denniskowalarchitects  

Bio-Hacking the office environment:   Safe Haven

When the mind connects with some visceral feeling from the outdoor experience, it excites the brain.  Sending positive  messages from inside a building that stimulate the brain is bio-hacking and believed to be a powerful counterpoint to both the old vanilla office interior and the new trendy, but sometimes equally ineffective, splashes of color,  unnecessary creature comforts and uncoordinated sensory blitz.  Dennis Kowal Architects designs WELL buildings that intentionally interact with the human spirit. 

An example of a good  bio-hack is the bio-entrained  concept of a “safe haven”.  Wolves love a den and us humans experience some of that same feeling of safety  when we are contained on three sides, preventing someone from sneaking up behind us.  Much like a childhood memory of lying in a tent and watching the rain through open flaps, a similar enclosed refuge inside a building taps into that native and pleasant instinct of a haven.

The “Safe Haven” creates security and safety, much like comfort-food brings familiarity at mealtime.  When properly designed, it is almost impossible to not be drawn into this lair and sit for a meet or just relax for some solo thinking.

The Dennis Kowal Architect’s interiors department created this wood-trimmed alcove to accept almost any furniture arrangement.  The same alcove was treated differently in various locations around the building and has proven to be a successful spontaneous collaboration avenue.   Some contain work tables, white boards and tete-a-tete seating while other alcoves offer lounging furniture and a place to charge a tablet or cell phone.

We dare you to walk by and not want to “try it out”.  Once seated, the next person arrives and ‘voila’, you have the beginnings of collaboration, discussion or new connections.