# Optimize Productivity by Designing for Health and Wellness
The connection between workplace wellness and business success has never been clearer. Companies investing in health-focused design are seeing measurable improvements in employee satisfaction, productivity, and retention rates.
**Happy employees produce measurably better results and report higher job satisfaction, making wellness improvements a clear win-win scenario,** explains Sara Ross, Director of Corporate Services at Dyer Brown. **Employees are happier, and companies enjoy both high productivity and improvements in recruitment prospects and retention rates.**
## Beyond the Traditional Office
Today's workplace must be more than a place where employees sit for hours on end. Thoughtful design can energize building occupants and transform the daily work experience.
**When employees feel energized by their workday experience, their productivity and on-the-job satisfaction both improve,** says Deniz Ferendeci, Director of Asset Design + Support at Dyer Brown. With many of us spending significant portions of our lives in office environments, making those spaces as healthy as possible isn't optional—it's essential.
## Essential Wellness Design Strategies
### Encourage Active Lifestyles
Supporting employee fitness starts with practical amenities. Providing ample bike parking, on-site locker rooms, and shower facilities creates a culture that values health and movement.
When designing fitness areas, space and light are crucial. **The goal for gym space is not feeling like it's in a closet,** explains Joshua Zinder, Founding Partner of Joshua Zinder Architecture + Design. **When people exercise, they want to feel like they're in a big open room with a lot of air.**
### Foster Social Connection
Game rooms and casual gathering spaces contribute significantly to employee bonding and retention. These areas facilitate socialization and encourage team building, creating stronger workplace relationships that translate to better collaboration.
### Choose Furniture That Supports Movement
Furniture selection should prioritize employee health and activity. Consider pieces that offer sitting and standing options while fitting the space's specific mission and workflow needs.
### Promote Movement Throughout the Day
At Tangram Interiors, walkstations on the mezzanine level encourage employees to get up and move during the workday. These dedicated spaces for walking meetings or brief exercise breaks help combat the sedentary nature of office work.
## Real-World Success Stories
### SelectQuote Insurance Services
When SelectQuote moved to their new 80,000-square-foot space, they prioritized wellness amenities. Their previous office had a small, undesirable fitness room, so the new design features a larger fitness center with showers and windows overlooking green space. The facility also includes coffee bars, a game room, and a media room strategically located near the fitness center.
### Matouk Campus
The updated Matouk campus showcases outdoor wellness opportunities with a landscaped employee dining plaza, outdoor seating, and a one-acre park featuring a quarter-mile walking path. This creates a relaxing environment where employees can bike, walk, or enjoy meals together.
### Boston Scientific Corporation
Boston Scientific's Quincy facility transformed an antiquated warehouse into an amenity-rich corporate office. The fitness center features ample natural light and inspiring imagery highlighting products and patient success stories, creating a motivating environment for employee wellness.
## The Power of Natural Elements
### Maximize Natural Light
Natural lighting and city views significantly impact productivity. Companies like True Fit have capitalized on this by positioning workstations to take advantage of natural light throughout the day.
### Bring Nature Indoors
Living walls and green elements create powerful wellness benefits. At Habits at Work in Chicago, a living wall was described as **a natural fit** because emerging research shows plants and living walls positively affect problem-solving skills, ideation, and creativity.
### Strategic Use of Green Spaces
At 506 Carnegie Center in Princeton, a splash of green on cafe walls brings the outside in, while large windows provide expansive courtyard views. Visual continuity between indoor and outdoor spaces creates a cohesive, calming environment.
## Design Considerations for Dense Spaces
Even in high-density offices, wellness design is achievable. At Alphasights, designers used green walls and open town hall areas to create pleasant environments despite space constraints. The challenge was avoiding **the football field of a giant sea of desks** while maintaining functionality.
## Comprehensive Wellness Amenities
### One Legacy West Model
This Plano office building demonstrates comprehensive wellness design with: - Informal lounge areas with recreational equipment - Full fitness center and yoga studio - Complete locker room facilities - Cardio equipment stations
The design team used wood slats and glass walls to separate spaces while maintaining sightlines and the open aesthetic.
### Strategic Placement Matters
Foot Locker's New York office strategically located their gym next to windows, allowing employees to enjoy sunlight while exercising. Exposed ductwork and beams make the space feel larger, while an interconnecting staircase linking all floors promotes movement and reduces elevator dependence.
## Budget-Conscious Wellness Design
Wellness improvements don't always require major structural changes. At Mediabrands, designers transformed existing cube-like meeting rooms with faux boxwood coverings, creating **sculpted hedges** that enhanced the environment without major construction.
Bright, cheerful finishes and thoughtful furniture reorganization can significantly impact employee well-being even within budget constraints.
## Implementation Tips for Commercial Designers
1. **Start with employee needs assessment** - Understanding how your client's employees work and what wellness amenities they value most
2. **Maximize natural light** - Position workstations and common areas to take advantage of windows and views
3. **Create variety in spaces** - Include quiet zones, active areas, and social spaces to support different wellness needs
4. **Consider maintenance and longevity** - Choose materials and plants that will thrive in office environments
5. **Plan for flexibility** - Design wellness spaces that can adapt to changing employee needs and preferences
## The Bottom Line
Investing in workplace wellness design isn't just about employee satisfaction—it's about creating environments where people can do their best work. Companies that prioritize health-focused design are seeing tangible returns through improved productivity, better retention rates, and enhanced recruitment capabilities.
As the competition for talent intensifies, wellness amenities and thoughtfully designed healthy environments become essential differentiators. The most successful commercial spaces will be those that recognize employees as whole people whose physical and mental well-being directly impacts business success.
