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Bridging Nature and Urbanization: A Comprehensive Study of Biophilic Design in the Knowledge Economy Era

• Published: 08 June 2024

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• Yanqing Xia 1 ,
• Yu Shao 1 , 2 ,
• Yue Zheng 3 ,
• Xin Yan 4 &
• Hanlu Lyu 5  

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The relentless pace of global urbanization has ushered in a complex web of challenges, often referred to as “urban ills,” threatening the well-being of urban residents. This paper delves into the evolving concept of biophilic design, which seeks to address the disconnect between modern urban culture and nature, offering a promising paradigm for sustainable urban development. As the world moves towards a knowledge-based economy, the significance of biophilic design in fostering resilient, inclusive, and equitable cities becomes increasingly evident. This research, spanning from 2008 to 2023, employs bibliometric analysis, utilizing tools like VOSviewer and CiteSpace to comprehensively examine the global landscape of biophilic design research. It traces the trajectory of biophilic design from its inception, exploring its theoretical foundations and real-world applications. The study identifies influential authors, productive institutions, and key themes, shedding light on the current state of research in this field. Notably, the paper highlights the intersectionality of biophilic design, as it touches on areas such as criminology, medicine, psychology, and urban transportation. The COVID-19 pandemic has further emphasized the importance of mental health and well-being in urban settings, making collaboration with the field of psychology crucial. Theoretical implications include the need for adaptable theoretical frameworks that accommodate the evolving nature of biophilic design research. Policy implications stress the importance of integrating biophilic design concepts into urban planning regulations, fostering interdisciplinary research, and raising public awareness. Planning for resilience in a post-pandemic world calls for flexible zoning restrictions, improved healthcare infrastructure, and the incorporation of biophilic elements. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of biophilic design theory and its potential for shaping future urban development, aligning with the principles of the knowledge-based economy while addressing contemporary urban challenges.

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We extend our gratitude to the reviewers and editors for their valuable feedback on this manuscript. We also express our sincere appreciation to the Graduate School of Art and Design at Pukyong National University, South Korea, for their generous support of this research.

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Xia, Y., Shao, Y., Zheng, Y. et al. Bridging Nature and Urbanization: A Comprehensive Study of Biophilic Design in the Knowledge Economy Era. J Knowl Econ (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-024-02023-7

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Healthy dwelling: the perspective of biophilic design in the design of the living space.

1. Introduction

2. literature review, 2.1. biophilic design: the proposal, development, and elements, 2.2. the value of biophilic design—experimental analysis, 2.3. healthy dwelling: the application of biophilic design in residential building, 3. case study, 3.1. research setting and samples, 3.1.1. analysis of plot ratio and greening rate, 3.1.2. analysis of the external façade environment, 3.1.3. analysis of internal living space, 3.2. the biophilic design connect with well building standard, 3.3. the biophilic design connect with people’s five senses.

