Indoor pollution and low humidity is an ever-present threat in most office buildings where workers daily come into contact with toxic fumes from furniture, carpets, cleaning products, computers, printers and photocopiers, to name a few.

Indoor air pollution is associated with allergies, headaches, stress and a host of other diseases and conditions that have a negative effect on productivity. Fortunately, there is a simple and affordable solution: interior landscaping, that is; bringing nature back in to the office.

Why we need nature back in the office

We spend a lot of our time indoors, often in windowless offices, surrounded by artificial things and yet we long to have contact with nature. When the opportunity arises we flock to the sea, open spaces, parks and other natural environments. Why? Because we live such artificial, fast-paced lives we need tranquillity and peace to calm our hearts and souls and keep us healthy. Nature and natural things such as plants supply in this need. Tove Fjeld of the Agricultural University of Norway did a study on the health benefits of office plants and has this to say: “Plants in offices can improve the sense of well-being and health. Health problems affected by the indoor atmosphere occur less frequently, and the employees feel the plants to be a positive element.”

Health benefits of office plants

Similar studies done at universities in America, the Netherlands and the UK collaborated Fjeld’s findings and shed new light on how office plants and a healthy workplace reduced stress and enhanced the well-being and productivity of office workers.

Some of their findings include the following benefits.

    • Improved air quality that subsequently improved productivity. Certain plants have the remarkable ability to purify the air by removing toxic air emissions while at the same time emitting oxygen into the air. Clorophytum comosum (the spider plant native to South Africa) absorbs carbon monoxide while the Boston (or Mother) fern helps eliminate formaldehyde from the air and the Areca palm absorbs xylene (a benzene derivative). Other plants that help clean the air include Ficus benjamina (weeping fig tree), Philodendron selloum, Spathiphyllum (peace lilies) and Dracaena marginata (dragon tree). The humble Chrysanthemums, apart from adding lovely splashes of colour, also help clear the air of pollutants.
    • Plants also help lower indoor temperatures through the process of transpiration while at the same time adding moisture to dry indoor air − good news for all the women complaining of dry skin.
    • Stress levels are lower and people also recover from stress quicker.
    • An improved sense of well-being which makes it easier to tolerate irritations and concentrate on the task at hand.
    • Efficiency and productivity improvement of up to 12% especially in those working at computer terminals. They are less stressed, their blood pressure is lower and they report feeling more attentive.
    • Noise levels are reduced. In some offices plant “walls” instead of cubicles are used to partition off working spaces and reduce noise. Good sound absorbing plants include Ficus benjamina (weeping fig tree), Spathiphyllum (peace lily), Philodendron selloum and Dracaena marginata (dragon tree).
    • Fewer general health problems are reported such as headaches (down by 20%), dry facial skin (down by 25%), coughing (down by 40%), hoarseness and dry throat (down by 30%) and fatigue (down by 30%). This in turn reduces staff absences.

In similar studies undertaken in America and Sweden scientists reported that even the view from your window can help reduce stress. In Roger Ulrich’s study, hospital patients who faced a window with a view of the garden or other vegetation recovered sooner than those who faced other buildings or did not have an outside view. The Swedish study concluded that office workers with a view of the plants and vegetation outside had lower stress levels than their colleagues.

Mike Lothian sums it up perfectly. He says “a co-ordinated programme of interior tropical plant displays and exterior landscaping creates a lasting impression on both your clients and employees, as well as improving the quality of the air you breathe and satisfying peoples’ proven psychological need for living office plants”.

 

Sources
Green your space clean your air. 2011. Retrieved from: http://www.plantcultureinc.com Green.html
House plants with benefits. Retrieved from, http://chantelg4hubpages.com/
Lothan, M. Plants reduce stress and increase productivity in the workplace. Retrieved from: http://www.plants-in-buildings.com/
Minton, BL. 2008. A happy and healthy indoor environment with plants. Retrieved from: http://www.naturalnews.com/
The health benefits of house plants, including the top nine healthiest plants. Retrieved from: http://www.sixwise.com/