Sporesphere Office of the Future by Mary Kate Torpey, Selina Bui and Krista Smith

The Iowa State student and recent alumni are now pursuing careers in interior and industrial design. Keep up with what’s next for Mary, Selina and Krista on LinkedIn!

We aim to decrease workplace stress by designing an office that better connects users to the company culture, other employees and the outside environment. In the future, we imagine this would be done by utilizing innovative technology and natural elements. Elements within the physical space utilize natural and tactile elements to increase surrounding awareness and mindful interactions through sunlight design, biophilic technology, and interactive art displays.

“Sporesphere” focuses on nature’s persistence against the forces of a continually changing world and hopes to connect nature and wellness with people in the workplace. “Sporesphere” hopes to combat the lack of connection to one’s environment through sunlight therapy, interactive art displays, and biophilic technology. Nova is a faux pharmaceutical company with a global reach, providing and developing most of the world’s medicine. The company is involved in humanity efforts that provide healthcare to those without it and has a strong sustainability pledge.

We want to create a space that enforces the company’s values through thoughtful design by researching different methods that could be implemented into an office space to counteract the adverse effects of having a typical 9-5 office job. Workplace stress is common due to tight deadlines, overworking, and a sedentary lifestyle. Increased stress leads to physical and mental ailments, and high turnover rates (Bickford 2005). 

Combining natural elements with advanced technology, “Sporesphere” creates a balanced work environment that supports employee well-being and aligns with Nova’s values. Our approach aims to reduce stress, promote a healthier work-life balance, and strengthen connections within the workplace. Through innovative solutions, “Sporesphere” envisions a future where workspaces are functional, nurturing, and connected to the outside world.

After submitting this project, there are still more ideas that we would like to build upon if given the chance. We focused on wellness and productivity, and how that can be affected by the climate and environment surrounding you. We hope to prepare for a world where climate change is more of an issue than it is for us now, assuming the causes of climate change have not ceased. It is important to prepare for possible outcomes like access to less power, air conditioning, or resources than we do now. If we were to continue working on this project we would want to explore sustainable energy resources for the office, better and more sustainable materials, and different approaches to enhancing wellness in the workplace outside of interactions with a natural environment. It would also be interesting to explore how to maximize biophilic office features that integrate plant life, water, and real biophilic elements within the manmade setting along with technological biophilic elements.

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