• BIO + Visual: Vision allows us to perceive light through our eyes and interpret visual information from the external world [ 36 ]. It provides us with a rich and varied sensory experience, encompassing aspects such as color, size, brightness, and motion. Vision also grants us spatial perception and navigation abilities, enabling us to perceive and understand the location, direction, and distance of our surroundings. In the context of architectural design, incorporating natural elements, such as green plants, natural materials, natural lighting, or representations of nature, we can evoke a sense of connection between humans and the natural world, creating a pleasant state of mind. Introducing these natural elements helps to cultivate a visually appealing environment that promotes comfort and relaxation, thereby enhancing the quality of the living experience.
• BIO + Sound: Hearing allows us to perceive and interpret external sounds, including language, music, natural sounds, and environmental noises. It not only conveys information and facilitates communication, but also triggers emotional and psychological responses, influencing our mood and overall experience [ 37 ]. However, urban living is often accompanied by various noises, which can lead to feelings of anxiety and stress. By incorporating plantings on balconies, the impact of noise can be effectively reduced. Pleasant sounds, such as melodic songs, crisp bird chirping, and the soothing flow of water, in landscapes can create a sense of tranquility and comfort. Therefore, by implementing well-designed and controlled sound environments, one can create an enjoyable and comfortable auditory experience, enhancing the quality of residential environments.
• BIO + Touch: The sense of touch allows us to perceive and interpret the contact and texture of objects through our skin [ 38 ]. It provides a rich array of sensory experiences, including the temperature, texture, pressure, vibration, and tactile feedback during touch. Through touch, we can perceive the hardness, softness, smoothness, and roughness of objects, thereby gaining important information about their properties and environmental conditions. Touch can also evoke emotional and affective responses, such as comfort and relaxation from a soft touch, or alertness and discomfort from a sharp or stimulating touch. In the context of architectural environments, the thoughtful integration of tactile elements can create a rich tactile experience for individuals, for example, selecting appropriate materials and textures that offer comfortable tactile sensations, designing ergonomic furniture and furnishings that provide comfortable seating and support, and considering temperature and humidity regulation to maintain pleasant tactile perceptions. Through these tactile presentations, people can enjoy a more diverse and comfortable living experience, thereby enhancing their quality of life and overall well-being.
• BIO + Smell: The sense of smell, or olfaction, allows us to perceive and interpret odors from the external environment through our nose. It provides a rich sensory experience encompassing aspects such as the intensity, types, texture, and complexity of different smells [ 39 ]. Olfaction plays a significant role in our perception of the surrounding environment, object recognition, and the triggering of emotions and memories. Smell can elicit strong emotional and sensory experiences. For example, the fragrance of flowers can bring about feelings of pleasure and relaxation, while the aroma of food can stimulate appetite and satisfaction. On the other hand, unpleasant odors can evoke discomfort and aversion. Olfaction is closely linked to memory and emotions, as specific scents can evoke past memories and emotional experiences. In the realm of architectural design, the judicious use of olfactory elements can create rich sensory experiences for individuals. For instance, selecting appropriate scents or incorporating aromatic plants can fill the air with pleasant fragrances. Controlling indoor air freshness and quality through air conditioning systems and ventilation designs can help avoid unpleasant odors. These olfactory presentations can significantly impact people’s emotions and psychological states, fostering a pleasant and comfortable environment that enhances the quality of living experiences.
• BIO + Taste: While taste is not a primary sense in the context of architectural environments, it still has some influence on improving the residential experience, particularly in relation to factors such as air quality, food experiences, and ambiance creation [ 36 ]. In the design of residential spaces, the ventilation system in the kitchen should ensure timely removal of food odors and smoke, maintaining fresh and comfortable air. Adequate indoor air quality is crucial for the comfort and health of residents. Utilizing available spaces, like balconies, for cultivating edible plants, such as vegetables, herbs, and fruits, not only provides access to fresh food, but also enhances the overall residential environment.

3.4. Biophilic Design Model in Residential Building Design

4. discussion, 5. conclusions, author contributions, data availability statement, acknowledgments, conflicts of interest.

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Gong, Y.; Zoltán, E.S.; János, G. Healthy Dwelling: The Perspective of Biophilic Design in the Design of the Living Space. Buildings 2023 , 13 , 2020. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13082020

Gong Y, Zoltán ES, János G. Healthy Dwelling: The Perspective of Biophilic Design in the Design of the Living Space. Buildings . 2023; 13(8):2020. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13082020

Gong, Yu, Erzsébet Szeréna Zoltán, and Gyergyák János. 2023. "Healthy Dwelling: The Perspective of Biophilic Design in the Design of the Living Space" Buildings 13, no. 8: 2020. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13082020

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• DOI: 10.3934/ENVIRONSCI.2015.4.950
• Corpus ID: 110146034

Biophilic architecture: a review of the rationale and outcomes

• J. Söderlund , Peter Newman
• Published 26 November 2015
• Environmental Science, Engineering

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The rationale for biophilic design, biophilic design, interconnections between people and their natural environments, understanding and designing nature experiences in cities: a framework for biophilic urbanism, improving mental health in prisons through biophilic design, the impact of natural environments and biophilic design as supportive and nurturing spaces on a residential college campus, exploring the links between biophilic and restorative qualities of exterior and interior spaces in leon, guanajuato, mexico, how the biophilic design social movement informs planning, policy and professional practice, biophilic school architecture in cold climates, 104 references, coping with poverty impacts of environment and attention in the inner city, the influence of urban green environments on stress relief measures: a field experiment.

