Offices are usually filled with the sound of colleagues' phones, keyword typing or machine sound, the coffee machine, and the constant flow of workplace gossip. Although frequent interruptions are common, study suggests that they lower your capacity to focus and work.
Well, from distractions and background noise to employee health and productivity, biophilic design is more vital than ever in the modern workplace. Office plants like living green walls may reduce noise, boost productivity, and calm workers.
As companies adapt to the new workplace after 2020, these features become more than just attractive—they make work more enjoyable and productive. Moreover, indoor office plants are unique in reducing noise. They block noise, vibrations, and penetration due to their acoustics.
They also absorb echoes and minimise echos from flat surfaces due to their density and biomass. Plants' natural sound absorption reduces echoes via deflection, refraction, and absorption, soothing the workplace.
Unlike solid things like walls, which reflect sound waves back into space, plants absorb and divert sound energy. Their flexible structure deflects intercepted sound energy, lowering its intensity.
Read on to discover more about why workplace acoustics are essential, what plants work best, how to incorporate plants into your workspace, and how to keep plants healthy and vibrant.
The Importance of Sound Quality in the Workplace
From cognitive, psychological, and behavioural perspectives, sound interruptions and loud interruptions may reduce workers' attention and productivity. In the long run, this might cause significant issues. Nobody likes to work in a noisy workplace, yet few can avoid it.
Some teams use noise-cancelling headphones, but what if they could create a quieter room? Actually, office plants may do that. Indoor plants not only purify the air in a workplace but also transform it into a peaceful haven. Studies suggest that plants reduce "noise pollution."
The natural tendency of plants to absorb and refract noises means that green or living walls may cut noise levels in half compared to non-planting surfaces. Since "public" spaces like lunchrooms and lobbies often have noise levels around 60dB, it certainly seems like an ideal reason to support living walls in the workplace. In a way, they are just another useful kind of corporation productivity software.
Best Indoor Plants for Improving Office Acoustics
Plants with dense foliage and sturdy stems absorb ambient noise by refracting it away from acoustic barriers like bare walls, which can amplify the echo effect. Other organic components of plants, like soil, roots, and top dressings, can absorb sound waves as well. A few examples of the best indoor plants for improving office acoustics are:
1. Snake Plant:
Thicker waxy, tall leaves make snake plants perfect for use as a short wall in workplaces as a sound barrier due to their resilience and adaptability features.
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2. Areca Palm Plant:
Areca palms not only provide a splash of tropical colour and life into any room, but their long, fluffy fronds also may act as a natural sound barrier, dampening ambient sounds.
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Buy Areca Palm Plant to enhance your office sound quality.
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3. Chamaedorea Palm:
The Chamaedorea Palm, with its arching fronds, can both enliven indoor areas with a lively, tropical vibe and reduce the intensity of sound waves.
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- Storage-Top Plant Display: Storage-top plant displays fit wonderfully on storage lockers and tambour cabinets in the workplace. Storage-top cabinets are an excellent spot for plants like ferns (Cobra Fern, Crispy Wave Fern, Bird's Nest Fern), and ZZ plants to reduce noise.
- Desk Plants: Desk plants like Aglaonema, Peperomia, and Pothos, which have broad, colourful leaves, are great for reducing background noise while also improving the aesthetics of your workspace desktop.
How to Incorporate Plants into Office Design
Selecting the right office plants improves ambient acoustics. Different plants absorb and diffuse noise differently, so choosing the appropriate ones may boost staff morale and productivity. A few examples of incorporating plants in office design are:
- Arranging the plants in many smaller groupings is better than one large one for noise reduction and the best use of surface area.
- Plants in corners and on tables are a popular and efficient method to bring nature into the workplace, absorb noise (from personal or side typing), and make everyday tasks better and less distracting.
- Displaying plants in corners and on tables is a popular and effective way to bring nature into the work environment and absorption of noise (from ones or side noise) typing and make daily activities more appealing and less distracting for employees. (Cool tones like blue and green relax the mind and body.)
- Screen plants are a stylish and functional alternative to office walls, which separate big open floor plans. They also absorb noise, making them ideal for busy, open workplaces.
- Growing plant walls and plants also make good desk dividers. Free-standing green walls between workstations may enhance productivity by providing additional privacy.
- Moss walls and other green living walls are an innovative and cost-effective approach to minimise workplace noise pollution and provide visual appeal.
Pro Tips: As sound bounces off the walls and strikes the leaves of the plants, consider placing the plants around the walls rather than in the middle of the space.
Tips for Maintaining Indoor Plants in an Office Environment
- Lighting: Choose plants that are appropriate for the lighting in your work area. Some plants require a lot of light, but not direct light, and other plants can handle less light.
- Watering: Develop a regular watering schedule based on the plant's specific needs. And don't over-water (as well as don't let the plant sit in standing water) to prevent root rot.
- Humidity: Many offices are very dry. You can increase humidity in the office by misting your plants or using a humidifier.
- Fertilizers: Use a balanced, slow-release fertilizer during the growing season to achieve healthy growth.
- Clean: Regularly remove the dust from plant leaves to increase surface area to absorb sound.
- Pests: Monitor for pests and implement control measures in an appropriate and timely way.
- Rotation: Rotate your plants to help promote even growth. Sometimes a plant will lean towards the light. Thus, you may need to rotate the plant periodically for even growth.
Conclusion:
Indoor plants can minimize noise pollution at your workplace in eco-friendly, attractive, and healthy ways. Selecting plants, putting them in the right places, and caring for them lets you make your workplace a peaceful, productive space.
The goal is to make the workplace more like a green space, complete with plants and other natural elements so that employees can relax and stay focused on their tasks without distraction.
