What is she on about?: Biophilic Design
This is an old article that I wrote, but I felt it was still a valid one to my current work, so I added it in to this new blog!
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If we’ve met, you probably know that I love nature. Or maybe we haven’t met yet, because I’m out frolicking in a garden somewhere. In that case, I’ll tell you in advance that if you talk to me long enough about design, I’ll probably start speaking very enthusiastically about Biophillic Design until I notice your eyes have glazed over and your smile is plastered on. I am by no means an expert, but rather a passionate follower. So, I thought I’d tell you a little bit about it (then you can come back after you’ve nodded your head at me and pretended you were following, even though you actually zoned out for about thirty minutes). In an ode to Elizabeth Henstridge’s (adorable) new YouTube channel, we’ll call it: “What Is She On About?”
I first heard about Biophilic Design not actually through my design studies, but through an architecture article in Elle Decoration UK titled “Architectural Wellness”. Behind the big title’s white lettering, a gorgeous house in the trees. Ooh, hooked already!
And it only took me a tree.
The article began by talking about something that I had known intrinsically; that nature -and the way we build and design- affects our wellbeing and how we respond to an environment. But then it started talking about something new to me, that we could mimic nature in design with a similar affect on our health— especially beneficial for those of us who are unable to live in a forest or bucolic landscape. An architect and designer named Oliver Heath works with textures and colors that evoke similar emotional responses (although, as he says, “a direct link to nature is ideal”). He has made carpeting tiles that are like grass, walls made up of plants, and he works with natural colors and concepts that come from nature to put his clients at ease. I finished the brief article starving for more information on this type of design, and little did I know that it would take me down a path of not only learning about Biophilic Design, but also in-depth sustainability, architecture, and psychology studies. I can’t compile everything into a small article, but I’d love to help you dip your toes in!
Bio: living / life
Philia: love, fondness, affection
“Biophilic design seeks to connect our inherent need to affiliate with nature in the modern built environment. An extension of the theory of biophilia, biophilic design recognizes that our species has evolved for more than 99% of its history in adaptive response to the natural world and not to human created or artificial forces. We became biologically encoded to associate with natural features and processes. Rather than being vestigial – or relevant to a world that no longer exists – this need is thought to remain instrumental to people’s physical and mental health, fitness, and wellbeing.” … “First, because biophilia is essentially about evolved human tendencies, biophilic design focuses on those aspects of nature that, over evolutionary time, have contributed to our health and wellbeing. Let us be clear on this point: Any occurrence of nature in the built environment cannot be called biophilic design if it has no bearing on our species’ inborn tendencies that have advanced our fitness and survival. Simply put, biophilic design focuses on those aspects of the natural world that have contributed to human health and productivity in the age-old struggle to be fit and survive. Thus, desert or deep-sea habitats or microorganisms or alien or extinct species or other obscure aspects of nature are largely irrelevant as aspects of biophilic design because they offer little if anything in the way of sustained benefits to people.”
(https://www.metropolismag.com/architecture/what-is-and-is-not-biophilic-design/)
There is more from this article, but then even my eyes started to glaze over. Key point? You, me, and nature are deeply connected on a biological level. Think about it this way: have you noticed that when you spend more time on the computer late at night, you often have a harder time sleeping? The blue light from the computer screen disrupts your body’s natural cycle of producing melatonin to help you fall asleep (and hence the new obsession with blue light glasses rather than turning off your computer earlier… I get it, we have work to do and bills to pay… just try and see the ironic humor here.) When you go camping (without your computer) and spend time on nature’s clock, your sleep cycle returns to a healthy state. And just like our natural sleep cycles are affected by our lack of connection to nature, so it is true with the rest of our bodily functions. The less we are outdoors soaking in sunlight (which boosts your immune system- Google it), the less we have our hands in dirt (children who we let play in dirt are reported to have a healthier immune system- Google it), and the less we connect to the natural world around us, the sicker we get as a global community (you can find a few books on it). Biophilic Design tries to help us take some of those innate healing powers of nature and implement them into our big-block-building-living lives.
Here is a helpful chart to understanding some of the basic physical responses we have to Biophilic Design:
https://www.terrapinbrightgreen.com/reports/14-patterns/img/fourteenpatterns-table.pdf
Let’s take lighting for an example. Specifically, biodynamic lighting, which is relatively new(er) to the scene for designers but ancient for nature. Biodynamic lighting (a.k.a. circadian lighting) mimics the natural daylight cycle, from bright, white light (6,000/ 12,000 K color temp, up) in the morning to softer, warmer lighting (3,000 K color temp, down) in the evening. (Side note: the sun produces a color temperature of about 5,600 K, which you can use as a guide.) What this does to the body is it aids in a more natural and healthy circadian rhythm to regulate melatonin, cortisol, and serotonin. It is also helpful for depression, as well as the difficulty of the darkness of winter or high northern latitudes.
