What do we know about deciduous trees?
Deciduous trees are referred to as those plants or shrubs that seasonally drop leaves.
Leaf-dropping involves complex physiological signals and changes within trees. When autumn arrives, deciduous trees decrease chlorophyll pigment production, resulting in non-green colored foliage (leaves), also known as the autumn color phenomenon.
Why autumn color phenomenon matters?
This color phenomenon is not some breakthrough discovery, so is the theory that people can gain pleasure from the natural aesthetic experience.
However, lacking focus or experiencing mental fatigue is still a problem in our modern society. According to a 2017 study in the Harvard Business Review, the average person enjoys only two hours of peak mental focus every day.
Brief interludes in natural settings, such as looking outside landscape from windows, can help people mentally restorative and get back on track with work. Still not convinced? Try to move your desk by a window and tell me how you feel.
More sustainable credits:
[SITES]. Human Health + Well-Being 6.4: support mental restoration
For sites with regularly occupied buildings, provide unobstructed views of vegetation from 50 percent of common spaces.
[LEED ND]. Innovation
Once your project qualifies for any of SITES credit above, your project will also be eligible for Innovation credit in LEED ND. That helps the project to achieve significant measurable environmental performance using a strategy not addressed in the LEED green building rating system.
By the way…
Interested in learning more about how natural settings benefit our well-being? Check out the science literature below:
S Kaplan, “The Restorative Benefits of Nature: Toward an Integrative Framework”, Journal of Environmental Psychology 15 (1995): pp169-182.
RE Chenowith and PH Gobster, “The Nature and Ecology of Aesthetic Experience in the Landscape”, Landscape Journal 9, no 1, (1990).
Background music: Vivaldi/ Autumn from “The Four Season“
Last update: 7.9.2021