Abstract
Case studies were performed in two high schools (designated K and J) in Seoul, Korea in order to examine how in-class plantscapes consisting of ornamental plants affected the indoor environment and the stress level of students. Forty-two healthy female students, 16 to 17 years old, were assigned to classrooms with or without plantscapes. Although the differences were small, plants lowered the temperature, raised the relative humidity in the classrooms, and reduced the amount of airborne fine particles. Positive descriptors such as ‘clean’, ‘soft’, ‘comfortable’, and ‘fresh’ were used by the students to describe the classrooms with plants in both schools after installation of the plants. The stress level of the students was lower in rooms with plants than without in school K and but not in school J; students in control rooms in both schools did not show a significant change in stress. Saliva cortisol content, a physiological indicator of stress, was not reduced by the presence of plants in either school; however, the number of visits to the infirmary was lower for students in rooms with plants than in the control rooms at both schools. The results indicate that the presence of plants improved the physical environment, the general ambience (i.e., appropriate place for classes’ and ‘relaxed place’), and reduced the level of stress among the students. The role of the interior plantscapes in living spaces is discussed.
