Importance of Indoor Nature
Over the summer, I took a course on environmental psychology. Our final project was to create a set of design guidelines for a specific environment. As a high school student myself, I decided to focus on the secondary school learning environment. One of the key things I wanted to research was the importance of incorporating nature indoors. Here are some excerpts from my final set of design guidelines:
Plants for Air Quality and Temperature
Temperature and air quality are key factors in a student’s learning success. Studies show that thermal discomfort can lead to physical thermal stress and can contribute to a student’s poor academic performance. One study even demonstrated that reducing the temperature of a classroom in tropical climates improved primary school students’ speed when performing problem-solving and language tasks (Porras-Salazar et al., 2018). Research on air quality shows that high levels of indoor CO2 or low air exchange rates can cause fatigue and result in slower abilities to concentrate (Barrett et al., 2015). Studies showed that higher rates of outdoor air supply significantly enhanced children’s performance on mathematical problems (Wargocki et al., 2011; Wargocki et al., 2020). Therefore, maintaining the temperature and air quality of a room at a comfortable level is crucial. Aside from mechanical and natural ventilation, adding more plants in the classroom environment can also improve air quality and thermal comfort. Research has shown that indoor plants can lower air pollutant levels and decrease temperature (Han et al., 2020). Some of the toxic pollutants that indoor plants have been found to clean include formaldehyde, benzene, and toluene (Han et al., 2020). Some of the best plants to improve indoor air are the Bromeliad (Guzmania lingulata), Dracaena (Dracaena deremensis), Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum), Jade Plant (Crassula argentea), and Golden Pothos (Scindapsus aureus) (Penny, 2018).
Visual Nature in Classrooms
Themes of nature throughout the classroom are important for improving student well-being and consequently their academic performance. The most straightforward way to incorporate more nature into the classroom environment is by bringing in a variety of plants. One great way to do this without having to take up much space is by installing a green wall, where plants are vertically attached to and cover a whole wall. Research shows that classrooms with green walls improved students’ performance on attentional tests (Van den Berg et al., 2015). It was also positively evaluated by the students and greenery in the classroom even had perceived restoration (Van den Bogerd et al., 2018). Other than just including real-life plants and greenery in the classroom, links to nature through the use of materials can also contribute to natural themes throughout the classroom. Furniture made out of wood rather than metal or plastic is an example of natural materials and is one of the contributors in the physical environment to a student’s performance (Barrett et al., 2015). Therefore, creating visual links to nature within the physical classroom environment is key.
Example: Use of plants in corner of a classroom
Example: Green wall in a classroom