The impact of biophilic design in university study areas on students' productivity

PurposeThe objective of this study is to determine how biophilic designs in study areas affect the productivity of students at the University of the Witwatersrand. The study also seeks to evaluate study areas at Wits in terms of biophilic design, determine whether biophilic design contributes to the preference of students and their study productivity.Design/methodology/approachThis is a cross sectional study that used a mixed methodology. Five study areas were identified and evaluated in terms of biophilic design. At each study area, nine students participated in an open- and close-ended questionnaire regarding their perceptions on study areas and productivity.FindingsThe five study areas scored the following results according to the biophilic test: 29.09%, 34.55%, 36.36%, 80.00% and 85.45%, respectively. The students prefer to study in biophilic study areas as it prompts positive emotions and make them feel rejuvenated and energized. However, there are still students studying in the non-biophilic areas due to convenience or due to the biophilic areas that are noisy and lacks monitoring.Research limitations/implicationsWith the small sample size, the generalizability of the findings are limited, but does create a foundation for further research.Practical implicationsUniversities can learn from the findings and benefit greatly from many biophilic study areas. This could also encourage architects and interior designers to include biophilic design more so in general buildings/rooms.Originality/valueStudy areas at the University of the Witwatersrand was evaluated in terms of biophilic design, while determining whether biophilic design contributes to the preference of students and study productivity.