bluebeige designs

work + health | a sustainable living

by | Nov 30, 2023 | Blog

introduction

According to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an average person spends about 90% of their life indoors. That is equivalent to about 72 years of our life (with an average 80-year lifespan). And yet scientific evidence has shown that indoor air is a lot more polluted than outdoor air

Studies and research have provided insights into practices and methods that can directly or indirectly address some of these issues like airborne pollutants that cause harm to our health and have negative environmental effects and greenhouse gas that has high GWP (Global Warming Potential) and Ozone Depletion.

In this article we want to discuss solutions businesses can implement to directly and indirectly address the health and quality of life of their employees. Naturally, these solutions not only address the air pollution to provide a better indoor (and outdoor) air quality but also connect people with nature to get as much healthy fresh air as possible during the working days. While there are many great solutions and we cannot possibly discuss all of them in this article, we will bring forward 2 category solutions that will have the most impact for both the environment and the occupants but also factor in initial cost and life-cycle cost (LLC), productivity at work and generating multiple benefits from one solution.

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fresh air & nature

One of the easiest and least expensive ways of improving human health while reducing indoor energy consumption is to enforce a stronger connection with nature by spending more time outdoors. A study by the University of Michigan researched the link between interacting with nature and being outdoors with cognitive skills. The study found that being outside or just looking at pictures of nature for an hour improved both short-term memory and attention span by 20%. The study emphasized the need for connection to natural scenes outdoors rather than walking down the city streets with buildings, cars and less “exploration” opportunities.

A business can improve the productivity of its employees and cognitive skills like focus and attention span by creating parks and outdoor rest areas for employees to enjoy during lunch breaks or by providing covered outdoor offices and conference rooms for meetings and work outdoors. Amazon, Google, Microsoft and many other big companies have incorporated some form of outdoor spaces for their employees from rooftop lounges with comfortable and appropriate business and computer/internet connection arrangements to natural plants and gardens inside the office buildings.

A Study by National Institute of Health (NIH) researched the amount of time spent outdoors during workweeks versus weekends. The study showed that the median times per day outdoor is 1.04 h for workweeks and 1.64 h during the weekends. So we conclude that people get more fresh outdoor air when they are not inside offices and working.

A recent change in traditional workweeks by New Zealand firm, Perpetual Guardian shows positive benefits of 4-day workweeks rather than the traditional 5 days. The results show positive outcome for employees, companies and planet. A survey of their employees before and after implementing this change shows 38% less stress reported versus 45% and 78% higher satisfaction with work/life balance compared to 54% beforehand. This approach comes from initiatives to improve the quality of life of their employees so that they can be the best versions of themselves when at work, which can benefit the employer by having happier employees at work who are more productive with better engagement and company loyalty. Some researches have shown that only less than 2 hours of a day are productive work hours. So having employees on-site or on-line for over 8 hours a day does not necessarily lead to more productivity and it could actually have an adverse effect.

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The shorter workweeks strategy not only helps the life quality and health of working people and brings the same and maybe even more monetary and definitely more non-monetary benefits for the businesses but it also helps with energy consumption and air pollution which again benefits environmental effects and cuts down the operational costs of energy for the business. When employees are not at the office, there would be less demand for energy and electricity and less cars on the road which can help with greenhouse gas emission and air pollution reduction efforts.

architectural design & indoor air

Architectural design is a very important element of sustainable living and has profound amount of impacts on our physical and mental wellbeing. Another great way of incorporating more interaction with nature is by blurring the line between indoor and outdoor. The indoor/outdoor blur can be approached in many different ways but mostly it’s a type of design that encourages strong connection with nature by making outdoor spaces easily accessible within a space and bringing in a lot of natural light and elements indoor. Glass window door openings to outdoor areas, strategic placement of windows around the building, placement and type of furniture and open floor layouts are among many ways to blur the line between indoor and outdoor.

For better IAQ, EPA recommends space planning and furniture arrangement around the air delivery and flow in the room. For example placing furniture against supply or return air registers that blocks the air generated in the room can negatively impact the air quality and even result in higher energy consumption and energy cost. Same goes with placing a big sofa against the window or access to outdoor opening as it blocks the light and the natural air flow, not to mention the beautiful view of the nature outside.

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the story of color | black

The redlining term comes from the 1930s “Residential Security” maps of major US metropolitan areas, created by the Home Owner’s Loan Corporation. These color-coded maps assigned A-D grades to neighborhoods based on investment risk, race, ethnicity, income, class, geography, etc.

the art of living: design at cell levels

What we see matters. Certain forms and patterns give us a dose of dopamine and happiness. But, design at the cell level goes beyond form and function; it determines how we see, use, feel and perceive the space and, as a result, our general well-being.

what makes something beautiful?

Neuroscience studies of art and beauty have shown a strong connection between beauty and desire. The same brain areas are activated when we look at something beautiful versus when we desire something. The works of neuroscientists like Semir Zeki suggest strong links between beauty and the brain. His studies, particularly the mOFC part of our brain, focus on the brain when we experience beauty like seeing a piece of art or listening to music.

movement, visual system, motion perception

Movements of our eyes, bodies and the world around us have a tangible and intangible presence in all aspects of our daily lives. Studies have shown that the direction, orientation and nature of the movement can impact what we see and how we process the information received and its associated emotions.

extroverts/introvert spectrum

How we see the world is based on how we perceive it. Some studies using neuroimaging technologies have proposed neurobiological differences between introverts and extroverts.

necker cube: design + illusions

The Necker cube was founded by a Swiss scientist, Louis Albert Necker. The image is drawn in a wireframe mode with 2-D planes exposing all 6 sides of a cube in an orthographic projection. It is an ambiguous drawing of a cube with no obvious visual orientation. This lack of visual direction triggers an optical illusion which results in multiple interpretations of the cube’s direction.

sfumato | science & art

Sfumato is an Italian word derived from the word “Fumo”.The term is often a reference to a painting technique popularized during the Italian High Renaissance period. This article will explore Da Vinci’s approach to Sfumato in one of the most famous paintings in history, Mona Lisa, and the art of Sfumato and our visual perceptions.

color white | experience over design

In terms of Spectral Colors, White and Black are not colors; however, White is arguably considered a color with no associated hue, an achromatic color. Then, White is described as all colors of the visible light (white light) with no designated color family (hue). So in technicality, White is a color but in visual perception, White means a lack of color.

color & vision | how we see color

Objects don’t possess any colors by themselves. Color is created by our visual system when visible light interacts with an object. So color is rather the creation of our perception of space around us.

work + health | a sustainable living

According to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an average person spends about 90% of their life indoors. That is equivalent to about 72 years of our life (with an average 80-year lifespan). And yet scientific evidence has shown that indoor air is a lot more polluted than outdoor air even in industrial and busy cities that don’t have great outdoor air quality, which can pose variety of risks to our health and quality of life.

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my name is aidin belganeh and i am the founder and chief creative director at bluebeige designs. i graduated with a bba degree in marketing from southern methodist university in 2012. while working in creative marketing and ux design, i realized my passion for architecture and design. i then enrolled at new york school of interior design, nysid, to pursue a career in interior design.

i started bluebeige designs shortly after. bluebeige designs is a design studio focusing on creating beauty through simple plain spaces. bluebeige designs magazine is an extension of our brand to explore interesting topics through the lens of architecture and psychology. our articles are in scholarly writing to explore the connections between science, art, design and architecture.

our articles put a spotlight on topics that can help us understand the world around us or change the way we see or perceive it. each article is carefully curated and referenced through data-based research and studies.

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