BIOPHILIA AMAZON OFFICE DESIGN RESEARCH BY ZAINAB A.MAJEED & REEM YOUSIF

UNIVERSITY OF BAHRAIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DERSIGN INTD410 | INTERIOR DESIGN V

BIOPHILIA AMAZON OFFICE DESIGN

M E X I C O STUDENTS: ZAINAB A.MAJEED ASHOORI & REEM YOUSIF ALHANNOSH ID: 20174433 SEC 01 INSTRUCTOR: DR. FATIMA QAED

CONTENTS

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TABLE 2

01. CASE STUDY - Amazon Spheres / NBBJ

4 - 37

01 02. RESEARCH - Biophilia theory - Activity Base working space

38 - 57 58 - 87

03. CITY RESEARCH - Mexico City, Mexico

88 - 105

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CASE STUDY AMAZON

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SPHERES / NBBJ

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Architects: NBBJ Area: 67000 m² Year: 2018 Photographs: Sean Airhart Photography, Bruce Damonte Architectural Photographer, Stuart Isett

AMAZON’S JUNGLE

THE SPHERES The idea of meeting, working or relaxing among 40,000 plants from more than 30 countries, in an enclosed tropical climate in the middle of Seattle, was conceived as a way to help Amazonians “think differently” — to get away from traditional workspaces and get up close to nature.

The Spheres occupy a prominent location at the center of the site, where employees can step away from their desks to think more collaboratively and more creatively while surrounded by nature.

CLICK HERE! To watch The Spheres as they're being built, from groundbreaking to completion.

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SITE ANALYSIS

Seattle, Washington, United States

Near transportation

Multiple accesses

Close restaurants/ cafes

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THE STRUCTURE 10

MANUAL MODELS 11

FLOOR PLANS – SECTION CUT

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ACCESS PLANS

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SECTION CUT

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EXTIRIOR SPHERE

How the big fig tree got inside? Craned !

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EXTERIOR ANALYZING BUILDING FORM ‘SPHERES’ -Street level view & materials

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INTERIOR STUDY

Secluded meeting nooks and benches strewn throughout the complex can seat up to 800 people.

smell of plant life, soil, ground cover

The ventilation system comes through a living wall.

water sound

Chairs around the sphere.

A living wall made up of 200 species comprising 25,000 plants grows in the Spheres. The orbs are kept at 72 degrees and 60 percent humidity during the day, and 55 degrees with 85 percent humidity at night. misty, humid air

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concrete wall and floor.

Coffee bar for employees.

Exposed steel frames the stairways and open walkways.

Lounge chairs arrayed in a semi-circle under a low section of the bubble glass ceiling.

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The natural greenery finds a contrast in the concrete floors and walls.

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THE TOWER”DAY 1 TOWER’

Contains a range of employee amenities, including a marketplace, food venues, labs, tech support, meeting areas, an outdoor terrace and other alternative workspaces.

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INSIDE THE TOWER Wooden panels ceiling gives ambient light effect.

Coffee area

dividers Self service marketplace

Lighting is all done up in Amazon black-andorange.

Structural steel

Greeneries inside the tower also

Hallway with splash of purple color and ambient lights 32

Lobby

Polished concrete flooring 33

IN-TOWER EMPLOYEES ACTIVITES

Phone booths for privacy

Chess in break room

Dogs park!

Free banana stand

Work while watching TV

Play shuffleboard 34

Open working area.

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POSITIVE PONTS: 1- In a city like Seattle that lacks from a lot of nature scenes, the productivity and imagination of the employees will decrease, thus having a jungle for them will increase the imagination.

2- It is in the city which will be easy for the employee's transportation issues.

3- Made a tourist attraction for both Seattle and amazon.

4- The spheres includes more than 40000 different kind of plants such as cocoa beans, fig tree…

NEGATIVE PONTS: 1- No direct entrance from the tower to the spheres such a connected hallway ( must cross a street ).

2- The spheres only have casual seating's which may not be that comfortable to work on for long hours.

