Indoor Plants: Improving the Indoor Environment for Health, Well-Being and Productivity

Abstract

This paper selectively reviews scientific research on the positive effects on building occupant's health, well-being and productivity that result from the presence of indoor plants in the workplace. Case studies show improvement in indoor air quality, (with a reduction in the levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), improved productivity by up to 12%, and reduced absenteeism and staff turnover cost. Indoor air pollution is a health hazard, which causes diseases, lost work days and reduced quality of life. Unhealthy indoor air has been estimated to cost the Australian community $12 billion dollars a year, and is a generally unrecognized significant environmental issue.

Phytoremediation of particulate matter from indoor air by Chlorophytum comosum L. plants

“…Sometimes, the level of air pollution indoors can be more than ten times higher than the outdoors, and in the case of some harmful substances, their concentrations can even exceed permissible norms by up to 100 times (Wolverton 2008 ). Brody ( 2001 ) reported that indoor concentrations of some cancerous chemicals are between 5 and even up to 70 times higher than outdoors, although the indoor concentration of pollutants is still lower than in industrial factories and heating power stations or next to busy roads (Wood 2003 ).…”

“…Poor air quality interferes with learning and concentration in schools and can be a cause of health problems both to pupils and teachers (Daisey et al 2003 ). All the pollutants mentioned contribute to runny noses, fever, coughs (Daisey et al 2003 ), asthma (Daisey et al 2003 ; Wolverton 2008 ), itchy skin, burning eyes (Wolkoff et al 2006 ), headaches (Wood 2003 ; Tseng et al 2005 ), nausea, dizziness (Costa et al 1995 ; Wood et al 2002 ; Tseng et al 2005 ), cancers (Costa et al 1995 ; Brody 2001 ; Wood et al 2002 ; Tseng et al 2005 ; Wolverton 2008 ) and even death (Brody 2001 ; D’Amato et al 2002 ). Particulate matter (PM) 2.5 alone is responsible for over 2 million deaths a year around the world (Silva et al 2013 ).…”

The Multifaceted Impact of Open Space on Teams Members

“…In sum, the indoor environment is the outcome of a number of dynamic interrelationships between thermal and comfort needs, physical factors, and chemical and biological factors. The quality of the indoor environment is therefore critical for health and well-being of individuals (Wood, 2003).…”

“…Noteworthy, an element that stands out for team innovation is space variety (Lee, 2016;Blakey, 2015). According to Hua et al (2010), meeting rooms of different sizes should be provided to accommodate the various types of meetings that the teams hold (Wood, 2003), and they should be located near the workstations. Also located nearby service spaces where individuals can intersect should be designed to avoid spreading noise to the open space (Hua et al, 2010).…”

The impact of greening systems on building energy performance: A literature review

“…Around 25% of US citizens suffer from poor IAQ either in their workplace or at home [66]. In Australia, unhealthy indoor air have been posed considerable finances around $12 billion annually due to workers absenteeism, less productivity and medical costs [67]. Globally, it is estimated that the number of deaths caused by poor IAQ is fourteen times higher than ambient air pollution [68].…”