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Biophilic streets: a design framework for creating multiple urban benefits

• Agata Cabanek 1 ,
• Maria Elena Zingoni de Baro 1 &
• Peter Newman 1  

Sustainable Earth volume  3 , Article number:  7 ( 2020 ) Cite this article

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Biophilic urbanism is bringing new perspectives to how natural systems need to be integrated into the fabric of cities. This paper shows how biophilic streets can be the front door to biophilic urbanism by integrating nature into a new street design, benefiting a range of economic, environmental and social functions. A theoretical integrated Biophilic Streets Design Framework, is outlined and evaluated through the analysis of four street revitalisation projects from Vitoria-Gasteiz, Berkeley, Portland and Melbourne. Its practical applications and multiple urban benefits will be of value to street designers globally. The Biophilic Streets Design Framework demonstrated that the four case studies meet the main design categories, which is favourable since multiple additional benefits are likely to be obtained. Future research is needed to monitor and quantify the performance of biophilic streets design to address the increasing effects of climate change, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss in a cost-effective way.

Introduction

Streets have been the focus of public life in cities since they were first built [ 1 , 2 ]; they provide the space and accessibility for close communal activity. The rediscovery of the social and economic value of streets since the work of Jane Jacobs [ 3 ], groups like Project for Public Spaces, and the detailed designs of Jan Gehl [ 4 , 5 ], have enabled them to be seen as much more than spaces for mobility. This research seeks to integrate biophilic element into the design of new streets and the renewal of traditional ones to enhance the environmental component in the mix of benefits associated with streets.

Biophilic urbanism has emerged as a way to bring nature more purposefully into cities, not just between buildings and infrastructure, but into and onto them in ways that increase the connectivity between people and nature and derive benefits from natural services and functions [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Although the application of biophilic urbanism to streets has been present in the literature for some years and has informed the work of biophilic designers, it has not been formally developed into a design framework demonstrating how it can be delivered and what its multiple benefits are. This paper seeks to address the need for a theoretically and practice informed design framework to enable more effective delivery of biophilic urbanism.

Biophilia and related emerging concepts

The emerging concepts of biophilia, biophilic design and biophilic urbanism are primarily concerned with human inclinations to affiliate with nature in urbanised environments such as cities, as suggested by Wilson [ 9 ], Kellert Heerwagen and Mador [ 6 ] and Beatley [ 7 ].

The term biophilia was first used by the German psychoanalyst Erich Fromm in 1973 and defined as ‘love of life’. The American biologist E.O. Wilson advanced studies on this subject, expanding and popularising the concept of biophilia as the innate affinity of human beings with all forms of life and their inherent tendency to focus on lifelike processes in his seminal book, Biophilia (1984) [ 9 ]. Further studies demonstrated that this human inclination to affiliate with nature appears to be critical for human physical and mental health in the modern urbanised world due to humanity’s origins in nature [ 8 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Salingaros [ 12 ] studied this relationship in depth, also studying how humans developed their sensory space. He suggested that there are particular and very specific geometrical properties found in the structure of nature and in the built environment which have a positive and uplifting influence on human physical and mental conditions. These properties applied to design can therefore enhance the quality of life in urban centres. This process, called the ‘biophilic effect’ by Salingaros, relies on an intimate informational connection between humans and nature, and supports the need to introduce natural systems into the design of built environments [ 12 ]. Kellert [ 6 ] defined and described six biophilic design elements and seventy attributes that were later summarised for practical application in architectural and urban design. Kellert and Calabrese considered biophilic design as a means for sustainable development because it could promote care, stewardship, and attachment to place [ 10 ].

Biophilic design attempts to achieve the benefits of contact between people and nature within the modern built environment [ 6 , 10 , 11 ] by integrating nature, internally and externally, into buildings, built infrastructure and across the urban space [ 7 ]. By adopting the strategies of this design principle, creating habitats for people, as biological organisms, that restore or enhance their physical and mental health, fitness and well-being becomes viable [ 10 ]. In addition to anthropocentric goals and benefits, biophilic design is a recognised solution to a spectrum of environmental challenges including urban heat island effect, particulate matter filtration and carbon dioxide sequestration, rehabilitation and restoration of lost habitats and increase of urban biodiversity. It promotes ecologically interrelated design solutions at multiple scales and enables regeneration of natural systems in the urban environment [ 8 , 13 , 14 , 15 ].

