Symbiosis | Wellbeing for Productivity

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Symbiosis | Wellbeing for Productivity | 2013

Introduction:

Technology has brought one of the fastest changes of history. It was introduced into the lives of people with silent speed through its charm and its magical world. Born as support for productivity in research and later in the work, it is increasingly infiltrated into life of the individual, in his moments of games and in his choices, such as to earn a leading place in his actions and daily behaviors. The technology has actually opened up new worlds. It should be stressed its enormous merit in having broken all the highest communication barriers, but it has also led even more unfavourable results such as the “virtualization” of daily interactions. As a result we are now looking for physical meetings with real people, because of the intrinsic desire to oppose to the image of our lives surrounded by artificial systems that decide for us.

These two contrasting phenomena seek a balance.

The design of interactions works in this area, exploiting it and integrating it in order to propose new solutions and directions, to take to make better quality communications between people and with the devices.

Another interesting event was the rapid evolution of the relationship between man and nature. With the industrialization and the continued construction of concrete jungles, the gradual disappearance of plants helped the birth of current phenomena such as urban farming and urban gardening, aiming at the restoration of nature in people’ everyday lives. In addition to social and economic benefits, the relationship with nature can make significant improvements to human health, by lending a constant well-being.

The places for greater technology and where people spend themajority of their time are offices, often hectic and with unhealthy conditions. According to several studies, the introduction of nature within these areas would determine improvements to the atmosphere and productivity of people who work there daily.

The goal is to provide an interactive system of products and services that will improve these places and the interactions that take place inside.

Offices often have little positive conditions for the well-being of working people and in a good design project, we first have to consider the human factor. The community of employees require spaces suitable for the collaborative nature that work is acquiring, and for all the interactions that occur day by day.
In addition to ergonomic factors strictly related to the world of interior design and office furniture, it is important to adapt ourselves to this waves of revolution with tools (and not only objects) able to facilitate good quality interactions.
The plants are important elements to consider in this evolution. People need more contact with nature to be more peaceful. But this is not enough. Plants give beneficial effects to body and mind and this is the greatest value to not underestimate. The substances they release actually improve air quality, the environment and the health of the person.
Bringing well-being within the office space means to introduce elements that can facilitate the proper condition and personal balance, to be productive and efficient at work and in everyday life.

The project:

Symbiosis aims to improve the living conditions of the workplace by means of interactive tools and plants. In particular the System Symbiosis comprises three main configurations to suit differentspatial contexts: walls of rooms, in corridors or inside open spaces. The walls are the elements that subdivide the office’s areas and that accompany all movements that take place inside. Their aesthetic and shape can reveal the atmosphere that characterizes the whole office. Especially with the change of spaces, the workplaces are shrinking, it is more and more necessary to maximize space, and I thought to use the vertical walls and their potential to evaluate.

Symbiosis is an Interaction Design concept.

Symbiosis takes into consideration different interactions: the interaction design approach and technologies, the possible interaction between people and plants, and the interactions that occurs inside office that are the basis of a great collaborative office.
The System Symbiosis is composed by three main configurations as shown in the Mock up below.

There is the green wall. It is composed by a natural section cultivated in hydroponics and a technological screen. It can be positioned inside halls or large welcome areas. Thanks to the presence of motion recognition sensors, the two part activates when people move in front of them. They are attracted to interacted with the green wall Symbiosis because The plants start to move as blowing in the wind and the screen start to show general news and Information about nature and the benefits it can bring to people, The map of the office, advice to the dynamism such as physical exercises or climate.

Then there are the screen panels. There are offices in which there is no space to put real healthy plants and this second configuration is perfect for narrow points or corridors. Here the natural well-being is digital, connected to some information like the green walls together with high quality images of plants, that can give to people serenity and desire to have them in their daily life.

Finally the third configuration, the green panelling. It is projected for the rooms and it can be hung on walls in order to use the vertical surfaces, considering also the problems of space there are inside working places.

Here there is a screen associated to real plants (again). In this case the interaction with the nature is different because the employees takes and active role in the improvement of the space because they have to take care of plants by themselves. This is easily guarantee thanks to the presence of removable containers inside the box that you see below. The screen and the plants can be close thanks to the presence of seal that guarantee also the respect of the safety rules.

In this way people are encouraged to care the plants because they want to have a good environment in which to work also from a visual point of view! When the person goes near the panelling to take care to plants the screens start to show information, that can be received under the shape of notification on the computer or on the smartphone thanks to a dedicated APP. The user can in turn post images of other green offices, or suggestions a messages that will appear again on the screen of the green panelling.