Light, food and water: how an office can support the body

An office can exhaust you before you have done a single thing. Random colours, the chemical smell of newness, harsh lighting and echo create an environment in which the brain constantly processes signals that do not match its evolutionary patterns. The brain operates as a biological prediction machine: every deviation from familiar patterns costs energy. A well-considered interior can cut out that noise and instead supply stimuli that the nervous system recognises as safe.

Paulina Grabowska implements office solutions grounded in physics, biology and chemistry. Her work can be seen, among other places, in the ARUP Warsaw office, which received the FRAME award as the most beautiful office in the world in 2023, designed by studio FOURTH, and in the Sanofi headquarters, where the office design was carried out by TDG.

The SUN Installation: simulating sunlight indoors

Over the past 2 million years, hominids evolved under the sun. A LED bulb that is too dim, or the wrong colour temperature, does not match that pattern, and the brain spends extra energy interpreting the mismatch. The SUN Installation simulates sunlight in two ranges: visible light shifting from dawn to dusk, and invisible infrared radiation felt by the skin as warmth.

The user selects from 9 programmes. "Morning" delivers intense, cool light that reaches the retina, sends a signal to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and suppresses melatonin production. "Sunset" provides warm light in the late afternoon, signalling the nervous system to shift into rest mode and supporting sleep hygiene. Several programmes use infrared radiation to encourage deep relaxation without additional stimulation. The installation operates at LUX MED in Warsaw and Sopra Steria in Katowice, both designed by FOURTH and photographed by Adam Grzesik and Bianka Gajdzińska.

Vertical farms and the role of microgreens

Close to 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut, not the brain. The brain synthesises it from the amino acid tryptophan, which must cross the blood-brain barrier while competing with other amino acids and often loses that competition. The composition of meals therefore matters for the neurotransmitters responsible for mood, focus and circadian rhythm. Serotonin is the precursor of melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep.

Vertical hydroponic farms in office spaces are a practical response to this. In the ARUP Warsaw office, Grabowska created the Herbal Tea Point and Microgarden, photographed by Adam Grzesik and Bartek Barczyk. At Sanofi, the Nutrition Garden supplies fresh herbs and microgreens every day. The concentration of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in microgreens is several to more than ten times higher than in their mature counterparts. The scent of herbs such as rosemary, lemon balm and mint can act as a sensory anchor: lowering tension and gently restoring attention.

Hydration and the presence of plants

Dehydration at just 2% of body weight slows memory, weakens coordination and focus, and raises stress levels. Grabowska created a range of isotonic drinks together with Dr Jakub Urbański, formulated specifically for office workers to support hydration at the cellular level. At LUX MED in Warsaw, she built a mineral water island with taps offering specially developed mineral profiles. The "Calm" source delivers a high dose of magnesium; the "Heart" source has a reduced sodium content. The office was designed by studio FOURTH and documented by Adam Grzesik.

Where conditions allow, Grabowska brings greenery into office spaces: urban farms, rooftop herb gardens and planters with flowering plants. Plants supply low-processing-load stimuli: natural forms, scents (phytoncides) and movement in the air. They also support urban biodiversity.

Caring technologies

Light, food and hydration are what Grabowska calls caring technologies: solutions that work from the inside, drawing on patterns that are natural and evolutionarily familiar to the body. They can be introduced as standalone elements or as complete multisensory ecosystems. This set of practices crystallised into the brand name: mood.farm, because the work is, at its core, the cultivation and tending of wellbeing in the places where people spend much of their day.

This post is based on Paulina Grabowska's article published in ArchiSnob.