Beatley (2011) extended the concept of biophilic design to the urban scale, imagining and encouraging biophilic cities. Biophilic urbanism was presented as an emerging planning and urban design approach that aimed to systematically integrate nature into the urban fabric, igniting the potential to transform barren urban spaces into places that are restorative and conducive to life [ 7 , 13 ]. Biophilic urbanism focuses on ecological systems and human activities delivered by biophilic interventions and projects. The main goal of biophilic urbanism is to improve the connection between urban dwellers and urban nature and nourish the experience of nature on a daily basis as an integral part of urban living [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. In this sense, biophilic design and urbanism deliberately facilitate opportunities for urban residents to experience nature daily [ 7 , 10 ].

The global shift towards biophilic design continues to grow. Although the terminology used varies, there are initiatives in many countries that focus on the role of nature as an essential element of everyday urban life [ 8 ]. Recent studies have shown that experiencing nature on a daily basis supports people’s mental and physical health [ 7 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. Table  1 below outlines the multiple benefits of biophilic design to the environmental, socio-psychological and economic aspects of urban life.

Biophilic theorists Stephen Kellert and Elisabeth Calabrese [ 10 ] have formulated a range of biophilic experiences and attributes (Table  2 ) to facilitate the application of biophilic design theory to practice that delivers buildings and urban spaces that facilitate direct and indirect experiences of nature for urban dwellers in their daily lives. These experiences and attributes serve as principles to inform the balanced design of biophilic urban spaces. Some of these experiences are difficult to encounter in conventional streets; however, they can be incorporated into the renewal of conventional streets and the design of new ones by biophilia-literate designers.

To ensure ongoing exposure to and interaction with nature, both bond and commitment to place are needed. In order to achieve these, a design must be founded on a sound understanding of urban nature and its ecosystems as well as a sense of place. This is likely to lead to more frequent interactions between people and nature, thereby nurturing the bond between them and increasing the likelihood that residents will protect and save urban green spaces [ 20 ]. Some scholars argue that a relationship to place is needed to develop intimacy and responsibility for nature and the living world [ 21 , 22 ]. Streets are an important part of any human settlement and, hence, this approach will be used to create a Biophilic Streets Design Framework presented in this paper.

A brief history of streets

Urban designers, planners and civil engineers have conceived and developed regulatory frameworks for streets to enable efficiency, security and, most of all, the rapid conveyancing of traffic, both public and private. However, the modernist tendency in the twentieth century, which saw the rise of automobile dependence, created rigid regulations that focused on efficiency and traffic control and directly contributed to the detachment of nature from urban ecologies, bioregions and climate dynamics [ 23 ]. By creating barriers in the form of dense networks of freeways and highways, the remaining urban natural areas became fragmented and isolated, along with the social neighbourhoods that they physically divided, thus disrupting their social integrity. Such impacts were built into the design frameworks created by traffic engineers.

Jane Jacobs challenged these approaches that prioritised private mobility over all other street functions and pointed to the diverse social networks characteristic of busy urban streets, which constitute the fabric of a city [ 3 , 24 ]. Those social networks are created when the structure and amenities of a street provide space for interaction and promote walkability. The abundance of social networks provide opportunity for local businesses to thrive; hence, Jacobs was able to construct a theoretical approach to show why streets were essential to a city’s economy [ 25 , 26 ]. This has since developed into a strong plea for dense urbanism and street fabric to be seen as essential components of how cities create wealth and opportunity [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ].

