Ecotonal Office: A Shift in Workplace Wellbeing

The Ecotonal Office challenges the conventions of approaches to the design of wellness environments in modern commercial offices by inverting the integration of biophilic design. While exposure to natural elements have proven psychological and physiological benefits, design and client sensibilities approach the blending of nature into the built environment as a suggested, optional harm reduction
practice, rather than an essential part of commercial office design. Catalyzed by combining newly perfected, affordable technologies, we are enabled to reconsider where and how we work.

METHODS
Field research was conducted in four ecoregions, which were selected to represent the diversity of climates in the state of Washington from August–October 2023. At each site, a mock office was erected to gather data on productivity, comfort, and wellness outcomes. Analog and digital activities were conducted to be representative of individual and collaborative tasks typical to a North American office worker within a modern commercial office (MCO) setting and to record the experience of working in the outdoors.

RESULTS
A conceptual design of a fully technologically leveraged, human-centric, wellness prioritized remote workspace was created in response to field and literary research. It aims to unlock the potential of workplace wellness effects work within Ecotonal Office site typologies.

CONCLUSION
Work from home culture has driven society to the cusp of a workplace revolution. With recent advancements in technology, the ability to work productively in the outdoors is within our grasp. The Ecotonal Office creates the setting in which productivity and comfort  challenges can be overcome.

Meet the Research Team