Cardiff University’s School of Psychology, concluded, “Our research suggests that investing in landscaping the office with plants will pay off through an increase in office workers’ quality of life and productivity.” The reason? Plants in the office significantly increased workplace satisfaction, self-reported levels of concentration, and perception of air quality.

Staff felt more physically, cognitively, and emotionally involved in their work. What employer, or employee come to that, wouldn’t want that?

It is important to recognize though that some of the research on this topic involves moving plants into previously spartan workplaces. The above study concluded the introduction of plants increased productivity by 15%. Would other visual clutter (perhaps the clutter of the home) do the same? Actually, research indicates it might. A 2010 study by Dr Craig Knight and Professor Alex Haslam concluded people working in enriched spaces were 17% more productive than those in lean spaces, but those sitting at empowered desks (areas that they had shaped themselves) were even more efficient, being 32% more productive than their spartan counterparts. This partly explains the current trends in interior design; office designers are looking to coffee shops and domestic interiors for inspiration.

It will be no surprise that there is evidence that the right plants can improve air quality. As I write this there is renewed discussion on the potential connection between poor air quality, particularly from industrial pollution, and the ability for the air to carry viruses. It is easy to imagine that airborne particulates can become the vehicles that allow bacteria and viruses to spread.

Exposure to pollutants in indoor air can cause dry eyes, headaches and asthma. Research by Nasa, who I would personally trust to provide clean and healthy air to sustain my life, suggests plants like Peace Lily and English Ivy can filter out many unwanted pollutants. (Both plants can be found among my throng.) Other studies, such as one by Penn State's Department of Horticulture, suggest that rooms with houseplants can contain up to 60% less airborne moulds and bacteria than rooms without greenery.

One of my favourite pieces of research however is presented in a 2009 TedTalk by Kamal Meattle. The New Delhi based research project, building on previous work by NASA, set out to calculate the combination of plants that would grow the best indoor air. The study concluded a combination of the Areca Palm, removing CO2 and releasing oxygen; Mother-In-Law’s Tongue, releasing oxygen at night and; the Money Plant, removing formaldehyde and other volatile chemicals from the air, could work wonders for indoor air quality. So effective were these plants, Meattle suggests, that in the right numbers these plants could provide all the fresh air needed to sustain human life. Admittedly having four shoulder-height Areca Palms per person, six to eight waist high Mother-In-Law’s Tongues per person in the bedroom and numerous Money Plants might not suit every household! In his New Delhi test building Meattle was able to show that the blood oxygen in the test building’s occupants increased; the air was significantly cleaner indoors than outdoors and the energy required for air conditioning could be reduced.

Over 15 years the 1,200 plants in the test building reduced incidents of eye irritation, respiratory related illnesses, occurrence of asthma and the number of headaches. Employers will be interested to learn that Meattle’s study found dramatic increases in staff productivity too.

For me though improvements in productivity (sorry boss) and air quality are not the reasons I like a green workspace. As proponents of biophilic design will attest, humans have a deep genetic connection to the natural world. Our increasingly urbanised lives disconnect us from what we know to be natural and healthy.?When I shift my eyes away from my laptop screen they move over the chaotic natural beauty of my new leafy workmates. I find moments of mindful distraction in the plants’ colour and form that the room does not otherwise provide. I think we could all benefit from a little distraction during these strange times. Don’t you agree?

Edward Dymock, April 2020