Potential of Biophilic Design in Workplaces: A Pilot Study with Eye Tracking in Immersive Virtual Environments

Biophilic design (BD) approach promotes the integration of nature-based systems into the built environment, with a positive impact on human comfort, health, well‐being, and cognitive functions. In this pilot study, a virtual model of an office room was integrated with nature’s patterns (living wall and potted plants) to create an immersive biophilic environment (IBE). In the IBE, 25 participants performed three cognitive tasks, while their eyes movements were detected through an eye-tracking technology integrated within the head-mounted display for virtual reality (VR). The authors focused on two goals: verifying the ecological validity of the virtual biophilic model and evaluating the potential effect of introducing green elements in terms of visual attention, interest, and distraction. Findings revealed that the IBE created an excellent level of presence and immersivity. The preliminary results show that visual attention could be positively triggered by the proximity of users to the natural element and the possibility of freely exploring the biophilic environment, while visual distraction from operative tasks might be negatively influenced by the spatial location and dimension. Hence, the results of this pilot study support the potentiality of adopting VR in extensive research studies to support a proper biophilic design promoting emotional attachment and work efficiency.