Abstract
Contemporary office environments often lack sufficient connection to natural elements, contributing to heightened workplace stress and diminished cognitive performance. Biophilic interior design offers a strategic spatial intervention to restore human-nature connections within built environments. This study investigates the psychological and perceived microclimatic impacts of varying biophilic interior configurations within office environments using an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) platform combined with real-time physiological sensor tracking. Forty-five adult participants were exposed to three distinct virtual workplace scenarios: a conventional non-biophilic control space, a moderately biophilized office featuring potted flora, and a densely biophilized space integrating living vertical greenery, natural timber materiality, and dynamic daylighting patterns. Physiological metrics—including Heart Rate Variability (HRV) root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) and Galvanic Skin Response (GSR)—were continuously logged alongside post-exposure assessments of perceived thermal comfort, indoor air quality, and psychological restoration. The results demonstrate a statistically significant reduction in sympathetic nervous system arousal in the high-biophilic environment, evidenced by a 24.6% increase in RMSSD and a 31.2% decrease in GSR tonic levels compared to the control space. Furthermore, despite uniform physical microclimatic baseline settings in the testing chamber, participants reported significantly higher perceived thermal satisfaction and air freshness in the densely biophilized virtual environment. These empirical findings underscore the synergistic relationship between visual biophilia and psychological thermal tolerance, offering actionable spatial design criteria for resilient, health-centered commercial interiors.