Urban designers, such as Jan Gehl, criticised modernist planning ideologies and how they dismissed the value of historic streets by allowing cars to invade every available space in cities [ 4 , 31 ]. Through a series of reports on cities around the world, Gehl created a new framework for how streets should be designed to facilitate close interactions between people that enable multiple economic and social benefits and reduce the environmental impact of cars [ 31 , 32 ]. Gehl’s framework for urban planners, landscape architects and architects reinforces walkability, active street frontages and street furniture as integral parts of city policy [ 31 ], to ensure streets are welcoming spaces in the pattern of daily activities. Table  3 below shows Gehl’s 12 quality criteria as a framework for this approach to street design, with an additional column that shows how biophilic design interventions can enrich the pedestrian landscape and experience.

Cities are changing from sprawl and car dependency to transit and more compact urban forms, and so are their streets. The focus of urban streets is changing from ensuring traffic movement efficiency to a more people-centred design that puts pedestrians first, then cyclists and transit, and lastly private motorised vehicles [ 33 , 34 ]. Building on Gehl’s work and collaborations among experts from global cities, the National Association of City Transportation Officers (NACTO) created the Global Street Design Guide [ 35 ], which is intended to be a baseline for urban street design. The Guide aims to better balance the needs of street users (with more emphasis on the needs of pedestrians) and supports the creation of quality spaces based on the consideration of people and place.

Finally, the concept of biophilic design contributes to the creation of urban streets with attractive, healthy, liveable and restorative environments and nature experiences at the door step for both dwellers and other street users within gradually densifying urban precincts through urban infill.

Developing a framework for biophilic streets design

An urban street can be compared to an evolving organism adapting and responding to its environment. Although cities contain a broad range of street typologies, depending on the context, they generally provide space for transportation, commuting, physical activities and social and economic life at different scales [ 36 ]. Traffic engineers and urban designers often fail to plan streets that deliver positive social or health-related outcomes. Reconceiving urban streets as places, rather than just movement spaces, would facilitate the provision of these positive outcomes. Furthermore, as the time people spend in streets compared to the time they spend in parks is eight to ten times more [ 37 ], the design of streets—to support health and well-being— should be considered before parks [ 36 , 38 ].

Streets provide diverse experiences to their users, including the experience of nature. Identifying the most appropriate design strategies to apply to any given street would need to take into account a range of circumstances and requirements particular to that location. This may include the history of the street, the existing social, environmental, architectural and structural conditions, existing infrastructure, policies and regulations, project size, zoning and land use and its potential future as a place.

Based on the experiences of biophilic places (Table 2 ) and their many benefits, a list of the characteristics of a biophilic street were compiled as an analytical framework of six categories. These categories consider design functions, design objectives, design elements and the characteristics of a biophilic street. The six categories—traffic planning, energy management, stormwater management, biodiversity management, street furniture and activities and education—are derived from the intended purposes for which streets are designed, and chosen because of their potential to be improved by the addition of biophilic elements. Elements that have been successfully designed, developed and applied in real-life projects form the base for a biophilic street . The proposed Framework is set out in Table  4 below, followed by an explanation of each category. It is then applied to four examples of a street revitalisation project to illustrate its usefulness.

Mobility planning

A street often serves as a front yard for residents; it must, therefore, provide a safe place to move around, whether by car, bicycle, transit or on foot. However, used only for transportation, a street loses its relevant social and economic functions, such as providing a safe space for interaction, as identified by Jacobs [ 3 , 26 ] and Gehl [ 5 ]. In the wake of the urban renewal movement, many cities are restoring or redesigning their main streets and boulevards to serve as linear parks and other types of hospitable public places promoting social interaction and walking. As a result, the most successful transformations add value to adjacent properties and local businesses [ 39 ]. The Biophilic Streets Framework takes these fundamental characteristics of streets and seeks to show that there are biophilic design principles and strategies that could help streets perform these functions more effectively.

To achieve safety standards on biophilic streets, traffic calming schemes should apply, including techniques designed to lessen the impact of traffic. Trees and bushes are well known to do this by psychologically giving drivers a sense of needing to go slower [ 40 ]. The location of measures and devices (including types of vegetation) determines the effectiveness of traffic calming schemes, and those again depend on the type of streets they are introduced on: a residential road, a road with traffic functions or a transit road having a combination of speeds that enable rapid mobility (between stations) and slow mobility (within station precincts). These are within the purview of traffic engineering and planning, where concepts of place and movement and melding.

