Designing for wellness: Creating healthy office spaces with Hajir Al Khusaibi, Commercial property interior systems
Creating Healthy Office Spaces with Hajir Al Khusaibi: Wellness
8 August, 2024
Designing for Wellness
Wellness has grown in our lives, from medspas to therapy and meditation. Wellness is also having what feels like a prolonged moment in architecture and design. Wellness-focused design is more than just strategically-placed plants and biophilic design. It puts people’s health and wellness at the heart of the design approach, from lighting to air quality, ventilation and a connection to nature.
image: Natsuh Abootalebi
Hajir Al Khusaibi is a proud graduate of Penn State University’s Stuckeman School of Architecture, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Architecture. She furthered her education at Columbia University, completing two Master of Science degrees—one in Real Estate Development and the other in Advanced Architectural Design.
After completing her graduate studies, Hajir began her career as an architect at Muscat Bay in Oman. She then transitioned to New York City, where she now works as a design manager. In this role, Hajir integrates design into real estate projects with a holistic approach, working closely with design and construction teams to prioritize wellness in office spaces and explore sustainable, cost-effective solutions.
Hajir shares her insights on wellness, creativity, and the role of smart technology in design with e-architect.
Creating Healthy Office Spaces – Hajir Al Khusaibi Wellness Advice
The return-to-work movement is something we’ve seen blossom in NewYork over the past few years, why is wellness such a key part of that?
Hajir Al Khusaibi: We’re really in the middle of a seismic shift in the way we’re looking at workplaces now. I think the pandemic really forced everyone to take a hard look at their relationship with work.
As people have flocked to the return-to-work movement in New York City, especially, they have a new view on what they need from their work environment. Central to that is wellness, people aren’t happy with just a desk and a paycheck, and the old standard of work. As people start returning to the office, they are bringing with them a heightened expectation for their work environment.
Why has this become such a big factor for companies?
Companies seem to be waking up to the fact that if they want to retain their talent, they are going to have to offer more than the outdated concept of an office. Total wellbeing for employees is of utmost importance in order to foster a positive work experience. Companies are starting to realize that wellness is a holistic thing, it involves physical, mental, emotional, and many other aspects. This had led to a change in new commercial properties and their amenities. It’s not all about just adding features such as a gym or a meditation room, companies are realizing that it’s about creating a unique vibe throughout the workspace that actively contributes to people’s health, both physical and mental, as well as their productivity.
Why is wellness such a factor in New York specifically?
New York as we all know is a non-stop place that feels like everyone is running at a million miles per house. These wellness-focused offices provide a breath of fresh air from the breakneck pace of the city. Instead of dreading going to work, and rushing against the crowds to get to an office which negatively affects you, these offices are turning into oases of calm. These office spaces are now places where you can catch your breath, recharge, and escape from the craziness of the city. With all of this focus on wellness, it has only helped to improve performance in offices, as people feel their needs are more fully met, which puts them in a better place to be productive.
If you had to sum up the attention to wellness in these spaces what would you say?
Bottom line – wellness is the key to this whole return-to-work movement because it’s like this new deal between employers and employees. It’s saying, “Hey, we care about your health and well-being just as much as we care about your productivity,” which is a pretty big shift, when you think about it.
What is a healthy office space, and how does it tie into design?
That is a question that has so many different avenues to answer. When approaching it from a design perspective you must take a multifaceted approach because health refers to more than just one thing. But at the most basic of levels a healthy office space would include good air quality, appropriate lighting, and ergonomic furniture. Air quality has really come to the forefront post COVID, and the exposure to natural light is so important for the mental health aspect.
Can you expand on that?
We have to look beyond the fundamentals, as there are a variety of different design elements that can be incorporated to a truly healthy space. The movement toward biophilic elements, incorporating nature into offices through indoor plants and designing with natural materials, is pretty remarkable. There are opportunities through design to create different work settings from focus pods for concentrated work to collaborative spaces that foster interaction and further creativity.
How can you design offices to help promote physical health?
A lot of the design focus has been put into prioritizing movement. People have the need to move about to help stimulate ideas, so we tailor our designs towards that. When putting together an office space we will design attractive staircases which encourage people to prioritize them over the elevators. Alternatively designing walking paths both indoors and outdoors as well as standing and treadmill desks give people much needed alternatives to hours of sitting. Many offices are opting to add designer gyms or full fitness centers to encourage people to work out and decompress.
Mental Health and Wellness Design
How is mental health integral to wellness design?
Promoting physical well being helps with mental health, but mental wellness has become a crucial consideration these days. From designing quiet zones for mediation or other forms of relaxation to utilizing color theory to influence overall mood, there are plenty of ways to encourage positive mental health. I also think a healthy office design should consider nutrition, perhaps by providing appealing spaces and pantries for dining and socializing or incorporating areas for growing food.
What is the future of creating healthy office spaces, and what will drive this change?
I think this is a question that changes as time goes on. It will as always be driven by a combination of technological advancements, evolving work cultures, and a deeper understanding of human health both physical and psychological. But as we evolve and change our needs and attention will change to different aspects.
What are some trends that you foresee in healthy office design?
One major trend that will continue to grow in popularity is the increased integration of smart technology. Imagine working in an office that automatically adjusts lighting and temperature according to individual preferences and circadian rhythms. Or how about a wearable that can communicate with the building systems and optimize your personal work environment? These optimization techniques will not only increase mental and physical health but output as well.
What factors do you think will be most key to focus on?
I think that mental health will continue to take center stage. It’s not just a buzzword, mental health obviously important for each individual and companies are really taking notice. In the future I can see offices including dedicated spaces for therapy sessions, or even virtual reality rooms that help promote stress relief. There are already forward thinking companies that are implementing some of these design aspects. Also, sustainability and health will become increasingly intertwined. I also think that we’ll see more buildings striving for WELL or Fitwel certifications, which are a measure of how eco-friendly a building is. I can see this manifesting itself in the use of non-toxic sustainable building materials as well as designs that prioritize active transportation options such as cycling.
Why is flexibility a key principle of wellness design?
I think flexibility will be key here. As the nature of work and the work environment itself continue to evolve, offices will need to be easily adaptable. Modular designs are already becoming popular in residential design and smaller office spaces where space is limited, so it would be cool to see modular designs and furniture systems that can be quickly reconfigured to meet changing needs be adapted on a larger scale.
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Previously on e-architect:
Hybrid Workplaces – Knowledge Work
The Next Generation of Knowledge Work: Lessons Learned on the Path to Hybrid Workplaces
Workplace Amenities Report released amidst Flight to Quality in Commercial Real Estate
Next generation of knowledge work, hybrid workplaces
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