Immediate post-break responses in a semi-outdoor biophilic atrium: A field evaluation of greenery, spaciousness, and VR-informed design

Our previous virtual reality (VR) study showed that greenery and spaciousness were associated with better visual comfort, mood, self-reported recovery, and productivity during breaks in an atrium. Building on those findings, the present field study examined immediate post-break responses in an actual semi-outdoor biophilic atrium in Singapore and compared the response patterns with those observed previously in VR. A field study was conducted at five locations: a workplace baseline and four atrium settings combining green coverage ratios of 1% or 30% with spaciousness indices of < 50 (low) or ≥100 (high). Thirty-five office workers completed questionnaires on environmental satisfaction, mood, and self-reported performance before and after a 2-min break during working hours. Repeated 5-point ratings were analyzed using cumulative link mixed models. Compared with staying at the workplace, taking a short break in the atrium was associated with more favourable post-break ratings of environmental satisfaction, mood, stress, mental fatigue, recovery, and favourability as a break space. Within the atrium, green coverage ratio showed more consistent associations with post-break evaluations than spaciousness, particularly for visual and acoustic comfort, relaxation, quietness, concentration, and favourability as a break space. Spaciousness showed limited independent associations, although an interaction with greenery was observed for visual comfort. Comparisons with the previous VR study showed broadly consistent directional patterns for greenery, but some associations, including visual comfort, acoustic comfort, and positive mood, were stronger in the real environment. These findings suggest that semi-outdoor biophilic atria can support immediate post-break comfort and mood, and that VR may be useful as a preliminary comparative tool for design evaluation, while field calibration remains important.