Biophilic Design Inspiration

What is Biophilic Design and why should we know about it? Biophilic design makes us feel comfortable and relaxed in a way that nothing else does because it recognises and respects the conditions that make the most ancient parts of our brain feel good—these are the components of settings in which we were more likely to survive aeons ago.

Although we have all sorts of tools and toys today that we didn’t when our species was young, we continue to travel through life with brains that have the same preferences and processing systems as our early minds did. As a result, the same sorts of spaces make us feel comfortable today as did in our primordial past—we also continue to think and problem solve most effectively and creatively in these sorts of spaces and we’re likely to be less stressed and in a good mood when we’re in them—and our blood pressure is apt to be lower. When we use the same “design principles” in our homes today that Mother Nature did in those early spaces where we felt good, we’re doing biophilic design.

So, what does that mean specifically about biophilic design? [restrict] It means that spaces where we’ll live our best lives will:

· Contain a goodly number of curves, in upholstery patterns, the arms of furniture, in decorative mouldings, you name it.

· Feature glare-free natural light (from windows or skylights) and plenty of fresh air. Circadian lighting, or lights that change colour and intensity automatically during the day to mirror what’s happening outdoors, are great additions to a biophilic space. When we don’t have circadian systems, warmer lights, that can be used at dawn, dusk, and overnight, and cooler light for during the middle of the day, are best, particularly when it is possible to turn on more or fewer lights at any one time, with more light upping the energy level in an area. The warmer light should come from table top and otherwise relatively closer to the floor lights, while the cooler light should be further overhead, generally ceiling mounted. Spaces in which people are sleeping should be as dark as possible and if nightlights are required the bulbs in them should provide red light.

· Have a couple of green leafy plants in view (not more!) Their presence has been linked to better moods, cognitive performance, creativity, and mental refreshment, for example.

· Use natural materials, such as stone and, particularly, wood grain; although the wood grain shouldn’t cover more than 50% of the surfaces in a room. Light, warmer finishes (such as oak) seem to be particularly desirable in spaces for mental work, such as offices. Especially desirable materials age and develop a patina over time, as copper and leather do, for example. Artificial wood grain and plants can have the same effects on how we think and behave as real ones, but they must be excellent copies of the “real deals.”

· Patterns with moderate visual complexity and areas that have moderate complexity (no clutter!) generally are best.

· Include some seats with both prospect and refuge—in other words places where people can sit and feel safe and secure while they have a view out over the world around them.

· Seem spacious. Walls painted light colours seem a little larger than they actually are, for example—a future section discusses how to design to make spaces seem larger.

· Delight anyone who pauses to look at details in a space.

· Consciously consider the full range of sensory experiences someone will have in a space and plan each one. For example, peaceful nature sounds, such as burbling books, gently rustling leaves, and softly calling birds, even when heard at very low volumes, relax listeners—but when nature sounds aren’t available, white noise is definitely a plus anywhere knowledge work will happen.

· Feature gentle motion, such as curtains or a mobile that drift slightly in heating or air conditioning air currents

· Provide long view lines though a space—the longer the better—this doesn’t mean that environments are open, without any interior walls, but that there are views from one space into the next, through a doorway for example, and to the outdoors. In bedrooms, research shows that the best places for us to put our beds have a view of the door to our room and areas far as possible from that door but are out of view as the door is opened (they are essentially behind the door to the room). Nature views, outdoors or in art/photographs is always a plus. Views of nature, live or via images is particularly desirable in home offices because it helps us refresh mentally after we’ve become cognitively exhausted doing knowledge work. The best nature views to create in real life or show via photos or paintings look like the viewer could step into them, there are no transit blocking hedges, etc., in their foreground. They should feature meadows with clumps of trees seen from a slight elevation, whenever possible. Some gently moving water is a big plus in these scenes.

· Have some “topography” or variety in floor levels (think: sunken conversation pit, for example), when it is safe to do so. The same goes for water features, such as aquariums and fountains, when they’re safe. Putting a fountain with gently moving water in an otherwise empty courtyard can have as positive an effect on those viewing the fountain as would be experienced if the courtyard was full of green leafy plants.

· Include slightly curving pathways, not ramrod straight ones.

· Seem to belong where they’re located—a home in the Cotswolds should not be interchangeable with one in Phoenix, for example