3- The tower and spheres located in a busy area that may affect the employee's transportation and noise.

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RESEARCH BIOPHILIA

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THEORY

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BIOPHILIA D E S I G N

offers guidelines for how to create built environments that support our innate human attraction to nature and natural processes.

This improved connection can benefit our wellbeing by: reducing stress

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improving recuperation

helping cut costs

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improve outcomes

in the built environment.

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WHYcreating spaces that enhance wellbeing is an important design aim to achieve?

P R O B L E M: As urbanization has increased, stress rates have also rocketed.

urbanization

stress rates

Here’s an astonishing fact that demonstrate WHY: Because we are becoming increasingly distanced from nature and we recover significantly faster from stress when exposed to a natural environment, in comparison to an urban setting.

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SOLUTION: And that’s why it’s important that we find ways to creatively develop the implementation of the principles of Biophilic Design and make it financially accessible, to increase the uptake.

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Environmental Features Evolved human-nature relationship

Natural Shapes and Forms

BIOPHILIC DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Natural Patterns and Processes

Place-based relationship Light and Scape

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Terrapin

Bright

Green’s

neuroscientific & psychological take on Biophilic Design. This approach is concerned with what goes on in our heads when we connect with nature, as well as our perception of it, and considers how to enhance spaces with:

• Terrapin Bright Green offer an accessible framework for interpreting, adapting and applying Biophilic Design principles into design practice.

NATURE IN THE SPACE: Designing in direct contact with nature or natural systems.

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NATURAL ANALOGUES: Design strategies that use references to, or representations of, nature.

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NATURE OF THE SPACE: Mimicking the spatial qualities of natural environments to evoke/enhance human responses.

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BIOPHILIC DESIGN T H E O R I E S

1.Explain our physical and psychological reactions to elements within our built and natural environments

2. Offer us

opportunities to be creative and utilize these responses to create positive spaces

“Why the desire for a nature connection is so deeply embedded in our physical and mental states?”

This question has led to the development of theories about how Biophilic Design can help fulfil that need and improve wellbeing.

HOW to bring Biophilic Design theory into your practice ?

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CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS

are the ‘physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24- hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness in an organism’s environment.

NATURAL LIGHT triggers cells in the eye that signal the secretion or suppression of melatonin - the sleep-inducing hormone that regulates our Circadian Rhythms.

ARTIFICAL LIGHT

Savannah-like open spaces CONTRASTING with more sheltered “safe” spaces.

WHY do we feel more comfortable and safe in some environments and not others?

These create spaces that enable both excitement and exploration with quiet areas that allow us to restore mental and physical focus

Biophilia recognizes the need for inhabitants to have the structure of a natural environment.

can throw our Circadian Rhythms out of kilter and have physiological, cognitive and overall health consequences.

DESIGNING SPACES that offer occupants more opportunities for exposure to natural light will help them to: - Reset their Circadian Rhythms.

- Improve their wellbeing.

- Improve their performance.

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SAVANNA HYPOTHESIS

suggests that human preference is to be in lush healthy Savannah-like environments where we can see potential threats or prey across open grasslands from a place of safe refuge.

We can reset our Circadian Rhythms through increased exposure to sunlight.

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ATTENTION RESTORATION THEORY

Nature can replenish our mental and attentional capacity after we’ve tired our brains out from too much “directed attention”.

That is, nature can reactivate the tired parts, and so we can enjoy “effortless attention” for a short while at least.

BLUE (clear sky or clean water) calming and relaxing

Incorporating references to nature (natural analogues), can make us feel better and have a positive physiological effect.

GREEN (healthy vegetation) calming and restorative

YELLOW (warmth and sunshine) happy and welcoming

RED (healthy ripe fruits) energizing and exciting

NATURAL VIEWS: People have a strong tendency to prefer natural views over urban landscapes, inducing more positive emotional and physiological states.

view

NATURAL MOVEMENT

is more positively than

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT

occasionally shifting our attention to something natural is beneficial for attention restoration 52

FOR EXAMPLE: Using wood in interiors will: • •

ECOLOGICAL VALENCE THEORY

Reduce blood pressure.

