Enhance Health at Home with Biophilic With the rise of eco-friendly living and passive home con struction, the idea of a home becoming a haven for nature comes to mind. This concept is often referred to as biophilic design, which incorporates nature-inspired elements into living spaces. Nature-inspired design is known as biophilic design. It can take many shapes, from landscaping ideas that use local plants and flowers to oversized windows that let in the most natural light possible. It includes green roofs and live plant walls. As much as there are so many things to appreciate about biophilic design. There is much to appreciate about biophilic design, and chances are you’re already incorporating some of its elements into your own home. To find this interior décor style further, keep reading this article.
What Is Biophilia?
Biophilia is the love or adoration of life or living things. A German social psychologist, Erich Fromm, initially devised this term in his 1973 book, The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness. According to Fromm, biophilia is “the passionate love of life and of all that is alive.” Biophilia was later popularized by American naturalist Dr. Edward O. Wilson (also known as E. O. Wilson) in his book Biophilia, published in 1984, which promoted the biophilia hypothesis that people naturally like plants and animals on Earth. He said that healthy humans are made from their natural surroundings.
What Is Biophilic Design?
Biophilic design builds upon biophilia biophobia principles to include nature in architectural and interior designs of built environments.
Many modern workplaces have invested significantly in biophilic design strategies to enhance employees’ quality of life, achieve sustainability goals, and improve productivity. Cities have engaged natural processes in their urban development. Biophilic cities bring natural stimuli back into urban settings by making these places sustainable, more vital, and long-lived.
Direct vs. Indirect Experiences With Nature
Biophilic design, according to Stephen R. Kellert and Elizabeth F. Calabrese in The Practice of Biophilic Design (2015), can feature direct or indirect nature experiences. For instance, a “nature in space” direct experience could include natural light, plants or air. In contrast, an indirect one (“natural analogs”) is reminiscent of nature through using natural materials in construction, such as images of nature or replicating natural patterns. Still, another element of biophilic design is “the experience of space and place,” which is also called the “nature of the space.” It concerns how you perceive this place, including things like refuges/enigmas and meaningful indicators for finding one’s way around it.
Quick Tip: “Add plants for fresh air and a calming vibe at home.”
4 Biophilic Design Elements
Biophilic design transcends simply opening the windows and acquiring houseplants. Here are some of the major principles that underscore biophilic design:
- Community: Biophilic design in public spaces and workplaces endeavours to create a sense of shared experience.
- Emotion: Biophilic design seeks to deepen human emotional connection with nature.
- Integration: Biophilic designers argue that frequent contact with the natural world is more effective than occasional visits outdoors. For maximum benefit, integrate biophilic principles into daily experiences in an approachable manner.
- Well-being: Whatever elements you incorporate into your biophilic design should be congruent with basic human needs. Rather than randomly choosing natural features, think about their implications for users of that space.
4 Examples of Biophilic Design
Biophilic designers find nature inspiring. As a result, biophilic design allows the natural world to dictate the aesthetic by bringing natural elements into interior spaces and imitating natural patterns.
- Bringing the outside in: Biophilic design directly brings some aspects of wilderness to your living space. Skylights are common examples. Green walls or living walls covered with live greenery represent other biophilic designs, while introducing water, such as fountains or ponds, is another common feature.
- Mimicking natural patterns: Biophilic design mimics nature’s forms and patterns using biomimicry. Infrastructure and design are inspired by curves, fractals, geometric shapes, and so on, which are naturally found. You could choose to follow the curve of a wave when building walls or frame windows in a honeycomb pattern.
- Planting abundant greenery: Exterior landscaping is often an integral part of the building’s plan in biophilic architecture. Atriums can allow sun into buildings’ interiors; rooftop gardens act as open-air refuges for tenants; and trees and shrubs may flank exterior stairwells.
- Using Natural Materials: Synthetic materials such as plastics or polished metals have no place in biophilia; instead, they prefer wood and stone, which possess greater organicity over time, indicative of age throughout time.
4 Benefits of Biophilic Design
Biophilic design has several human health benefits.
- Circadian rhythm: Natural light all day long regulates your circadian rhythm, which may lead to you having better rest and less stress.
- Healing: Health centers that are biologically designed have patients spending shorter periods in recovery after surgery. Back in 1984, Science published a study indicating that patients with a view of nature outside their windows recovered more quickly from surgeries and took fewer pain medications than those without natural views.
- Increased productivity: One study conducted by the Department of Energy in 1994 found that firms that reduced harsh lighting and used more natural sunlight through such sources as skylights witnessed increased worker productivity.
