MOSS LAB 1.1
What is the effect of different volumes of indoor greenery on employees’ well-being?
BACKGROUND
MOSS Lab 1.1 is a research experiment conducted by Marlies Elbertse of Wageningen University based on the groundwork laid out from MOSS Lab 1.0.
This pioneering research conceptualized and steered by MOSS and executed in collaboration with the University of Wageningen in 2021, is the first in the world to have extracted data on the impact of different scales of greenery in indoor spaces.
The study looked into the effect of different volumes of indoor greenery on employees’ perceived and physical variables of stress, productivity, and workplace satisfaction.
The findings are relevant for an average urban dweller who works in an indoor space, as well as built environment practitioners who have an influence on how those spaces are designed and realized.
0% green
0.5% green
8% green
The team approached the experiment with three conditions: first a control condition with no indoor green (0%), the second condition with two plant pots (0.5%) as a representation of the current state of greenery in many offices, and the third condition with the most plants (8%) often used by MOSS as a benchmark in projects.
EXPERIMENT
A crossover experimental design was applied to obtain more insights into the effect of 3 different volumes of indoor greenery on employee well-being. To find out more about what a crossover experiment is and why it is the selected method, check out MOSS LAB 1.0.
The crossover method was chosen partly because of the smaller participant group required for an efficient result. With the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, we had to scale down the sample size to 33 participants.
During the experiment, a randomized cross-over design was applied; each participant was randomly assigned to one of the three conditions in a within-subjects design. By the end, each participant experienced all three conditions.
Carryover effects, which happens when the results in experiments are influenced by treatments given in previous periods, needed to be prevented (Rahmawati, 2011; Tinmouth & Hebert, 2007). To prevent this, participants were told that they were partaking in a study about Fitbits.
Randomised cross-over path of the experiment for an example participant
PROCEDURE
The research method entailed various steps that were carried out three times for 30-minute periods each with 33 participants. The participant’s heart rate was monitored at different times throughout the experiment with the help of a Fitbit to evaluate stress levels.
Productivity was measured by filling out sudoku puzzles with a time pressure of 10 minutes. Afterward, a questionnaire was handed out to measure stress levels, perceived productivity, and workplace satisfaction.
RESULTS
THE FINDINGS CONCLUDED THAT THE MOST FAVORABLE AMOUNT OF GREEN WAS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE 8% SCENARIO, WHICH IS A BASELINE GREEN VOLUME IN PROJECTS REALIZED BY MOSS.
The research findings demonstrate that the spaces with increased volumes of greenery contribute to happier, healthier, and more relaxing workplaces as this is where the participants perceived less stress and experienced more productivity.
The participant’s heart rate, and therefore stress levels were reduced significantly. Next to this, the higher-volume green rooms led to an increase in productivity levels. This suggests that when implementing 8% of green into a space, users can both feel and perform better.
Interestingly, as found in the qualitative post-study survey, some participants’ preferred the 0.5% volume, as they explained more plants might distract them from said task.
However, all of the quantitative data proves otherwise and the higher the volume of greenery, the better for the user and the environment.
In MOSS Lab 1.0 and MOSS Lab 1.1, we revealed a breakthrough in the world’s understanding of plants and provided an optimal guideline for the scale of greenery in workspaces. This has helped MOSS as green designers to design better and healthier workspaces.