In honor of Earth Day and in light of the rapidly growing trend of biophilic design, Coalesse, Sagegreenlife and Forward Space celebrated green living in the workplace, hosting an Earth Day event at Chicago-based Steelcase dealership Forward Space.
Coalesse - a creator of furnishings for the modern workplace that bring new life to work - and Sagegreenlife - a leading designer and manufacturer of interior and exterior living green walls - welcomed top Chicago architects and designers interested in learning more about biophilia and its effect on how we live.
"It's clear that biophilia - our innate affinity for nature - and its design principles have become more prominent in the A&D community and for a growing number of our customers who want workplaces that promote wellbeing," said Lew Epstein, General Manager for Coalesse. "That's why we're excited about our new alliance with Sagegreenlife and having Bill Browning here to increase our knowledge. Together, our like-minded view of the growing demand will deliver added value by combining our respective teams' expertise and capabilities."
Guest speaker Bill Browning, sustainable design advocate and cofounder of Terrapin Bright Green, shared his research-backed insights on the incredible benefits of bringing living design into workplaces. "Bringing living nature into our workspaces can lower stress, improve cognitive function, and generally increase our wellbeing," Browning said.
Key takeaways from Browning's presentation:
Increases productivity: Nature plays a critical role in allowing the mind to fall into a state of soft fascination, lowering cortisol levels and increasing productivity.
Reduces stress: The biodiverse plant life within Sagegreenlife's walls is processed by the brain as a habitat, which helps reduce stress and increase cognitive capabilities.
Saves Money: Investing in employees and their well-being, through the addition of biophilic design in the workplace, generates a significantly larger return on investment compared to any other in-office update.