Increase the feeling of comfort.

This theory explains our color preferences and responses to them. We seek colors that are reminiscent of nature when it is thriving.

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BLUE SPACE THEORY

We prefer environments (built or natural) containing water. They can have a positive effect on us and we perceive them to be more restorative than those without.

BENEFITIS of incorporating water into environments: • • • •

Reduce stress.

Lower heart rate and blood pressure.

Enhance relaxation, positive emotions and concentration.

Memory restoration.

When working with distraction we experience higher levels of stress which can lead to depression and behaviors that increase the risk of heart disease.

Should we have no quiet place to escape to,

• Natural light and views out to nature create awareness of the present moment.

• Planted partitions in open plan offices can block visual distraction and dampen sound.

SMELL Introducing plants will: Improve air quality.

• Introduce pleasant and natural aromas.

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BIOPHILIC DESIGN

can encourage the sensory awareness required for mindful states through:

MINDFULNESS TECHNIQUES 54

SIGHT

HEARING

TOUCH

Recorded sounds, such as flowing water, mask disruptive noises.

Zone spaces with changes in floor surfaces, acoustic and visual landscapes creates a sense of momentary awareness.

Mindfulness techniques purposefully increase awareness of the present moment through connection with one’s senses, reducing stress, anxiety, and physical disorders.

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BLUE SPACE THEORY

"It’s what we crave because we know instinctively that we must have it to survive. We must breathe Nature, smell Nature, feel it, hear it, touch it, live it, eat it to be whole.

We must be immersed in it.”

– Helena van Vliet, AIA – Principal at Helena van Vliet Architect, LLC

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RESEARCH ACTIVITY-BASED WORKING SPACE

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ACTIVITY B A S E D W O R K I N G (ABW)

Activity-based working (ABW) is a way of working in which employees make shared use of a diversity of work settings that have been designed to support different kinds of activities.

So, it is a work style that allows employees to choose from a variety of settings according to the nature of what they are doing.

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(ABW)

OBJECTIVES Allows organizations to make better use of their office space.

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Empower employees by giving them more control over where and when they work.

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(ABW)

BENEFITS BENEFITS FOR THE ORGANIZATION: • Reduced occupancy costs.

• Smaller environmental footprint.

• Increased flexibility.

• Better interaction across teams.

• Potential improvement in staff performance.

• Support for cultural change.

BENEFITS FOR EMPLOYEES: • More autonomy in choosing where to work.

• More choice and variety in work settings.

• Advanced technologies that facilitate mobile working.

• More contact with colleagues.

• Fewer hierarchical differences.

• A less sedentary, healthier workstyle.

• Fewer but better workplaces.

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The office provides a diversity of work settings to support different kinds of activities and work styles.

DIVERSITY

A WAY OF WORKING

ACTIVITY-BASED WORKING

SHARING

ELEMENTS

ABW is a way of working and not just a design concept. The core idea is that employees work in a mobile and flexible fashion, making their own decisions as to where and when to work.

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All work settings are available to everyone. By sharing workspaces, it is possible to provide a greater diversity of settings while at the same time saving square meters.

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RELATED CONCEPTS REMOTE WORKING Remote working is an obvious companion to ABW as it builds upon the same idea of giving people more control over where and when they work.

CO-WORKING In practice, the activity-based concept is often combined with other workplace concepts and design ideas.

These are the most important ones. They are all concepts that can help to strengthen the ABW concept, but they are not by definition part of it.

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Co-work offices are like a hybrid of a cafe, a serviced office and a community space.

The facilities provided are just as important as the sense of community on offer.

SMART OFFICES AND ‘PROPTECH’ Sensors can be used to monitor where people are and where there are available workspaces. Both kinds of information can help staff to navigate an ABW office

COLLABORATIVE SPACE The idea behind the creation of collaborative spaces is that they facilitate the exchange of knowledge and ideas in organizations.

