“At the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), we had many goals when designing our new headquarters office. The office is designed to promote health, wellness and well-being,” said Randy Fiser, CEO of ASID. “Our ultimate goal is to reinforce the tie between design and improvements in productivity, engagement and retention. This helps the profession reinforce the return on investment.”
“We evaluated every material selection against our own Perkins+Will Precautionary List to ensure that we were selecting products that did not contain substances that were harmful to human health,” said lead designer and ASID member Ken Wilson of Chicago-based Perkins+Will. “We also selected materials that had Health Product Declarations (HPDs) or certifications from DECLARE or Cradle to Cradle. This in itself is unique.”
“These healthy material certifications are relatively new, and many manufacturers don’t have them or are reluctant to share this information,” said Wilson. “One of the most unusual materials we used was the Interface carpet made from recycled fishing nets.”
“To create a space that centered on the health and well-being of our employees, we utilized biophilic design elements and installed a circadian lighting system,” said Fiser. “In every window, we have plants to give employees a source of natural inspiration and to lower CO2 levels for better air quality. These details will stimulate cognitive activity and reduce stress levels.”
“As we focus on wellness, all of our workstations have sit/stand desks to encourage mobility,” said Fiser. “We also issued Fitbits to every staff member so they can measure their daily activity. Every morning, we have fresh fruit and vegetables available in our café area. The focus on wellness should lead to a decrease in sick days and overall improved employee health.”
“As the voice of the interior design community, our office will serve a living lab,” said Fiser. “Our staff members volunteered to participate in a pre- and post-occupancy research study. The findings will demonstrate the impact of design on the human experience and help drive the future of workplaces.”