Susie Frazier, a biophilic artist, WELL Faculty member and WELL Accredited Professional with the International WELL Building Institute, has created a mixed media art installation for global law firm Squire Patton Boggs. The 22-foot-long composition is located at the firm’s headquarters in Cleveland.
As workplace wellness strategies remain a top priority for leaders across every sector, a growing body of research cites natural design elements and artistic features reflective of culture as two powerful health-promoting benefits for anyone working back at the office. With the average American now spending around 90% of their time indoors, industry experts say biophilic design solutions inside corporate settings are just the multisensory experiences needed to provide relief from mental fatigue, anxiety, and depression while also helping to establish a welcoming, biodiverse sense of place.*
Frazier is a prominent advocate for including natural patterns, earth materials, and biophilic philosophies into any built environment. In 2018, Frazier published a book, Designing for Wellness, that offered corporate executives, real estate professionals, architects, designers, students, and homeowners a glimpse into the future of interior design, through a neurodivergent, sensory lens.
According to Frazier, the difference between satisfying biophilic design features and overstuffed green walls is a deep understanding of how the human visual system responds to nature’s fractals as they change. She cites research that defines the nuances of natural patterns as effective tools for reducing physiological stress. In order to maximize a calming effect, a composition should ideally fall into a preferred visual density range. Having too much density over an entire wall can have the opposite effect on human health, increasing the stress response by almost 13%.^
Frazier’s designs arrange preserved organic matter into repetitive, undulating patterns that invite appreciation for the imperfection and ever-changing nature of life. She also integrates meaningful artifacts and cultural histories into her projects so that the soul of the place can be immediately felt.
These elements and concepts have been incorporated into a mixed media biophilic art installation by Frazier for global law firm Squire Patton Boggs, symbolizing its foundational life force. Frazier has been working with representatives of the firm on the project since June 2022, and it was carefully installed at their headquarters this fall.
“For over a century, the collaborative culture of our partnership and tradition of entrepreneurialism has propelled us to become the international law firm we are today,” says Michele Connell, Global Managing Partner, Squire Patton Boggs. “In turn, this has given us the skill set and reach to help our clients address the global challenges they face. This artwork serves as a visual representation of our evolution and a reminder of the legacy and values that got us here. Susie’s creativity brought the project to life, and we were so grateful to work with her.”
FLOW by Susie Frazier is a mixed-media biophilic art installation.
Photo credit: Chad Cochran
The 22-foot-long composition features sections of the firm's former boardroom table used over the past 30 years, preserved bun moss, and layers of carved wood that offer visual contours reminiscent of natural landscapes. The inscription expresses Squire Patton Boggs’ long-standing views.
“From our beginning in 1890, the bedrock of our firm has been the true sense of partnership and devotion to client service and community engagement first engendered by the close friendships and shared professionalism of our three Founders: Andrew Squire, William Sanders & James Dempsey. These core values are our abiding legacy, and they continue to embody our operating philosophy, fostering a spirit of collaboration with each other, our clients, and our communities.
We are all beneficiaries and benefactors of that legacy. When we moved to Key Tower in 1992, the long wooden table in our Founders Room became a convening center where client objectives were achieved, international growth strategies framed, decisive regional developments launched, and local community voices always heard. During each unfolding decade, we gathered there, with space enough for all, to advance the causes of our clients and our communities. In the process, we also became the global law firm we are today.
As the way we work continues to evolve, our founding principles still guide our paths and govern our relationships – instilling a collective dedication to outstanding client service and impactful community involvement, deep institutional loyalty, and a prevailing sense of mutual trust and common purpose. Created from our Founders Room table, this piece reminds us that, although now on several continents throughout the world, practicing law in many different languages, we are still all “gathered together” – sharing our diverse perspectives, learning from each other and ultimately speaking with one voice.”
While leaders look for ways to inspire their workforce to come back to the office more regularly, Frazier says having sensitivity to how a design feature may impact everyone who walks by is essential. “When an organization stands for all forms of inclusion through such a meaningful design effort like this, there’s nothing else to feel except gratitude for everyone who has upheld these principles for the past two centuries.”
* References:
1Wolf K, Krueger S, Flora K. Work and Learning – A Literature Review. Green Cities Good Heal. 2014. www.greentheath.washington.edu. Accessed January 12, 2018.
2Larsen L, Adams J, Deal B, Kweon B-S, Tyler E. Plants in the workplace the effects of plant density on productivity, attitudes and perceptions. Environ Behav, 1998;30(3):261-281.
3Largo-Wight E, Chen WW, Dodd V, Weiler R. Healthy Workplaces: The Effects of Nature Contact at Work on Employee Stress and Health. Public Health Rep. 2011;126:124-131. doi:10.2307/41639273
4An M, Colarelli SM, O’Brien K, Boyajian ME. Why we need more nature at work: Effects of natural elements and sunlight on employee mental health and work attitudes. PLoS One. 2016;11(5):1-17. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0155614
^ Reference:
Reduction of Physiological Stress Using Fractal Art and Architecture, R.P. Taylor, ARTSCIENCE: THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION. LEONARDO, Vol. 39, No. 3, pp. 245–251, 2006.
Media contact:
Name: Marjorie Preston
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