The Benefits of Water Features in the Workplace
Water has an important role beyond keeping us hydrated: it turns out that its very presence can affect our mood and performance.
One study found that office workers put considerable labour into developing and maintaining complex systems for choosing what, how and where to eat while working. Their need to control their environment is then undermined by food that simply materialises in the workplace, provided by the business or co-workers.
For many, water consumption offers a virtuous solution to the conundrum. The researchers report that found that water shaped people’s movement patterns in the office, taking them to a zone away from their desk frequently. Workers valued the act of getting up to get water, as well as how drinking water helped them avoid certain foods.

Benefits without drinking
There is also evidence to show that there are benefits for employees from simply hearing water in the workplace. The sound of gently moving water – like a babbling brook – is relaxing. It’s also been found that the sound of rippling water has a relaxation effect stronger than that of music.
Biophilic design – creating and using natural forms in interior architecture – can reduce stress levels and is valuable for human emotional and cognitive functioning. Incorporating a water feature like a fountain into a manmade view can positively impact mental refreshment. The same research found that natural and built scenes containing water were associated with higher preferences, greater positive mood affect and higher perceived restorative ability than those without water. Intriguingly, images of built environments containing water were generally rated just as positively as natural green space.
It may be a challenge to incorporate water into a workplace — it is heavy and can do damage if it escapes from whatever is containing it — but research consistently indicates that adding water features to spaces has positive psychological implications.

The age of aquarium
Looking at aquariums, even if they don’t have fish in them, has a calming effect. This was concluded by researchers who found that viewing aquarium displays can lead to noticeable reductions in blood pressure and heart rate and that higher numbers of fish helped to hold people’s attention for longer and improve their moods. The study provided robust evidence that exposure to underwater settings could positively impact people’s wellbeing. Even looking at a fish tank full of water but without fish may be physiologically and emotionally restorative, but the presence of fish improves these effects further.
Working with our clients, Alpha FX, to design and build their new office in the Brunel Building, a key inclusion was the large fish tank featured as a centrepiece of the bar. Not only are the fish key members of the team, who have been part of the company for several years, but it was important that they had pride of place and acted as a focal point within a key communal area.
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This article is based on a research piece, ‘Water, water, everywhere: a liquid asset in the workplace’, authored by Sally Augustin, a practising environmental design psychologist based in Chicago, for WORKTECH Academy. Workplace Futures Group is a Corporate Member of the Academy, which is a global online platform and membership organisation for the future of work and the workplace.