We spend 90% of our time indoors. But let’s be honest: Does your office feel like a place you’d want to live? Or more like a functional shell made of concrete, glass, and white-coated particleboard?
While many companies invest millions in "corporate identity," the most important performance factor is often overlooked: the material that surrounds us.
It is no coincidence that we relax in the forest. Our brains are programmed to respond positively to organic surfaces. It has now been scientifically proven that wooden furniture in the office not only "looks good" and is sustainable, but also measurably lowers the heart rate and reduces stress.
Here are the three most important studies that show why wood is not a luxury, but an investment in the health of your team.
8,600 fewer heartbeats per day thanks to wooden furniture in the office/school
Institute: Joanneum Research (Austria), Prof. Dr. Maximilian Moser
In what is probably the best-known study on this topic ("School without Stress"), researchers spent over a year comparing students in classrooms made of solid wood with those in standard classrooms (plasterboard/plastic).
The result is astonishing:
- The students in the wooden rooms were significantly more relaxed.
- Their hearts worked more efficiently: on average, the hearts of the "wood students" saved 8,600 beats per day.
- This equates to roughly one hour of cardiac work that the body is "given" for free every day, simply thanks to its surroundings.
What this means for your office: imagine your employees ending each working day with one hour less "biological stress" on the meter. This is preventive health care that requires no diet and no workout—it is simply there, provided by the environment itself.
The "stress test": Why your body "understands" wood
Institute: University of British Columbia & FPInnovations (Canada)
Can stress be measured? Yes. In this study, test subjects were placed in offices—some with visible wooden surfaces, others without (white walls). The conductivity of the skin (a classic indicator of stress and nervousness) was measured.
The insight:
- In the wood environment, the activity of the sympathetic nervous system (our "fight-or-flight" nervous system) was significantly lower.
- Wood signals safety and tranquility to our subconscious, similar to being in nature.
- Artificial materials, on the other hand, often keep the body in a state of unconscious alarm.
The "feel-good factor": productivity through biophilia
Report: Planet Ark, “Wood – Nature Inspired Design” (Australia)
This comprehensive report summarizes global findings and defines the concept of biophilic design for the workplace.
Key facts:
- Employees in offices with wooden elements report higher satisfaction, more optimism, and better concentration.
- Wood improves the indoor climate: as a hygroscopic material, it absorbs excess humidity and releases it again when the air is dry. It acts like a natural air conditioner for the mucous membranes—particularly important in air-conditioned offices.
Why we at Shelter rely on solid ash wood
We are not merely familiar with these studies—we build our entire philosophy on them. While other providers clad their booths in fabric, foam, or metal, the core of a Shelter Office Pod is made of solid ash from the Jura Mountains.
We do not treat our wood with opaque varnishes that clog the pores. We oil it.
- So that it can breathe (for the indoor climate).
- So you can smell it (subtle, natural scent instead of adhesive fumes).
- So you can feel it (the feel of real wood reduces stress levels just by touching it).
A phone booth is often the place you go when things get urgent—for that difficult customer call or deadline work. That's exactly when you don't need a tin can, but rather an environment that calms your pulse.
Don't just invest in furniture. Invest in the heartbeat of your team.
List of sources:
- Joanneum Research: “SOS – School without Stress,” Prof. Dr. Maximilian Moser.
- University of British Columbia / FPInnovations: “Wood and Human Health – Stress reduction in office environments”, David Fell.
- Planet Ark: “Wood – Nature Inspired Design: An update on the health and environmental benefits of wood”.
