Biophilia is defined as the inherent human inclination to affiliate with nature.
Biophilic Design is thepractice of connecting people and nature within our built environments and communities.
A condition that enhances the experience of a place through seeing, hearing or touching water.
Leverages varying intensities of light and shadow that change over time to create conditions that occur in nature.
Awareness of natural processes, especially seasonal and temporal changes characteristic of a healthy ecosystem.
A view to elements of nature, living systems and natural processes.
Auditory, haptic, olfactory, or gustatory stimuli that engender a deliberate and positive reference to nature, living systems or natural processes.
Stochastic and ephemeral connections with nature that may be analyzed statistically but may not be predicted precisely.
Access to Thermal & Airflow Variability. Subtle changes in air temperature, relative humidity, airflow across the skin, and surface temperatures that mimic natural environments.
A view to elements of nature, living systems and natural processes.
An unimpeded view over a distance, for surveillance and planning.
A place for withdrawal from environmental conditions or the main flow of activity, in which the individual is protected from behind and overhead.
Materials and elements from nature that, through minimal processing, reflect the local ecology or geology and create a distinct sense of place.
Rich sensory information that adheres to a spatial hierarchy similar to those encountered in nature.
The promise of more information, achieved through partially obscured views or other sensory devices that entice the individual to travel deeper into the environment.
An identifiable threat coupled with a reliable safeguard
Biophilic design can reduce stress, improve cognitive function and creativity, improve our well-being and expedite healing; as the world population continues to urbanize, these qualities are ever more important. Given how quickly an experience of nature can elicit a restorative response, and the fact that U.S. businesses squander billions of dollars each year on lost productivity due to stress-related illnesses, design that reconnects us with nature – biophilic design – is essential for providing people opportunities to live and work in healthy places and spaces with less stress and greater overall health and well-being.
Study shows that office environments with natural elements, such as greenery and sunlight, can increase perception of well-being by 15%, productivity by 6% and creativity by 15%.