HEALTHY OFFICES Biophilic elements, like plants, are likely to have positive impact on people’s well-being in the office, making it a more natural and less artificial environment.

AGILE WORKING Agile working requires that team members can sit together and have daily meetings (‘stand-ups’) to discuss their activities

CASUAL AESTHETICS Domestic elements like armchairs and sofas are used to make the office less office-like.

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SUCCESS FACTORS: 1. A N A L Y S I S

The overall analysis process can be split into three parts: o Analyzing the existing situation. o Exploring new possibilities. o Validating new ideas.

THE PURPOSE OF ANALYZING

To prepare the organization for change.

Analyzing existing and new ways of working helps to create an awareness of how and where the work environment can be improved.

Involving users in this process is an excellent way of creating engagement.

Participative activities such as workshops and interviews can be particularly powerful change management tools.

THE AIM OF ANALYZING

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Assess the organization’s readiness for activitybased working and to gather data and insights to inform the detailed development of the concept.

Gain an understanding of the organization, its work processes and its current ways of using space.

This part of the analysis is more about ‘soft’ qualitative data such as ideas, inspiration and ambitions.

New ideas and concepts should be tested and validated before they are implemented.

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SUCCESS FACTORS: 2. P R O C E S S developing a general vision

Envision making the concept work in practice

Manage

Define

PROCESS

formulating specific requirements

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT?

STAGES

Once an organization has decided to adopt activity-based working, it will be necessary to set up a process for implementation.

moving in and solving teething problems

Design

Settle in Build building the new environment and getting it ready for use

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It is crucial that the process should be a combination of project management and change management activities

designing the spatial and technical environment

This is important because implementing an ABW project is not just about managing time and costs, but equally about preparing the organization for the upcoming changes.

FOR EMPLOYEES: ABW means a break with the routine, and convenience, of having a fixed desk.

FOR MANAGERS: For their part, must get used to not having a private office and learn how to manage on the basis of trust.

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SUCCESS FACTORS:

3.1. SHARING RATIO

3. D E S I G N SHARING RATIO expresses the degree of sharing

THE NUMBER OF WORKSPACES The design stage is about: o Sharing ratio o Zoning o Space types

The recommendation is to focus and to count the: • ‘proper’ workstations only (those with an ergonomic chair, a height-adjustable work surface, a monitor and daylight access).

WHY? Because those are the kind of workspaces that employees are most interested in and that still have the largest impact on the space requirement.

• The many other, informal workspaces (e.g. booths, soft seating) are relevant, but they are ‘seats’ rather than workstations. The number of seats is typically much larger than the number of workstations (double or

Sharing ratio = the available number of workspaces / the number of employees For example: a ratio of 0.8 means 8 workplaces for every 10 employees.

WHAT

THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES

IS A GOOD RATIO?

• Includes external workers such as freelancers and contractors. (But it will be difficult to get accurate numbers for these categories.)

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• When a headcount is used, each employee is counted as one.

• With FTEs (‘fulltime equivalents’), people are counted according to their working hours (e.g. a person working half time is counted as 0.5).

• The advantage of using ‘heads’ is that this figure is easier to understand (‘you are

a ratio of around 0.7 tends to work fine for most organizations. It is probably the most widely used ratio in practice. (because the logic behind it is that it seldom happens that more than 70% of the staff are in need of a desk at the same time.)

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But during the Pandemic (Covid-19) working from home became a much more common practice. In that case, a ratio of 0.5 or 0.4 workstations per person may very well be feasible.

sharing a desk with such and such number of colleagues’)

even more).

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3.2.1.

ORGANIZATIONAL ZONING: Organizational zoning is about whether the organization’s teams or units should have a fixed position in the building or not. There are three different models, each with a different degree of ‘team ownership’.

The free-range model is the most flexible. The team zone model is static, but useful when you want keep teams together.

The team anchor model is a midway solution.

3.2. ZONNING

FREE-RANGE In this model there are no assigned areas whatsoever. It is the ultimate ABW model, based on the idea that employees and teams can best decide for themselves where to sit.

