Embracing biophilic design in your choice of flooring

We have all experienced the calming effects of the natural world – a stroll in the park, the soothing flicker of sunlight through leaves – and the importance of incorporating this “green” world into our everyday interiors has been heavily documented in numerous scientific studies. Conservationist E.O. Wilson coined the phrase “biophilia” to describe the inherent need for the “connection that human beings subconsciously seek with the rest of life”. With Interface flooring, awareness of the importance of this biophilic bond is fundamental to everything they do.

Why incorporate biophilic design into buildings?

Embracing nature-focused design brings benefits across a variety of metrics, including the performance, health, and creativity of a building’s inhabitants. Studies have found biophilic design to be important for emotional well-being (stress reduction as well as general neurological health), physical health (quantifiable improvements in recovery rates after illness), and to lead to enhanced alertness and cognitive skills. Workers in offices that embrace natural elements report 15% higher levels of well-being and creativity, and were found to be 6% more productive.

Biophilia and sustainability:

Biophilic design isn’t just about the benefits for us, it’s about adopting a green approach to our manufacturing process and reducing our detrimental footprint on the natural world. FLR Group are proud to stock flooring from Interface – a pioneering leader in sustainability for over two decades. Since undertaking to improve the environmental impact of their factories, they are now 39% more energy efficient, use 83% less water, and obtain 35% of their power from renewable energy. Interface carpet tiles are also made with nylon yarn from 100% recycled content. On top of tangible environmental improvements, FLR Group and Interface aim, through increasing our awareness of our planet’s natural beauty, to encourage compassion and respect for the organisms with which we share this planet. Biophilic design can help us address issues large and small, for our planet, our businesses and ourselves.

Bringing biophilic design to flooring:

Interface’s Human Nature Collection is a range of carpet tiles that brings the materials, colours and textures of the natural landscape into our interior spaces. The tiles come in ‘skinny planks’ and can be harmonised or used in contrast to one another to create an area of multifaceted and multihued flooring that echoes the natural landscape’s limitless variety. If you’re interested in finding out more about the benefits of biophilic flooring, contact us at FLR Group for further information on the Interface range.