An example of traffic calming structures featuring engineered stormwater gardens are chicanes [ 41 , 42 ]. These structures slow traffic by confining the travel lanes. They also feature depressed interiors capturing stormwater which feed garden beds, shrubs and trees creating biophilic systems. Chicanes can be formed using sculpture, plantings or parking to enhance the appearance and function of a street. They are best used on narrow roads, to prevent cars from swinging out to maintain their speed around the bends; narrow, curving roads encourage motorists to drive more slowly and carefully [ 43 ].

Energy management

Energy management in urban streets serves multiple functions: helping to cool a city where urban heat island effect is leading to ill health; making walkability easier and hence improving urban economics in the area; and helping to cool the buildings next to the street. In multiple studies, urban greenery has shown cooling capabilities [ 44 , 45 , 46 ]. Parks lower the air temperature within their territory, but the impact on the adjacent built environment is limited [ 47 ]. Urban tree canopy provides a cooling effect in street canyons [ 48 , 49 ]; some studies show air temperature under a canopy are reduced by 0.7–1.3 degrees Celsius in the early afternoon [ 50 ]. The cooling capacity of a tree canopy depends on its characteristics, as well as the characteristics of the street such as surface materials, geometry, building height and how densely the street is built up. However, at night time the air temperature under the canopy, where the radiating heat is captured, can be 0.5 degrees Celsius higher than in an open space reference point [46].

Biophilic structures installed directly onto buildings include green walls and roofs. By introducing such structures, the air temperature in street canyons can be reduced as well as the demand for cooling and heating of buildings. A multi-case study by Alexandri and Jones [ 51 ] was conducted in nine cities to assess the thermal effect of green walls and roofs in urban canyons across different microclimates. The authors concluded that the solar radiation absorbed by the roof and facade surface was reduced by applying greenery, and that the heat fluxes vary on different vegetated surfaces and in different microclimates. The outdoor air temperature and energy savings were measured in nine cities. In Hong Kong the analysis of canyon air temperature showed a decrease by a maximum of 3.9 degrees Celsius, while in hot and arid Riyadh the maximum flux was 18.7 degrees Celsius on the green wall surface. Roof surface temperatures are even more significant. In Mumbai the temperature decreased by 26.1 degrees Celsius and in London the maximum decrease was 19.3 degrees when comparing unvegetated and vegetated rooftops.

Stormwater management

Cities feature vast amounts of impervious surfaces producing significant run-off that needs to be managed. Green infrastructure has been found to retain most of the polluted initial run-off through bio-retention and bio-filtration. Through these two processes, rain water can be permanently retained or temporarily detained. Captured stormwater contributes to groundwater recharge and helps sustain the whole water cycle [ 36 ]. Biophilic urbanism not only picks up all these design features, it adds more.

In recent years, biophilic designers have transformed one of the largest impervious areas—roof tops—into intensive and extensive gardens and meadows [ 52 , 53 ], creating efficient stormwater management systems [ 54 ]. Stovin [ 55 ] tested green-roof stormwater retention on a small-scale trial and found that the retention capacity was on average 34, and 57% of peak flow run-off.

In another study led by Kew [ 53 ], rainfall was shown to have little or no impact on the green wall. Most of the rainfall was blocked by the gutters integrated into the system. In order to improve the efficiency of the green roof and wall systems, the run-off from the roof was collected into cisterns and then used to irrigate the green walls with drip irrigation. Green walls do not directly collect significant amounts of precipitation; however, they are often used to control first stormwater flush. The efficiency of a particular system does not only depend on technological advancement, but also on climatic conditions and the vegetation and growing medium as well as whether the green wall is facing the main weather fronts [ 56 ].

Thus, a green roof can be considered an alternative to a conventional stormwater management system and become integrated into the concept of a biophilic street. In an urban setting, a total facade area usually exceeds a roof area; thus, a well-designed green wall could become part of the green-roof stormwater system if that is a desired outcome. With more competition for ground vertical surfaces in urbanised areas, the potential of rooftops and vertical surfaces for stormwater management is significant. The success of green roof and green wall stormwater management can be measured by the increasing number of municipalities, developers, and individuals undertaking this first flush control [ 53 ]. A biophilic street can thus become part of a whole new stormwater management system.

