The word “biophilia” describes our innate human instinct to connect with nature. Which we are, after all, a part of, despite increasingly segregating ourselves from it since the industrial revolution. Biophilic design, simply put, intends to reconnect us with nature. And that’s important since fostering a nature-health relationship has been found to improve our brain function, mood, attention span and overall psychological and physiological well-being.

Conversely, the unnatural way we’ve historically designed our living and working environments can have a detrimental effect on our health – an overstimulated nervous system and overproduction of stress hormones leading to all sorts of ailments, from anxiety to poor concentration to fatigue and high blood pressure.

Biophilic design is based on three core elements:

Nature in space

This refers to introducing natural elements, such as plants, water, light, sounds etc., into an indoor environment to bring about some of the same feelings and physical benefits we get from being outside.    

Nature of space

This relates to how a space is designed to echo the great outdoors. So, for example, designing buildings with large windows for capturing views and including light, dark and quiet spaces to create different sensory experiences.

Natural analogues

This denotes the use of natural materials, i.e. wood, stone, etc., and also shape, form and texture to mirror nature’s imperfect beauty – something that’s firmly embedded in our responsibly designed products and objects.

You can read more here about our approach to biophilic design in our projects.

Photo by: Corey OConnell