Biophilic Design

The adoption of biophilic design in the built environment is becoming more popular and desirable, with known benefits such as cooling of the climate, sustainable drainage and a betterment in the health and wellbeing of its users. Green walls, green roofs, vegetated balconies and internal spaces are integral to sustainable buildings. Biophilia however, isn’t only reserved for architecture, it extends to the built environment as a whole, including external spaces.

Biophilia (meaning love of nature) focuses on human beings’ inherent connection to nature and to natural processes. This connection to the natural world, developed through hundreds of thousands of years, is still deeply ingrained in us all. Since the industrial revolution, a great deal of  the urban landscape has been constructed in a way that has isolated humans from nature. With the adoption of a biophilic design ethos, we can construct environments for people to live and work, where they can regain strong connections with nature, providing them with demonstrable physiological and psychological health benefits.

The practice of biophilia is embedded in Node’s design ethos. With this approach we aim to reconnect people with nature in the built environment, enhancing their wellbeing, creativity and productivity. Biophilic design is however, so much more than just the inclusion of plants. Adoption of a biophilic approach requires the use of an underlying philosophy and a set of principles. These are as follows:

1. Promoting a repeated and sustained engagement with nature
2. Focusing on human adaptations to the natural world that over evolutionary time periods, have advanced people’s health, fitness and wellbeing
3. Creating an emotional attachment to settings and places
4. Encouraging positive interactions between people and nature, which in itself promotes a sense of relationship and responsibility for human and natural communities
5. Promoting interconnected and fully integrated design solutions
6. Designing biophilic public spaces that promote social interactions, gatherings and a sense of belonging
7. Aligning with sustainable design principles by promoting resource efficient strategies (especially collecting and reusing water), reducing environmental impacts across the board and encouraging a holistic approach to design. It is central to the success of biophilic design that development does not occur in silos, in a piecemeal or disconnected manner.

The successful application of biophilic design results in a wide array of physical, mental and behavioural benefits, like enhanced physical fitness and improved health. Mental health benefits include increased satisfaction, comfort levels and motivation, reduced levels of stress and improved creativity. Positive behavioural changes can include better coping, enhanced levels of attention and concentration, improved social interactions and less hostility and aggression.

These mental health and behavioural benefits are underpinned by data coming from 35 years of research, such as:

1. 7-8 % less crime attributed to residential areas with access to nature as well as an increase of 4-5% in the value of property
2. In offices where biophilia is present, productivity can be increased by 8%, wellbeing by 13% and a reported increase in creativity
3. In the hospitality sector, guests are willing to pay 23% more for rooms with views of biophilic elements in a green space
4. Schools reported rates of learning increased by 20-25%, as well as improved test results and reduced impacts born of ADHD, by using biophilic spaces
5. In the healthcare sector, post operative rates of recovery were reduced by 8.5% and the use of pain medication reduced by 22%
6. In the retail sector, customers were willing to pay 8-12 % more for goods and services where there was vegetation present.

Biophilic landscape design relies on access to both direct (natural light, air, plants, animals, water, landscapes) and indirect (natural materials, seasons, natural geometry) experiences of nature and places. It also incorporates the principle of prospect and refuge (long views of surrounding settings that allow people to perceive both opportunities and dangers, while refuge supplies sites of safety and security and visual connections), and wayfinding (clearly understood pathways and points of entry, the feeling of security).

Biophilic design is about creating good habitats for people in the built environment, which are ecologically sound and productive, where people can function to their absolute best potential.

René Dubos (who coined “Think globally, act locally”) captures the essence of this philosophy in his book, The Wooing of the Earth:

“The relationship between humankind and  nature can be one of respect and love rather than domination…The outcome…can be rich, satisfying, and lastingly successful, but only if both partners are modified by their association so as to become better adapted to each other…With our knowledge and sense of responsibility…we can create new environments that are ecologically sound, aesthetically satisfying, economically rewarding…This process of reciprocal adaptation occurs…through minor changes in the people and their environment, but a more conscious process of design can also take place.”

Reference: THE PRACTICE OF BIOPHILIC DESIGN – Stephen R. Kellert, Elizabeth F. Calabrese (2015)

If you would like to know more about how we incorporate biophilic principles into our urban design, landscapes and heritage projects at Node, please do not hesitate to get in touch.