Biodiversity management

Efforts to preserve global biodiversity are frequently centred on saving large remaining natural habitats [ 57 ]. However, several studies on urban greenery provide data on biodiversity in parks, gardens, squares, streets and other places where flora and fauna can be found. Urban parks offer refuge to native biota [ 58 ] and urban streets also have the ability to support biodiversity [ 58 , 59 ] by providing food, shelter and breeding sites and facilitating the movement of wildlife.

Significant percentages of animal and plant species, including endangered species, inhabit urban forests . For example, highly urbanised environments have been found to accommodate 20% of the world’s avian biodiversity [ 60 ]. A study by Threfall [ 59 ] showed a strong connection between understorey vegetation and native bird species in Melbourne, Australia.

Innovative structures like green walls and roofs are popular sustainable design interventions due to their ability to cool the building envelope and create aesthetically pleasing facades. However, the structure of a biophilic street with large variations in the height of different vegetation types on various buildings and in the street itself, should support biodiversity in cities at a landscape scale. The design detail of a biophilic street could be used to enable a range of biodiversity goals, for example, by acting as a corridor to facilitate movement [ 61 ]. At a local scale, vertical greening systems can be used as means to improve the environmental conditions, with even simple flora assemblages providing habitat for invertebrates [ 62 ] as well as nesting, food and shelter resources for urban ornithology [ 62 , 63 ]. The size of impact on biodiversity from such biophilic street structures is yet to be ascertained, though undoubtedly the plant species introduced will influence the richness of animal species. Whether this could support urban ecological restoration has not been researched at a significant scale [ 64 ].

In a study undertaken in Staffordshire, United Kingdom, a number of bird species of conservation concern were reported exploiting and nesting in some newly created green walls and their immediate surroundings [ 65 ]. The researchers concluded that encouraging homeowners and businesses to install green walls could be an effective way of providing habitat and resources for birds in an urban environment. This also highlights an important opportunity for urban open space designers and managers to make a positive impact on biodiversity through relatively small and cost-effective improvements in vegetation quality by creating more biophilic streets.

In a study of bio-retention swales undertaken in Australia, researchers observed that the swales presented greater richness and diversity of species than gardens and lawn-type green spaces. Bio-retention swales are vegetated water sensitive urban design (WSUD) structures built to support more sustainable urban infrastructure [ 66 ]. This system is increasing in popularity and replacing customarily vegetated areas of streetscapes with sustainable natural assets [ 67 ]. It is likely to become a more mainstream design outcome, however, if part of a biophilic street.

Street furniture

The design innovations outlined above comprise building biophilic elements along street spaces and on facades of buildings for a range of reasons. This section focuses on the potential of street furniture, an important element of every street, to fulfil a biophilic function in addition to its usual function.

Urban street furniture is designed and integrated into streets for a range of reasons but rarely for purposes related to biophilic urbanism. This is possible to achieve and likely to work best if its biophilic potential is incorporated into a design from the beginning rather than added after other elements have been considered or are in place. Bus shelters, bicycle stands, street art, play installations and benches have been used in several major cities to support native flora and fauna, facilitate habitation for wildlife and provide various other ecosystem services. So it is possible to add this dimension to a biophilic street.

Maynard Green Street in Seattle, United States, is an example of harnessing urban street furniture to support natural systems. The street was refurbished in 2010 as part of Seattle’s Green Street program, which was established to enhance open space and pedestrian circulation. Combining public art with a water filtration system, the Maynard project incorporates rooftop run-off that enters a cistern before flowing down the custom-designed planters. The planters also function as benches for pedestrians ascending and descending the steep street [ 68 ].

Another example of innovative street furniture is the CityTree designed by a German start-up, Green City Solutions [ 69 , 70 ]. Their key aim was to build a street furniture element able to provide air-purifying solutions in a man-made ecosystem. The structure consists of biologically engineered moss and vascular plant species grown using a green wall system. Rainwater is gathered and recycled through the system while irrigating the plants. The efficiency of this street furniture still needs to be tested and proven in multiple locations. However, the company claims that a single CityTree is capable of combating air pollutants as effectively as 275 urban trees at 5% of the cost and requiring 99% less space. They also claim that a single CityTree has the ability to reduce air pollution by 30% within a 164-ft radius. So far, the CityTree has been tested in several large cities across the globe: Berlin, Paris, Glasgow, Oslo and Brussels [ 69 ].

