Biophilic Installation at the Interface Showroom for Clerkenwell Design Week ’16

Designed and completed by Oliver Heath, Kirsty Parker and Elly Deakin

We designed and installed a Biophilic space at the Interface showroom in London, as part of their current campaign: ‘Beautiful Thinking’. The project brief was to create a temporary Biophilic installation for Clerkenwell Design Week, which demonstrated various Biophilic design principles to visiting architects and interior designers. Our aim was to inspire visitors to use Biophilia within office design as research has proven than it can help to boost employee’s health and well-being, leading to improve their productivity and creativity. The space is situated in the basement of the showroom and is used as somewhere to eat lunch and have informal meetings. Before, the space featured blank white walls and was dominated by a large meeting table that spilled onto the adjacent corridor. There was only a small sense of Biophilia created by some plants and the existing Interface flooring – however, we wanted to add to this and demonstrate key Biophilic design principles that are mentioned in the Human Spaces Global Report.

Here are the principles along with how they were incorporated…

• Natural light: The space already features a good source of natural light thanks to it’s large skylight.

• Plants and greenery: In order to create a thriving, lush environment, we installed a floor-to-ceiling vertical green wall, acting as a focal point to the space. Large standing plants are also dotted around the space to enclose the area, creating privacy for meetings or independent working.

• Elements of water: We incorporated two water wall cascades at both side of the space in order to create an entrance that draws you in. The sound of the running water also masks any surrounding sounds that can be disrupting to users.

• Natural colours, patterns and texture: The back wall is now tiled in stone veneer, which is not only a soothing colour but is also tactile. Interface have re-designed the flooring, which mimics a forest path, leading you into the space. We also incorporated furniture by Bene, which is made from natural materials and features a pop of bright fuchsia.

• Olfactory: We included an atomiser that releases scents, such as palma rosa and lemon, which are good for helping to improve productivity.

Some of the design features were kept after the event – the space can now be experienced by the Interface employees, giving them a calm and relaxing space where they can recuperate during their busy day at work.