Higher Ceilings to Higher Innovation: How Ceiling Height Influences How We Work

Feeling productive and inspired in the workplace is one thing that we all strive for, especially as we make resolutions to improve our work, our lives, and ourselves in 2015. With Hera Hub Sorrento Valley’s recent move to its new location, it was one of my hopes that this new space facilitate even more focused energy for productivity for members to get their work done.

A critical element of Hera Hub is creating the perfect atmosphere, enabling those who work there to feel more focused and collaborative. When seeking out a new space, one facet that really drew me to the location that we ultimately chose, 4010 Sorrento Valley Blvd., was the 16 foot ceilings. Personally, I’ve always felt more freedom and invigoration in environments with higher ceilings. After some research, I found out that I’m not the only one with this sentiment. According to Hok, a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm, “When people feel crowded they often feel stressed, which influences their satisfaction of the workplace…Lighter, brighter spaces, as well as rooms with high ceilings or those that have walls with mirrors, are perceived as less crowded.” That would certainly explain those initial feelings I had been having about the space, as early as the first tour.

It actually goes further than just our perceptions of a space. Ceiling height primes our brain for a certain type of processing. University of Minnesota researcher Joan Meyers-Levy, whose study “The Influence of Ceiling Height: The Effect of Priming on the Type of Processing That People Use” published in 2007, has become the basis for many architectural changes this decade, has found that thought processes vary based on ceiling height. Meyers-Levy states, “Priming means a concept gets activated in a person’s head. When people are in a room with a high ceiling, they activate the idea of freedom. In a low-ceilinged room, they activate more constrained, confined concepts” (Mauk, 2007). Low ceilings definitely have value for certain types of thinking, as well, such as detail-oriented processes. Female entrepreneurs can benefit from both environments in different ways. However, the invigoration of high-ceilinged workspace can have unparalleled results.

So, it turns out the freedom of high ceilings wasn’t just in my imagination. I’m already feeling more inspired in 2015 and I hope you will, too. If you haven’t already, please come check out our new space. We have our relaunch party and art opening this Friday, January 30^th from 6-8pm. If you’re unable to join us, stop by anytime Monday through Friday between the hours of 9am and 5pm. We would be happy to give you a tour.