What Is Biophilic Design? 4 Ways to Incorporate This Style (2024)

FAQs

What Is Biophilic Design? 4 Ways to Incorporate This Style? ›

Biophilic design is an approach to architecture that seeks to connect building occupants more closely to nature. Biophilic designed buildings incorporate things like natural lighting and ventilation, natural landscape features and other elements for creating a more productive and healthy built environment for people.

Biophilic design is an approach to architecture that seeks to connect building occupants more closely to nature. Biophilic designed buildings incorporate things like natural lighting and ventilation, natural landscape features and other elements for creating a more productive and healthy built environment for people.

Incorporate plants, natural materials like wood and stone, maximize natural light, and use earthy color palettes. Consider textured fabrics resembling natural patterns and introduce water features. Biophilic design enhances well-being, productivity, and the overall ambiance of a space.

Biophilic design promotes the integration of natural elements like plants, light, water, and materials that mimic nature into our built environments. This approach not only cultivates a calming and nurturing atmosphere but also offers an avenue towards sustainability.

The Four Elements of Design: Interiors Inspired By Earth, Water, Air and Fire.

The Four Elements and Architecture.

Every architecture or design of a structure or solution consists of points, lines, planes, and volumes. That is why these four things are called the basic elements of architecture and design. There is of course more, like architecture principles, design principles, and units.

The patterns can be categorised into three types: nature in the space, natural analogues and nature of the space. This booklet expands on the work of Terrapin Bright Green with examples and practical tips to incorporate the patterns into your designs.

Biophilia is increasingly recognised as an important element in building design for creating spaces that support health and wellbeing. Luckily, biophilic design does not require extensive or expensive interventions to have an impact.

Why is biophilic design popular? ›

Ultimately, biophilic design isn't just a trend but a timeless way of designing that taps into our innate connection to the natural world. It is about bringing the feel of mother nature into our built environments to create a welcoming and nurturing atmosphere evoking a sense of calmness to those that using the space.

The Barbican Centre is one of the earliest and most famous examples of biophilic architecture. Opened in the 1980s as an estate in London, it's renowned for its striking, brutalist design. The bleak style of the Barbican is juxtaposed with the use of natural and artificial lakes and extensive wildlife.

Biophilic design has also shown to improve patient recovery times in hospitals, reduce crime rates in residential areas, and increase learning ability and test results in schools. These amazing results stem from the improved user experience of the building.

Biophilic design can be organized into three categories – Nature in the Space, Natural Analogues, and Nature of the Space – providing a framework for understanding and enabling thoughtful incorporation of a rich diversity of strategies into the built environment.

Public spaces (with and without vegetation): Parks, gardens, public squares and other recreational areas can be designed in a biophilic manner to offer city residents a natural refuge, promoting regeneration and connection with Nature.

The biophilia hypothesis posits an innate biological and genetic connection between human and nature, including an emotional dimension to this connection. Biophilic design builds on this hypothesis in an attempt to design human-nature connections into the built environment.