IMPORTANCE OF BIOPHILIC ATTRIBUTES IN EUROPEAN COWORKING SPACES

Contemporary coworking spaces are intended to form communities, offering shared territories to their users. Functionality and comfort prevail, representing a framework for productivity, creativity and the construction of professional networks. Wellbeing has become a stringent necessity in the office, rather than a form of luxury as it was perceived throughout history. Furthermore, it implies the fulfilment of a series of physical, functional and psychological criteria. Biophilic attributes have been recently related to workplace comfort, but studies have not yet specifically analyzed occupants` perception of space in their presence. As a result, the purpose of this paper is to identify whether European coworkers acknowledge the need for biophilic attributes in their workspace or whether they identify biophilia as a positive trait when it is included in the interior ambient. Existing reports evaluate the present-day development of coworking spaces from multiple perspectives, but do not take in account clients` reactions towards spatial comfort relative to the presence or absence of natural features. Consequently, the research was based on the analysis of users` freely expressed reviews on the platform coworker.com, in regard to the quality of European coworking spaces. The selected biophilic criteria focus on a holistic sensory experience, implying all five levels of spatial experimentation and their direct or indirect effect on occupant wellbeing and productivity. The research highlights a clear tendency of southern countries to openness towards exterior spaces, as they benefit from the outdoors for a longer period throughout the year. In contrast, one of the initial presumptions, Nordic countries would have been prone to include natural elements inside, but this is not a common practice as the results have shown. Although the main hypothesis of the research was that biophilic elements would be noticed and evaluated as positive in both exterior and interior spaces, only few situations tend to get this reaction when the quantity and quality of biophilic attributes is satisfactory enough and have a substantial impact on the user. Although this analysis was conducted to determine feedback towards biophilic elements inside and outside coworking spaces, one cannot oversee the most important feature of such a workspace: the sense of community, as a social attractor and main determinant of modern collaboration. Therefore, the social aspect should be supported by all administrative and spatial characteristics: architecture, design and the links with natural features. The practical implications of the paper target investors, managers and designers alike, who would be able to implement better coworking solutions and concentrate the budget on the spatial and functional characteristics that potentiate the workspace. This type of analysis is often overlooked in the decisional process, as it is a post-occupancy feedback method, but an inverted study can serve to organically identify important opinions for future updates, redesigns or relocations. In contrast to a survey or report based on specifically targeted questions, reviews give more freedom of expression, offering unexpected points of view that would otherwise be neglected. Proceedings of INTCESS 20196th International Conference on Education and Social Sciences, 4-6 February 2019Dubai, U.A. E. ISBN: 978-605-82433-5-4 980 The results raise two new possible hypotheses: the presence of biophilic aspects blends in the general ambience, becoming an integral part of the space and is no longer perceived as a special feature. On the contrary, when these vital traits (natural light, proper ventilation and temperature, window views) are missing, one experiences immediate negative reactions regarding comfort or functionality.