Its advantage: It is extremely flexible and that it encourages mingling across team boundaries.

Large office projects are often a mix of these models. Some floors are ‘free range’ and available to all. Other floors (or parts of it) are assigned to specific departments or teams.

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The disadvantage: Team members may be scattered over the entire building, which may hinder collaboration.

TEAM ANCHORS

TEAM ZONES

The team anchor model is midway solution. In this model, teams do not have a dedicated work area, but a small ‘anchor point’ where they can find their lockers, shared storage, team memorabilia, and perhaps a ‘community table’.

In this model, teams are assigned to a particular floor or part of it. It is not mandatory for team members to work there, nor is it a team’s exclusive territory, but it is like a ‘home base’ where people can expect to find team colleagues.

Its advantage: The model helps to keep teams together.

The disadvantage: There are no clear borders. It is thus more fluid and flexible than the team zone model.

Its advantage: It keeps teams together, which can be of particular importance for organizations that have adopted ‘agile working’, which is all about teamwork The disadvantage: Less flexible than the freerange model as the ‘borders’ between zones have to be redrawn when team structures or team sizes change.

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3.2.2.

ACTIVITY ZONING: Activity zoning is about the clustering of activities with similar characteristics to avoid friction due to incompatible activities. Many ABW projects differentiate between three zones: a focus zone, a social zone and an interactive zone.

SOCIAL ZONE This is the area where social and lively activities can take place.

Examples might include having a cup of coffee with colleagues.

This area will typically be used by multiple teams, so it is a good place to promote chance encounters across teams.

The interactive zone acts as a buffer between the quiet zone and the social zone. The quiet zone is typically located furthest away from the access point of the office floor. So, the deeper you venture into the office space, the quieter it gets.

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INTERACTIVE ZONE The interactive zone (sometimes also referred to as a transitional zone) is where all mainstream office activities and collaborative activities can take place.

Workspaces tend to be largely open. Small meeting rooms and phone booths in between the workspaces help to reduce noise levels.

QUIET ZONE The quiet zone is the area where people should be able to work in peace and quiet. Its purpose is to facilitate individual, concentrated work. It may offer enclosed focus rooms and/or open and semi-open workstations.

To keep the area quiet, there should be no functions that generate traffic (e.g. no large meeting rooms) and it should be located away from or shielded from main circulation routes.

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3.2.3.

SECURITY ZONING: The idea that employees should be able to use the entire office as their workplace may need to be restricted for security reasons. There may, for example, be teams who are working on confidential projects that should not be accessible or visible to others. In such cases it will be necessary to apply some degree of security zoning in the office, making a distinction between areas that are only accessible to specific teams or persons, areas that are accessible to all employees, and semi-public areas where visitors are also allowed.

Ideally the different zones should be ‘embedded’ in one another, thereby increasing the level of security with each new zone.

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PUBLIC ZONE

SEMI-PUBLIC ZONE

OPERATIONS ZONE

(HIGH) SECURITY ZONE

This zone is accessible to both staff and visitors.

This zone is accessible to staff and to visitors with temporary access cards.

It the security jargon for the regular office floors of a building.

This zone often houses the conference spaces, company restaurant.

Only staff will have access to these areas.

This is a zone or space that is accessible to specific employees only and is often located within the operations zone.

it will be the area right behind the entrance, with a waiting area and a reception desk there may also be an exhibition area, a coffee point and informal work and meeting spots in this zone.

In some cases, this zone also features co-work areas for external partners.

The design should be in such a way that staff can move around freely, without too much card swiping.

Examples include spaces for teams working on a confidential project or for staff working with security-sensitive data.

In some cases, there may be even be a need for ‘high security’ within that zone,

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3.3.1.

WORKSPACE:

3.3. SPACE TYPES

Workspaces are defined here as those spaces that are specifically designed for deskrelated activities such as reading, researching, writing, phoning. The main differentiator between the different kinds of workspaces is the degree of enclosure.

