Nordea Greenest Offices – Gdynia
workplace solutions recently completed the offices for Nordea IT located in Gdynia, Poland.
Biophilic trend is effectively changing offices to full-natural work environments. In Gdynia, workplace solutions created an architectural concept based on greenery in the headquarters of fast-growing fin-tech company. A real workspace, which is probably the greenest office in the world.
The uniqueness of the natural environment lies in its freedom and harmony, which then influence our mental comfort. Could the environment in which we work be like this?
workplace solutions imagined a workplace that supports productivity, stimulates creativity and takes care of our well-being. Places with plenty of natural elements have a positive effect on creativity, motivation and stress reduction.
workplace solutions came up with a number of studies proving that design based on natural elements improves human comfort. The most important findings about the green working environment include:
- general air purification of volatile pollutants and dusts
- reduction of headache by up to 24%
- reduction of eye irritation by up to 52%
- reduction of energy consumption for room ventilation by 15%
- increase in work productivity by 20%
The reports shows that increased indoor air circulation increases cognitive skills by as much as 61%. Furthermore, green offices that reduce air pollution improve our intelligence and cognitive capabilities by 101% compared to standard buildings. Offices with a large number of plants increase the involvement, productivity and well-being of the employees by creating a good working atmosphere which has a real impact on the results of a given organization.
The main goal was to design a place that would become an image and business tool. A functional and unique workspace where humans are the center of attention. In the modern work environment, designed for programmers, workspace solutions has implemented the idea of the green office.
In this “Biophilic Office,” the design team arranged about 220 large plants throughout the 770 m2 of available floor space. The total leaf area of the plants was equivalent to about 4 tennis courts. The optimal amount of greenery, based on NASA surveys, was 15 m2 per person. The NASA guidelines also aided the team in selecting the most effective air purifying and oxygen-supplying plant species. The solutions included easy-to-adjust pots of various sizes, as well as green walls and plants integrated into the furniture.
The design was inspired by the local “Kępa Redłowska” reserve. The naturalness of this park, which is located on a cliff, was in harmony with the idea of a green office. This cliff, surrounded as it is by greenery, formed the core of the office design. In other areas of the office, the floor used natural colors to lead through a beach area, and then passed onto the delicate blue of the sea. Brainstorm rooms were inspired by bunkers which vestiges can be found on the reserve area.
Inside the green “Biophilic Office” plants are the function. We know the mistakes that are made when arranging greenery-based spaces and how to design a plant layout conducive to improving productivity. We continue to expand our knowledge by observing the “natural reserve” in completed office. Scientists from the Warsaw University of Technology have been involved in researching air quality in this internal environment. We analyze the results of the research together, in order to constantly improve the biophilic design concept and share it in the spirit of human-oriented design.
Designer: workplace solutions
Design Team: Bogusz Parzyszek, Dominika Zielińska, Marzena Bednarczyk, Natalia Leszczyńska, Agata Smolich, Katarzyna Gajewska, Rafał Mikulski, Damian Bieniek, Halina Kamińska / Florabo
Photography: Adam Grzesik
