SERVICES OFFERED
Biophilic Design is at it's heart about our personal connection to nature. Experience for yourself either in-personal or through a virtual walk how this practice can bring spaciousness to your life, as well as an opportunity to slow down, unplug, and spend intentional time with nature.
Consulting
Personalized consultation related to
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Biophilic Design / Forest Therapy Workshop facilitation
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Group or individual consultations
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Architectural project consulting
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Consulting for product manufacturers
Speaking
Nicole is a seasoned international public speaker. I am available for speaking engagements related to biophilic design education, forest therapy, and podcast interviews. A selection of previous event topics is below.
I thrive on presenting, teaching and running workshops, and am always open to collaboration. ​Please contact me for rates and availability.
SPEAKING TOPICS
Creating Spaces for Well-Being Part 1: An Introduction to Biophilic Design
Biophilic design addresses our human response to our natural surroundings, and explains that we thrive in surroundings that nurture us. By consciously designing our built environments with this connection in mind, we can help lower stress, and increase performance, healing, satisfaction, and productivity. You will be introduced to the benefits biophilic design can offer to our built environment. Discuss the data supporting the physiological and psychological benefits to the human body. The speaker uses her personal photography to draw references to how our natural environment can be adapted to our built environment. In this session you will see design examples and case studies that help you understand what biophilic design is, and begin to understand strategies for implementation.
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Creating Spaces for Well-Being Part 2: The Supporting Evidence of Biophilic Design
In this session, we will dive more deeply into patterns found in our natural environment, and how they apply to the built environment. You will discover supporting research, learn application techniques, and bring greater awareness to finding biophilic design patterns in your environments.
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Creating Spaces for Well-Being Part 3: An Outdoor Experience of Biophilic Design
In this session, we will step away from technology and research and into the outdoors. You will gain awareness of how our natural environment affects us in order to better understand how to apply these principles to the built environment.
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Watch/Listen to the podcast Interview on Journal of Biophilic Design: Rooted in Nature - how Biophilic Design helps us flourish
Can we make the world a better place by design? Nicole Craanen definitely thinks so (and so do we). Nicole is founder of Rooted in Nature and believes that connection to nature, especially through Biophilic Design supports human wellbeing. Quoting E.O.Wilson “the crucial first step to survival in all our organisms is habitat selection. If you get the right place, everything else is likely to be easier”, she explores in this podcast, just how we are rediscovering how we can design close to nature to help create better spaces for us to live and work in, and this is especially true in healthcare.
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International Conference on Forest Therapy: Healing with Nature 2022:
Talk titled, Forest Therapy: The missing link between biophilic design and the built environment
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Women Developing Wisconsin conference, 2022: Fostering a Culture of Effectiveness
Discussion on how our surroundings impact our sense of safety and comfort; discovering our personal connection to our environment; and how seemingly small shifts in our physical spaces might allow opportunities for big shifts in our emotional spaces.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
Joe Galbraith | Partner at Galbraith Carnahan Architects
"Nicole approaches interior design from the perspective of qualities in nature and human behavior, rather than from catalogs of manufactured products. This biology based approach, termed Biophilia, resonates with our architectural practice that strives to create spaces that make you feel more health and alive. She has presented and discussed the built environment with our studio on several occasions, and we feel that every meeting was worth while and educational. I would highly recommend that you invite Nicole in for a discussion on the subject of Biophilia as it relates to the built environment, human health, and the role of the designer."
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Taruna Gupta | Project Designer at Groth Design Group
"I have been to multiple presentations of Nicole's on Biophilic Design and Living Building Challenge. She has opened my mind to the importance of incorporating elements of nature into our buildings, work spaces and living spaces. She is a great presenter, very engaging and extremely informative on the topic of Biophilic Design. Her research on the topic and the studies she has done are extremely significant to the design profession. I would highly recommend all the design professionals to go to one of her talks!"
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Tom Kubala | Architect & Co-Founder at The Kubala Washatko Architects
"As a lifelong proponent of designing and building living architecture, I must say meeting and working with Nicole has been a distinct pleasure. Nicole facilitated a series of workshops at our architecture firm (The Kubala Washatko Architects) revolving around biophilic design. The insights gained by our attending staff members interweaved well with their understanding of wholeness-based design, a philosophy practiced by our firm.
Nicole is passionate and knowledgeable, clear in her presentation and well organized. Nicole followed up on questions that couldn't be answered within the confines of the workshop and has a strong handle on referenced examples. I highly recommend Nicole for her research and workshops regarding biophilic design."
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Molly Hooper | Interior Designer & Account Executive
"Nicole's passion for interior design is evident in her depth of knowledge on the impact it can have on our daily lives through mindfulness to biophilia. I had the pleasure of working with Nicole and gaining the benefits of her knowledge when we would present her program to clients. She offers a richly layered look into the benefits and practical applications of biophilic design. And an approach that design matters and quality design is for all."
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Nick Carnahan | Partner at Galbraith Carnahan Architects
"My recommendation for Nicole centers on her experience in speaking and teaching on Biophilic design. Nicole shared her research with our entire office on two occasions, and I was extremely impressed with every aspect of her presentation. She has a depth of understanding on the issue of Biophilia, yet is able to present it in a manner that is readily comprehensible to individuals who are encountering the philosophy for the first time. The ability to legibly discuss something that she has had so much study and expertise in was critical. Secondly, the presentation was NOT BORING. It sounds funny, but so many of the presentations our office welcomes in are dry, poorly formatted, and unable to garner sustained attention. Nicole's presentations were visually engaging and featured gorgeous photography to help illustrate her points.
Lastly, and I think most importantly, is Nicole's passion for the subject of Biophilia. Her genuine love of the planet, and all of it's unique ecosystems is refreshing and an important underpinning to the research she has conducted. I would strongly recommend welcoming the opportunity for her to speak with you or your group."