OPEN WORKSTATION

STUDY ROOM 82

SEMI-OPEN WORKSTATION

PHONE BOOTH

FOCUS ROOM

PROJECT ROOM 83

3.3.2.

COLLABORATION SPACES: As the name implies, collaboration spaces are spaces that are explicitly designed for collaboration, such as formal meetings, informal chats, brainstorming sessions, one-onone conversations, ‘stand-ups’ and other kinds of interactions.

BOOTH

SMALL MEETING ROOM 84

HUDDLE

MEDIUM MEETING ROOM

STAND-UP SPACE

LARGE MEETING ROOM 85

3.3.3.

SUPPORT SPACES: Support spaces concern the practical facilities that provide employees with water, food, storage, stationery and other essentials. Because of their practical purpose, support spaces tend to attract people, so they can be used to influence social interaction within an organization.

KITCHENETTE

PRINT/COPY SPACE 86

LOCKER SPACE

LOBBY

STORAGE (GROUP/INDIVIDUAL)

RESTAURANT 87

CITY RESEARCH M E X I C O C I T Y,

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MEXICO

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LOCATION: North America

FLAG:

LANGUAGE:

MEXICO CITY

Spanish and has over 66 Indian languages

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GENERAL INFORMATION

represents hope and victory.

RELIGION: Roman Catholic (82.7%) Protestant (6.6%) Jehovah's Witness (1.4%) Other (1.9%) Unaffiliated (4.7%) Unspecified (2.7%)

CURRENCY: Mexican Peso

POPULATION: 130,586,381

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The three colors of Mexico’s flag hold deep significance for the country and its citizens:

WHITE stands for the purity of Mexican ideals.

RED brings to mind the blood shed by the nation’s heroes.

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GEOGRIPHCAL INFORMATION

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Mexico City has a highly varied topography that consists of rugged mountains with high elevations, deserts, high plateaus, and low coastal plains.

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Mexico’s Climate is also variable, but it is mainly tropical or desert, warm to hot weather throughout the year. The rainy season is from June to October.

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DEFORESTATION

ENVIRONMENT ISSUES AIR POLLUTION

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LACK OF CLEAN WATER

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The basaltic prisms of Hidalgo are polygonal columns of basalt rock between thirty and fifty meters high created by ancient lava flows.

INSPIRATIONAL NATURAL PHENOMENONS

Each year millions of Monarch butterflies make their way to Mexico, their final resting place after their long migration from the north.

Millions of fireflies' mate in during the months of June, July and August in this forest sanctuary that is open to visitors.

It is known for its beautiful and brilliant cenotes, or sinkholes, created by the collapse of limestone rock.

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AGRICULTURE

RESOURCES AND POWER ANTIMONY

GOLD

CADMIUM

BEANS

ALUMINUM ORE

BAUXITE

MEXICAN JAMAICA FLOWER DRINK RICE

GUACAMOLE

SEAFOOD

DULCE DE LECHE

ZINC

SILVER

QUESADILLAS

HORCHATA

ATOL

FOOD AND DRINKS CORN (MAIZE

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TORTILLAS

TACOS

PALETEROS VENDORSPOPSICLES

HOT PEPPERS (OFTEN ICED BUNS AND SERVED IN A RED OR GREEN SAUCE)

OVERSIZED COOKIES),

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IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

EASTER

DAY OF THE DEAD

FESTIVALS

(DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS)

CHRISTMAS

INDEPENDENCE DAY CINCO DE MAYO

PRE-LENTEN CARNAVAL

DÍA DE LA RAZA (“RACE DAY”)

SPORTS

MEXICAN BOXING

PATTERN

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BULLFIGHTING

FOOTBALL (SOCCER)

ARTS

FARIDA KAHLO ART

LUCHA LIBRE (MEXICAN PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING)

SALSA

MOTIFS

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ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

MAYAN 102

GOTHIC

BAROUQE

ART DECO

NEOCLASSICAL 103

INSPIRATIONAL IMAGES

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