“WHY IS BIOPHILIC DESIGN RELEVANT TODAY?
The World Health Organisation expects stress related illness, such as mental health disorders and cardio-vascular disease, to be the two largest contributors to disease by 2020. With a diminished connection to nature, the increasing pressure on urban space & the ubiquitous technological presence we have less opportunity to recuperate our mental and physical energy.
Incorporating direct or indirect elements of nature into the built environment have been demonstrated through research to reduce stress, blood pressure levels and heart rates, whilst increasing productivity, creativity and self reported rates of well-being.
Businesses at the vanguard of work place design such as Apple, Google and Amazon are investing heavily in Biophilic Design elements. These principles are shown to improve worker concentration, engagement and cognitive ability but also to attract and retain staff in the “war for talent”.”
“WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS BIOPHILIC DESIGN?
There have been numerous studies over the last 35 years on the benefits to the built environment through improving a connection to nature.
Office design: productivity can be increased by 8%, rates of well-being up by 13%, increases in creativity, with reduced absenteeism and presenteeism
Hospitality design: Guests willing to pay 23% more for rooms with views of Biophilic elements
Education spaces: increased rates of learning 20-25%, improved test results, concentration levels and attendance, reduced impacts of ADHD
Healthcare spaces: post-operative recovery times decreased by 8.5%, reduced pain medication by 22%
Retail: the presence of vegetation & landscaping has been found to increase average rental rates on retail spaces with customers indicating they were willing to pay 8-12 % more for goods and services.
Homes: can become more calming & restorative, with 7-8 % less crime attributed to areas with access to nature and can command an increase of 4-5% in property price.”
(https://www.oliverheath.com/biophilic-design-connecting-nature-improve-health-well/
Now you’ve got a pretty good idea of why Biophilic Design is important. Let’s talk a little bit about usage and how before you go.
“It is vital for a designer to understand a project’s design intent – what are the health or performance priorities of the intended users? To identify design strategies and interventions that restore or enhance well-being, project teams should understand the health baseline or performance needs of the target population. One approach is to ask: what is the most biophilic space we can conceivably design? Another is to ask: how can biophilic design improve performance metrics already used by the client (e.g., company executives, school board, city officials), such as absenteeism, perceived comfort, health care claims, asthma, ticket sales, or test scores.
As many biological responses to design occur together (e.g., reducing physiological indicators of stress and improving overall mood), and there are countless combinations of design patterns and interventions, understanding health related priorities will help focus the design process. Health outcomes associated with biophilic spaces are of interest to building and portfolio managers and human resources administrators, because they inform long term design and measurement best practices, and to planners, policy makers and others because they inform public health policy and urban planning.”
(https://www.terrapinbrightgreen.com/reports/14-patterns/)
*This article above will give you a great foundation if you want to know more.
Essentially, your “how” should be informed by a goal to start with. If you are designing an office space, you’ll need to consider how light affects your workers and their comfort levels of being inside a cold office space all day. Bringing plants in, bringing in natural light and biodynamic light, and pulling inspiration from the natural world can make a dramatic difference. As a Color Consultant, I also recommend taking stock of the colors in the office; if they are harsh or overwhelming to the eye, this will also affect the workers. It’s a difficult balance to strike, to find the middle ground between neutrals that are calming enough for workers to sit long enough to actually do work, but also to find colors that are energetic enough to keep them awake. These same concepts apply to the way we design anything. If we are conscious of our client’s needs and habits, we can design with the client in mind. Sounds simple, but it’s often overlooked. Think of how many uncomfortable armchairs have been designed! Who actually sits on those? Aesthetic should not be separated from comfort. And so it is true with Biophilic design. If you have to stumble through an entire jungle in the middle of the office to talk to your coworker, you’ve missed an important point in Biophilic Design!
Light/ fire, space/ air, soothing colors/ water, grounding textures/ earth: these elements of both nature and design can be gentle and subtle or they can take center stage. Considering the minor details just as much as you consider the statement pieces make for layered and sometimes quietly victorious design.
I hope that I could help you feel a little more confident in understanding what Biophilic Design is, and I hope you start a healthy evolution in your own environments. It can make all the difference… to the world.
(Cover image credit: https://www.thegardener.co.za/the-gardener/garden-design/what-is-biophilic-design/ )