_From Cold Coffee to Cold Plunge

By Jennifer Townsend, Knight Frank Partner, Occupier Research

Once upon a time a flashy lobby and free lattes sufficed to woo office occupiers. Now the bar for high end offices has risen to biohacking heights. Around the world, developers and corporate occupiers are increasingly incorporating the latest in wellness amenities and design features into workplaces.

Dedicated environments scientifically proven to boost employees’ health span, wellbeing and productivity, from circadian lighting to wellness suites, outdoor spaces and spa-like recovery zones.

In a workspace in Cologne, executives break up their spreadsheets with sauna sessions and ice baths.

Valentyn’s, a member only office hub, offers occupiers access to a wellness suite that includes breathwork classes, saunas and cold plunges. It says that members have reported a 30% drop in sick days.

Wellness as the new must-have

Several forces are driving this makeover of the office. First, employee expectations are changing. The wellness boom that has swept consumer culture, fueling a global wellness industry now worth over $6 trillion, has also raised employees’ demands for healthier workplaces.

Younger generations in particular are prioritising wellbeing. By the mid-2030s, Millennials, Gen Z and even Gen Alpha will make up the bulk of the workforce, and they expect their workplace to support their health and mental wellness.

A survey by OneGroup found that over 70% of employees in these generations say they would leave their current employer for an organisation that emphasises their wellbeing.

In parallel, the pandemic sharpened focus on the health of indoor environments. Employers and employees came to recognise that factors such as air quality, lighting and spatial layout have a direct bearing on productivity and health. Since 2020 there has been a twelvefold increase in office space pursuing WELL Building Standard certification, which assesses features that “advance human health and wellbeing”. The evidence base has strengthened too.

One analysis by professors Joseph Allen and John Macomber (authors of Healthy Buildings) noted that raising ventilation standards and reducing pollutants was linked to employees taking fewer sick days, which in a 40-person firm translated to nearly a 2% increase in net income for the business. Recent analysis from The International WELL Building Institute found that enhanced indoor environmental quality improves cognitive function by 61 to 101%, depending on the extent of how an environment is improved.

In Australia for working sectors renowned for high pressure environments and long working hours, this is a real area of concern, and it sits no longer with just the individual, but increasingly it's become a c-suite conversation. According to the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare, Australians are spending close to $14.5 billion on mental health related services.

Biophilic oases in corporate landscapes

The Amazon Spheres in Seattle are glass domes housing over 40,000 plants, designed as work and rest spaces for Amazon staff. This striking biophilic environment exemplifies how major firms use nature and natural light to reduce stress and enhance creativity. Research backs it up. One study found a 20% boost in employee performance with ample natural light, while green spaces have been linked to lower stress hormones.

Other standouts include Medibank Place in Melbourne, which weaves in vertical gardens, vegetable pots and a rooftop terrace used for meetings and mindfulness. In New York, The Spiral threads a continuous ribbon of planted terraces up its façade. London’s pipeline features Roots in the Sky, set to deliver a 1.4-acre rooftop urban forest, while Google’s forthcoming 11-storey King’s Cross headquarters effectively turns its roof into a parkland with trees, meadows, lawns, courtyards, walking trails and a 200-metre running track. In Mexico City, BBVA’s headquarters introduces open-air sky gardens on every ninth floor, and in Singapore, Marina One centres two office towers around the Green Heart, a vast, multi-level tropical urban forest.

55 Pitt Street in Sydney is scaling amenities to another level by having experience zones that includes dedicated third spaces, business lounges, hospitality, retail, as well as wellbeing and revitalisation areas.

From circadian desks to cold plunges and soft colours

A cutting-edge cohort of companies is pushing workplace wellness into what once might have been considered the realm of luxury spas, sports science and neuroscience. Circadian rhythm aligned lighting is one popular innovation. Dynamic LED systems that adjust colour and intensity to mimic natural daylight patterns. The goal is to keep workers alert by day and primed for good sleep at night. Trials suggest circadian lit offices can meaningfully boost mood and productivity, with one analysis tying human centric lighting to a 12% productivity uptick.

GSK’s London HQ exemplifies this, using circadian lighting and biophilic soundscapes it has reported a 5-6% improvement in decision making and a 7% increase in working memory amongst other benefits. In the US, JP Morgan’s new 270 Park Avenue tower features an interior lighting system engineered to replicate workers’ circadian rhythms, automatically becoming brighter or dimmer and even shifting colour throughout the day.

By aligning light cues with employees’ natural cycles, the bank aims to boost daytime alertness and energy, while supporting better sleep and overall health after work.