- Lower stress: A heart rate decreases, causing lower blood pressure and correlating with lessened tension, which may be attained by regularly going into nature. Post-move mental health impacts were shown to be positive among people who moved from greener areas to more urban environments. In comparison, they were negative on persons who moved from less green areas into more developed ones, according to a longitudinal study named “Environmental Science & Technology” published in 2014.).
Is Biophilic Design Sustainable?
Biophilic design and sustainability are bedfellows. For instance, more incorporation of natural light can lead to less energy consumption. The connection between human beings and nature is one of the components of biophilic design; therefore, the design itself can encourage environmental stewardship. Nevertheless, it is important to note that biophilic design primarily focuses on human welfare.
7 Easy Ways to Incorporate Biophilic Design
Biophilic design is a hassle-free way to go about decorating. Get started with items you might already have, such as plants and wooden furniture, to invite calmness and balance into your spaces.
Prioritize Plants as a Design Element
Live plants are one of the easiest ways to introduce biophilic design to your home. If you’re new to plant parenting, begin with a small, low-maintenance plant for your desk or a few potted herbs on your kitchen windowsill. For those more experienced in indoor gardening, take their greenery collection up a notch with creative solutions that blend it into the overall room décor. To enjoy the benefits of biophilic design, dedicate an entire wall to plants, line your staircase with greenery, or fill every corner of the room with various leafy greens you love.
Highlight Outside Views
Live plants are one of the easiest ways to introduce biophilic design to your home. If you’re new to plant parenting, begin with a small, low-maintenance plant for your desk or a few potted herbs on your kitchen windowsill. For those more experienced in indoor gardening, take their greenery collection up a notch with creative solutions that blend it into the overall room décor. To enjoy the benefits of biophilic design, dedicate an entire wall to plants, line your staircase with greenery, or fill every corner of the room with various leafy greens you love.
Foster an Indoor-Outdoor Connection
To enhance the biophilic design, you need to connect indoor and outdoor living areas so your home can be in tandem with nature. Consider installing sliding doors that open up into your living room patio. Also, having a balcony off your bedroom or deck connected to your kitchen will make it feel like nature was purposely put in an intentional design of your home.
On mild days, at least open your windows wide, getting fresh air and hearing raindrops on the roof as birds sing outside. Whenever it is too hot or cold to open your Windows blinds up, pull them up or draw curtains, giving yourself more light and making you feel better while showing just how beautiful the outside of life appears.
Include Patterns Found in Nature
No less than 14 biophilic design patterns have been scientifically shown to reduce stress and improve well-being. Look for natural geometric patterns or try vegetation wallpapers with rock formations. Marble countertops and vanities in neutral tones are also suitable for biophilic design.
Decorate with Natural Elements
That being said, biophilic design doesn’t have to be so literal. Instead of using living plants as decoration, You can pick out materials like wood, leather, and stone, all hinting at the outdoors; furthermore, go for muted organic colours when planning your colour schemes. Adding small natural references to your home decor is an easy way to create calming spaces influenced by biophilic design–and usually inexpensive.
Nature sounds and scents
Enhance your visual experience of nature with a non-visual one, such as an ambient sounds playlist (e.g. waves on the beach), a candle that smells natural or an oil diffuser.
Quick Tip: “Use natural light and greenery to create a calming space.”
Water Feature
Water can create an atmosphere of peace in an indoor area. Put up a small fountain indoors, either on the kitchen platform or near an open window and enjoy the calm sound of water all day.
Green spaces
Bringing plants within houses is an excellent idea for individuals who want to experience being part of nature. At the same time, some indoor plants help clean harmful substances from the air, improving its quality.
Fresh air
If possible, open your windows as much as possible to allow enough air movement throughout your house. By doing this, your house will have fresh air, and you may even listen to natural sounds depending on where you live. This way, you can feel connected to your local ecosystem.
Diverse spaces
Mother Nature includes large open meadows, oceans, valleys, and caves. Similarly, diversify your home’s layout to resemble the variedness typical of nature’s landscape. Think about having an escape haven like a cozy seat close to the window or even investigative areas.
Quick Tip: “Use natural colors and textures to bring nature indoors.”
FAQS:
What is a biophilic design concept?
Biophilic design connects nature with indoor spaces to improve well-being.
What are the 5 senses of biophilic design?
Sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste through natural elements.
What are the three principles of biophilic design?
Nature in space, natural analogs, and nature of the space.
How do you create a biophilic design?
Add plants, natural light, and earthy textures to your home.
