Biophilic Design Is Growing on Us: Here Are 8 Reasons Why
Biophilic design has grown from a trend to a social movement. People and organizations are collaborating to expand its implementation everywhere, from homes to workplaces, to take advantage of its many benefits.
Here are seven reasons why integrating nature into built environments is the next mainstream.
1. It Satisfies the Innate Desire to Connect With Nature
Edward O. Wilson’s biophilia hypothesis proposed that humans have an innate link with nature and other forms of life. This link is rooted in everyone’s biology. People will continuously seek this connection to satisfy a natural desire.
This assumption has been developed as part of the theory of evolutionary psychology. Researchers pointed out that people are biologically drawn to nature partly due to evolutionary history since their ancestors lived in natural environments.
Now, most have moved to urban areas, which has weakened their link with the Earth. Biophilic design attempts to restore this nearly severed connection by bringing natural elements where humans are.
2. It Improves Health Holistically
Integrating biophilia has impressive benefits for well-being, boosting people’s mental, emotional and physical health.
Fascination and affiliation are two fundamental elements of biophilia. Affective ecology experts, or those who study humans’ mental and emotional relationships with the Earth, say being fascinated by outdoor elements can restore people’s cognitive skills after mental exhaustion. A solid affinity for them can relieve stress.
Another expert analysis found that adding biophilia in residential indoor spaces had clinical benefits, reducing migraine and chronic pain and improving depressive symptoms. Combining biophilic design with standard treatment can further boost health care outcomes.
3. It Promotes Sustainability
Biophilic design supports sustainability by reducing energy consumption, boosting air quality and promoting biodiversity. One study in two classrooms in Sweden found that installing indoor green plants resulted in a 10% lower carbon dioxide concentration in the air. Moreover, winter temperatures were more stable and slightly higher than the three-degree Celsius annual average.
Consider decorating with plants, maximizing natural light by installing more windows, prioritizing wood for home upgrades and using earthy color palettes in walls. Anyone can implement these minor ecological adjustments to make their home environmentally friendly and energy efficient.
Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors on average. Wouldn’t it be better if they could enjoy the outdoors from the comforts of their living room through these lush greeneries?
4. It Has a Mesmerizing Aesthetic Appeal
Natural elements like wood, stone, water and plants can elevate your home’s visual aesthetics. Textured wood grain, rough rock surfaces and lush foliage add tactile interest to your interiors and turn heads.
They also make interior designing easy for beginners to achieve their desired look. For example, you’ll rarely mess up when using earthy and organic hues — these shades blend well to promote a sense of cohesion and harmony. Furthermore, natural elements engage multiple senses — they’re a healthy distraction stimulating your vision and evoking feelings of familiarity and comfort.
A dose of greenery helps create a calming and cozy atmosphere that everyone wants where they live, work and play.
5. It Boosts Productivity and Creativity
It can also increase productivity, which is why organization leaders want to bring the outdoors into the workplace. Plants like peace lily and aloe vera can enhance concentration by up to 20% and a person’s ability to recall information by 15%-20%.
The world’s geniuses use nature as inspiration for their projects or goals, like engineers building structures that mimic the functions of animals or plants. This is called biomimicry. The best example is the Milwaukee Art Museum in Wisconsin, which resembles the wings of a bird.
In a case study, researchers installed two potted plants per individual office and eight in break-out rooms. The findings revealed that introducing plants improved 40 workers’ perceived attention, creativity and productivity. The opposite was also true — removing the plants increased their stress and caused problems with efficiency, perceived attention and productivity.
The physical and visual access to plants in offices improved occupants’ workplace satisfaction and overall environment.
6. It Mitigates Urban Challenges
Biophilic design can benefit people living in highly densely populated areas by minimizing noise pollution and high temperatures.
Researchers investigated whether green walls can counter the heat, smog and noise emitted by buildings and vehicles in big cities. They compared how climbing green wall (CGW) and paving green wall (PWG) vegetation fare in negating these issues.
The results found that PWG lowered temperatures by 4.9% without irrigation, and CGW decreased it by 16.6%. The reductions were even higher with irrigation — CGW lowered it by 18.4% and PGW by 23.8%.
Regarding noise pollution, CGW eased levels by 12.4 dB, 7.5 dB and 5.7 dB in high, medium and low noise areas. On the other hand, PGW cut down the intensity by 15.6 dB, 9.3 dB and 7 dB in high, medium and low noise spaces.
Green walls add aesthetics to city buildings and reduce temperature and noise pollution. Creative and innovative solutions like green walls, vertical gardens and terrariums can inject components of biophilia even in limited square footage spaces.
7. It Fosters Community Well-Being
Communities can collaborate to expand biophilia’s influence in their local areas. That way, more people can experience its health advantages and improve community well-being. It promotes a sense of belonging and strengthens people’s bonds.
An intimate connection with nature can elevate psychological well-being, public health, and city residents’ life satisfaction and happiness. Natural elements are an essential component of a healthy environment that improves physical and mental health, especially among those who feel isolated.
8. It Offers Long-Term Saving
Biophilic upgrades in homes and offices may have a higher upfront cost, but they provide excellent savings in the long term. Stress reduction, higher performance and productivity, presenteeism, staff retention and lower absenteeism are noticeable upsides observed in nature-based offices.
One study found that employees with access to adequate daylight, interior greenery, sufficient nature views and natural soundscapes work 11 hours more than those without them. This can add up to $350,680 in increased revenue for each professional service employee.
A 10% increase in street trees reduced crime by 14% in New Haven, Connecticut. Meanwhile, residents in Florida with more access to greenery also spent less on health care because of 4,900 fewer cases of chronic diseases per 100,000 individuals, saving each person $2,705.
Biophilic Design Fuels Sustainable Urbanism
Integrating natural elements indoors helps build sustainable cities worldwide. This interior design approach has many benefits for people, the environment and businesses, from boosting physical and mental health to significant savings that add to an organization’s bottom line.
Consider a biophilic design theme for your next home or office upgrade to elevate aesthetic appeal and health.