Another emerging feature is the wellness room, a versatile sanctuary within the office that shifts with the rhythm of the day. At dawn it can host yoga, at lunchtime it becomes a quiet space for meditation or prayer, and in the afternoon, it supports short restorative naps. These rooms typically use soft lighting and colour palettes, natural materials, greenery and gentle aromatherapy to create a calm refuge in the middle of a demanding workday. In some workplaces, selected areas are explicitly kept digital free. At Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, mindfulness rooms appear on almost every occupied floor. They are intentionally tech free and quiet, designed for meditation, reading and reset, and sit within a broader cultural focus on mindfulness and inclusion.

Some offices go further, installing high-tech recovery and longevity gear including infrared saunas, cryotherapy chambers, hyperbaric oxygen pods, and IV infusion clinics. At 525 Market Street in San Francisco, the retrofitted ‘Cove’ includes cryo-chairs, a gym, infrared sauna, pilates studio, and concierge-run wellbeing events, all framed as part of an amenity rich ecosystem designed to get people excited about coming into the office.

At a more subtle level occupiers and developers are tapping into the world of colour psychology, designing spaces with softer colour palettes and more homely features. The connection between colour and cognition is backed by research. Calm tones like blue and green have been shown to improve focus and reduce mental fatigue. Soft earthy tones help regulate emotions and restore mental clarity.

Adding a sense of purpose, connection and addressing everyday stressors

Poor health has roots that go far beyond diet and exercise. A clear sense of purpose and strong human connections are central to mental fitness. A recent Talking Point examined today’s workplace, where many employees are experiencing FOBO, the fear of becoming obsolete, particularly as AI reshapes roles. Globally, about one in five employees report feeling lonely11 . In response, firms are prioritising learning spaces that equip staff with the skills needed for the AI era, while also strengthening employees’ sense of purpose. In the UK headquarters in Birmingham, HSBC has integrated its “HSBC UK University” into the workplace itself. Two floors are dedicated to training and development, including a 110-seat lecture auditorium, conference facilities, and flexible team building areas. Other schemes such as the upcoming mixed-use round development in London is creating spaces and events for connection and community.

Firms are also tackling everyday stressors, from workplace issues like unreliable technology, overcrowding and a lack of task appropriate areas to life pressures such as juggling childcare with work. Responses include on-site childcare, digital infrastructure upgrades, parcel drop-off and collection points, and proximity to convenience stores.

A new equilibrium

The infusion of cutting-edge wellness into office life represents a remarkable broadening of what we expect from our workplaces. The corporate office of the 20th century was hard on the human body. All smoky air and bad backs. The emerging “office of the future” aspires to invert that, becoming a place that actively improves your wellbeing during the day.

Naturally, a dose of cynicism is warranted. Some of these wellness perks border on gimmickry, and not every firm can afford a biohacking spa in the boardroom. But the direction of travel is unmistakable. From Manhattan to Melbourne, the world’s top offices are incorporating design cues from health resorts and following the science on what really maximises human health, happiness and productivity. The trend also hints at a subtle but profound shift in the employer-employee social contract. Rather than simply trading a salary for output, companies are increasingly expected to provide an environment that enriches the employee’s life.

If it all sounds a bit utopian, the market metrics suggest otherwise. Wellness real estate is booming (growing at nearly 16% annually), and corporate spending on wellness is projected to hit $120+ billion in the next few years. And for companies that get it right, the return is tangible: healthier, happier staff, stronger engagement, fewer sick days, and in many cases, a stronger bottom line.

Today’s high-end workplaces come with outdoor space, circadian lighting and wellness-led amenities. And tomorrows? The workplace could be one that understands your individual needs and adapts in real time to keep you within an optimal health and performance zone. Smart offices will be deeply informed by data, drawing from sensors, wearables and biometric scanners to make predictive, real-time adjustments. This could be at an individual workstation level where viable or within different micro-zones. It could also extend to the fixtures and fittings.

Taking this even further and obviously requiring the consent of individuals smart mirrors in bathrooms could nudge users with personalised health suggestions, while biometrics eye scanners at entry points might flag early signs of fatigue or illness. Dedicated longevity and performance clinics, integrated into larger office campuses, could provide preventive screenings and treatments just down the corridor.

For occupiers, this wealth of biometric data is transformative. It offers real-time, objective evidence of how people are experiencing space. This creates a powerful feedback loop: environments can be tested, adapted, and validated for their true impact on human wellbeing.

The office of today, in sum, is evolving into a place not just to work, but to work on oneself.

This article is from Knight Frank’s The Tenant View publication. To download the report, click here.