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<p>Scientific evidence shows that built environments lacking natural elements undermine women’s physical and psychological well-being, manifesting as higher stress, reduced immune function, and greater chronic-illness risk. This study examines the potential of integrating biophilic design elements to mitigate such effects in the Egyptian workplace through a gender-responsive lens. Using a descriptive–analytical approach and a multi-sector online survey, we assessed the availability and quality of indoor biophilic elements and participants’ preferences. We examined associations with well-being, focus, creativity, stress, and environmental satisfaction. Results showed consistent positive associations of natural light, indoor plants, and natural materials with comfort, stress reduction, and perceived focus/productivity, whereas water features were weaker and more context-dependent. Implementation barriers included organizational inertia, limited greenery, and low awareness of indoor environmental quality. In response, we developed a simple participatory checklist enabling non-specialists to prioritize needs and adopt stepwise, low-cost interventions in practice. Overall, the findings support the applicability of gender-responsive biophilic design in the Egyptian context and align with Vision 2030 goals on quality of life and women’s empowerment, while recommending the integration of objective environmental measurements and pre- and post-occupancy evaluations to strengthen inference and validate the proposed tool.</p>

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Enhancing women’s well-being and productivity through biophilic design: evidence from Egyptian workplaces

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年10月30日

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  • Heba M. Abdou,
  • Menna Mounir Abd-Elhafez

摘要

Scientific evidence shows that built environments lacking natural elements undermine women’s physical and psychological well-being, manifesting as higher stress, reduced immune function, and greater chronic-illness risk. This study examines the potential of integrating biophilic design elements to mitigate such effects in the Egyptian workplace through a gender-responsive lens. Using a descriptive–analytical approach and a multi-sector online survey, we assessed the availability and quality of indoor biophilic elements and participants’ preferences. We examined associations with well-being, focus, creativity, stress, and environmental satisfaction. Results showed consistent positive associations of natural light, indoor plants, and natural materials with comfort, stress reduction, and perceived focus/productivity, whereas water features were weaker and more context-dependent. Implementation barriers included organizational inertia, limited greenery, and low awareness of indoor environmental quality. In response, we developed a simple participatory checklist enabling non-specialists to prioritize needs and adopt stepwise, low-cost interventions in practice. Overall, the findings support the applicability of gender-responsive biophilic design in the Egyptian context and align with Vision 2030 goals on quality of life and women’s empowerment, while recommending the integration of objective environmental measurements and pre- and post-occupancy evaluations to strengthen inference and validate the proposed tool.