ROOTED IN NATURE
Supporting human well-being through our connection to nature
Using BIOPHILIC DESIGN to make beautiful spaces that feel good and are good for us
Biophilia is: "Our Passionate Love of Life and all that is Alive"
- Erich Fromm
“Biophilia”, means “love of life”. It understands that like all other life on this planet, humans are part of a larger ecosystem. This theory explains that humans have evolved in response to our natural surroundings, and like any other animal, we thrive in the surroundings that most nurture us.
By addressing aspects of the environment that most nurture us, we can create environments that respond to our wholeness, who we are as humans, and in turn increase performance, healing, satisfaction, productivity, and lower stress by consciously designing our built environment with this connection in mind.
We are part of a vast ecosystem
We respond to our natural surroundings and thrive in those that most nurture us
We live in increasingly urban environments but have not lost our inherent connection to natural systems and processes
We can create spaces that address our wholeness, who we are as humans, and in turn increase performance, healing, satisfaction, productivity and lower stress.
Photo Credit: Nicole Craanen
INTUITION
The qualities of a space we seek have been found through much of our architectural history. We saw it and felt it in the nature surrounding us, and we inherently knew how to build this way. We've all been in those spaces - we connect to them in a special way and we struggle to define the qualities that make us love them.
We should be able to work, learn, and heal in places that we are drawn to, that support the human system, and that have these special qualities.
Photo Credit: Nicole Craanen
RESEARCH
Biophilia is informed by diverse fields such as evolutionary biology, psychology, sociology, environment and behavior, architecture, and history.
There is a vast array of multi-disciplinary research looking at what supports humans best. Biophilia tries to connect with where we came from - who we are as a species - and determine the habitats that best support us.
Photo Credit: Nicole Craanen
“Biophilic design is the deliberate attempt to translate an understanding of the inherent human affinity to affiliate with natural systems and processes-known as biophilia.”
- Stephen Kellert
and that means BENEFITS like
Improve Attentiveness
22% Less Medication
Requested
BIOPHILIC DESIGN enhances
the sustainable building & wellness movements, two movements that have been changing how people interact with the built environment
what do you need to know about
BIOPHILIC DESIGN?
The GOALS tackle the big ideas. They support the "why" behind the solution.
The PATTERNS offer solutions for achieving the Goals.
In order to understand the best Patterns to apply, you first need to understand what you are trying to achieve. They work together to guide the designer in biophilic design application. On the following pages you will be able to understand what they are and why their use is important.
Biophilia gives YOU, the designer, the opportunity to make spaces come to life!
SUSTAINABLE BUILDING
There is a slow, but sure, movement for biophilic design inclusion in new building standards. However, current models focus most heavily on the "planet" and "profit" sectors of the 3 P's of the Sustainability Model ("planet", "profit", "people"). In this approach, there is a commitment to the whole system.
Biophilic design works most specifically to address the "people" portion of sustainability. An argument can be made, however, that by promoting a connection to nature, this framework can indeed affect our attention to environmental concerns as well as increasing economic performance through an increase in productivity, creativity and reduction of stress.
WELL-BEING
Well-Being encompasses both mental and physical health, which includes self-perceived health, longevity, healthy behaviors, mental and physical illness, social connectedness, productivity, and factors in the physical and social environment.
Biophilic design can improve conditions of the environment that cause stress, widely known to affect the body through both physiological and psychological means. Used in conjunction with other wellness initiatives such as health & wellness programs, ergonomics, indoor air quality and use of non-toxic materials, the qualities of an interior environment and its design can greatly affect all systems of the human body.