Humans are biologically encoded to respond to nature. We have adapted to the built environment, and even spend 93% of our life indoors, but the connection to nature is powerful and should not be dismissed. There’s a reason that guided meditations often use nature visuals, and why people seek the beach for a relaxing vacation.
Nature has been incorporated into interior environments for millennia—for example, acanthus leaves embellished Greek and Roman temples, the art of bonsai was applied in many Japanese homes, and Rococo design emphasized the use of pale, natural colors and patterns of delicate vines and flowers. During the Industrial Revolution, as cities were rapidly expanding, the creation of large public parks became necessary to improve the health and well-being of urban dwellers. Frank Lloyd Wright used natural materials like wood and stone, abstractions of nature, and an emphasis on natural light in his works.
While humans have known about this positive correlation between nature and man for centuries, design researchers in the late 1900s made the empirical connection between nature and well-being in a designed interior environment. Robert Ulrich’s landmark 1984 study showed that hospital patients with a view to nature recovered faster and required less pain medication than patients with a view of a brick wall.
The idea of biophilia as a philosophy of design became more prevalent in the early 2000s, and today, we better understand what biophilic design is, the concepts of biophilic design and how to apply them in an intentionally designed space. But what are the benefits of investing in this design approach?
Enhancing Well-Being & Overall Health
Copious research exists on the effects biophilic design has on the human body: psychological responses such as adaptability, alertness, concentration, and mood can be positively impacted by design decisions. Natural environments and interior environments designed with biophilic principles can provide greater restoration, while also decreasing instances of tension, anxiety, fatigue, and confusion.
Views to nature (or even of nature-themed art) has been found to lower blood pressure and heart rate, improve cognitive performance, and have a positive effect on mood. Access to natural light throughout the day positively impacts circadian system functionality, while indirect natural light (diffuse, without a glare) specifically increases visual comfort.
Thermal and airflow variability, such as one would experience in nature, positively impacts comfort, wellbeing, productivity, concentration, and improves the users’ perception of the space.
Stress Relief
Many biophilic elements contribute to stress reduction: for example, the presence of water increases feelings of tranquility while lowering the heart rate. Even incorporating non-visual connections with nature such as auditory, olfactory, or haptic stimuli reduce systolic blood pressure and stress hormones, while improving perceptions of mental health.
Applying patterns, textures, and visual complexity and order such as found in nature has been found to positively impact both perception of stress and the body’s physiological stress response.
Image of Boomtown, courtesy of High5 Productions. Furniture provided by Interior Elements.
Feeling secure in the built environment, and not like someone can sneak up on you, has also been found to decrease the body’s stress response, and increase feelings of tranquility.
Improving Productivity
Cognitive functioning is an umbrella term that includes mental agility, memory, and the ability to think, learn, and create outputs. Sustained cognitive functioning can be fatiguing, and decrease productivity, however research has shown that connections with nature—even indoors, when the space is designed with biophilic concepts—can provide the opportunity to mental restoration, and our capacity for cognitive functioning can recover. By providing both direct and indirect experiences with nature and enhancing a sense of place, productivity at work and school can greatly increase.
Image of Interior Elements Raleigh Office, courtesy of High5 Productions. Furniture provided by Interior Elements.
The design technique of providing areas of refuge, where a person can retreat and feel comfortable and secure, has also been found to increase concentration and productivity, since the brain is not on alert for intruders, and all effort can be put into the cognitive functioning.
Increasing Creativity
It’s hard to be creative in an environment that is not supportive—and that can be defined in a number of different ways. Perhaps the lighting is all fluorescent and constantly flickers, or maybe the space is a maze of hallways with little visual stimulation. Perhaps it’s always cold, or loud, or everything is shades of cream and gray.
Image of Interior Elements Greenville Office, courtesy of High5 Productions. Furniture provided by Interior Elements.
The built environment can have a direct impact on creativity, and incorporating biophilic elements can greatly increase a person’s ability to be creative while decreasing the negative stimuli that squash both creativity and productivity. Visual connections with nature such as a view through a window or an art piece evocative of nature can improve mental engagement and alertness
Satisfaction
Overall, people who occupy buildings that have been designed intentionally, especially with a biophilic design approach, experience more satisfaction with their work and the built environment. Feeling supported by the built environment—rather than needing to expend energy adapting to it or even surviving it—enhances feelings of well-being, physical and mental health, productivity, and creativity.
Image of Boomtown, courtesy of High5 Productions. Furniture provided by Interior Elements.
Before beginning a project, consider discussing biophilic design with the client and other stakeholders. To discuss biophilic design concepts, for more information on biophilic design solutions, or to be connected to Interior Elements, click here.
