But what if you don’t work for a cashed-up innovator that is able to design structures from the ground up? What if your employer is one of the many that is constrained by leased, existing space and tight finances?

The key is for companies to engage with their employees, Cooper says. Ask them what nature-inspired changes they desire. “No. 1, they'll like being asked, but No. 2, they'll come up with really clever ideas about what you might do,” Cooper says.

And don’t let money — or lack thereof — impede your efforts. Incorporating nature into your office doesn’t have to be a costly exercise.

It is easy being green

“Biophilic Design can be achieved at all budgets,” says David Gerson, vice president of marketing for modular-flooring company Interface, which commissioned the Human Spaces report. “Even if your space lacks floor-to-ceiling windows or a large water feature in the atrium, there are ways of mimicking nature indoors and arranging working environments that can still deliver the same benefits as the real thing and not break the bank.”

Ideas include graphics, wallpaper, a digital screen that depicts nature scenes, nature-inspired carpet tile, a stone floor or exposed wood trusses, he says.

“There are lots and lots of things you can do that don't involve plants, animals and water,” says Terrapin’s Browning. Terrapin published a list of 14 principles of biophilic design that describes the different elements of biophilia and ways it can be incorporated into a space.