Office buildings are facing new competition, and it’s not from their downtown neighbors or suburban office campuses. It’s the allure of a home office, a spacious desk and a sunny backyard.
More employees are working from home than ever before, and many would like it to stay that way. For decades, office developers and companies alike have squished more employees into smaller spaces, driving up productivity per square foot. But to prevail against the possibility of a work-from-home revolution, they may need to recalibrate their priorities around space, natural light and fresh air.
“Building managers and architects have always treated daylight and views as luxuries,” author Emily Anthes said in an interview with Monique Salas of SageGlass. “You think of the corner office. The higher-ups in the organization might get those big windows. But these are not luxuries. The evidence makes [it] clear that they are critical to our functioning.”
Anthes is a science writer and author of The Great Indoors, a new book that examines the physiological and psychological impacts of the buildings where Americans spend the vast majority of their lives.
In that interview, Anthes considered what it would be like to rework office culture — and the entire built environment — to optimize employee well-being. She also suggested architectural, behavioral and design changes that building operators can institute to make modern offices more compelling places to work.
Access To Daylight And Views
Two of the best-studied aspects of living indoors are the need for connection to the outside in the form of sunlight and nature views.
Anthes described “reams of scientific evidence” pointing to the benefits of light and views, including studies that showed how hospital patients in sunnier rooms recover more quickly and use fewer painkillers, and how even simple views of trees can reduce stress and anxiety, boost concentration and promote productivity.