For those that have long felt there were health benefits to living and working in spaces that contained wood products on the walls, floors, and/or ceilings, new research proves their point!  A June 2015 report titled Wood as a Restorative Material in Healthcare Environments found direct links to a patient’s health and well-being when wood (nature) is used within a structure’s visible interior. “Lower stress reactivity in the autonomic nervous system in humans is found when wood, plant, or nature views are present,” according to the report.  The research further states that lower sympathetic activation and higher parasympathetic activation result in lower heart rate, lower blood pressure, and lower skin conductivity…all linked to this exposure to environments with visible wood.

While most current research on biophilic design has focused on schools and healthcare settings, the researchers agree that the same principles apply to home building and design.  “Wood can be employed in windowless or non-day lit areas of a building (or home) to bring about these benefits. Further, unlike other natural elements, wood can be used both in a visual and a mechanical role, for example as exposed structural material or furniture.”

Finally, wood products are obtaining their long overdue recognition as THE construction material for now and in the future!