Bus shelters have been included in greening projects in many cities. Green shelter prototypes have been created to provide more inviting and enjoyable experiences while addressing the needs of transit waiting areas. Trials have highlighted the benefits of integrating biophilic design and sustainable transit to lessen the environmental impact of climate change.

The Living Bus Shelter in Minneapolis, United States, was an initiative between the Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District and Metro Transit. The structure was comprised of vertical pallet gardens containing a variety of edible plants. After the installation, commuters were encouraged to explore the plants by touching, smelling, tasting or even taking them home. The data, which emerged in a survey, showed improved transit user experience. All respondents gave positive answers when asked whether they favoured the incorporation of greenery into the shelter. The aesthetic character of the installation was rated nine out of ten and users generally expressed enthusiasm about the greenery and suggested increasing the volume. In the end, 65% of respondents gave the green light to the local authorities to continue reimagining transit shelters through green installations [ 71 ].

Other cities, such as San Francisco and Philadelphia in the United States, Sheffield in the United Kingdom, and Eindhoven in Germany, introduced similar programs of greening their transit shelters. The local authorities intended to provide an attractive green space in the unconventional location of concrete dominated urban space. Vegetated roof installations on a bus shelter in Philadelphia aimed to raise awareness about urban stormwater management [ 72 ]. In Eindhoven, bus shelter design aspired to perfect integration with the existing city fabric. The green bus stop design was selected through a competition organised by the council [ 73 ]. Vegetation installed on public transport shelters is considered to be in a prime position to filter contamination and particulate matter from transport vehicles [ 35 ]. These initial attempts to green bus shelters successfully captured the imaginations of city inhabitants while promoting sustainable and feasible innovations.

Activity and education

Gehl Architects identify three types of activities that occur in urban environments: necessary, optional and social activities. Optional activities depend on the quality of a place; the more attractive a place is, the more often pedestrians choose to stroll, play, sit and eat there. The design features of biophilic streets should encourage these optional activities, facilitate community and reinforce the identity of a neighbourhood. The best executed biophilic streets will therefore be full of nature, bringing more people outside and into shared activities. An intense mixture of uses also makes streets safer [ 5 ].

When streets function well on an everyday level of biophilic experience, they provide opportunities for activities like teaching, learning and entertainment. Wider streets, like boulevards, provide opportunities for entertainment such as play equipment, art installations, water fountains, games and other foci for social interactions. A good example is found in Montreal, Canada, where a lifeless median of Promenade des Artistes has been transformed into an active space as part of a biophilic street regeneration. Twenty-one multi-coloured, musical swings were installed in order to foster play and social interaction between pedestrians of all ages and backgrounds [ 74 ].

Environmental agencies and local councils encourage communities to engage in the renewal and enhancement of urban nature. In 2015, The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in South Australia launched the Rain Garden 500 program [ 75 ], through which local councils and community groups can apply for funding to build rain gardens. The program helps to improve the quality of stormwater run-off. Another purpose is to educate communities and school children about the impact residents may have on the quality of urban waterways. Information plaques were installed to spread knowledge about the importance of water harvesting projects. Thus, design elements that enable activities and education in a biophilic street are part of the Framework presented in this paper.

The five characteristics of a street that lend themselves to the application of biophilic design elements, as outlined above and in Table 4 , will now be discussed in relation to four examples of a street revitalisation project to determine how effectively the proposed Biophilic Streets Design Framework can contribute to creating more biophilic cities with multiple urban benefits.

Potential issues and trade-offs

Potential benefits of the biophilic streets have been presented; however, it is also necessary to address potential issues and trade-offs associated with the proposed concept. Some issues may include a high initial cost of construction, high cost of maintenance and limited on-street parking due to the expansion of green infrastructure within street medians. A higher concentration of plants (native or edible) or rain gardens may produce higher amounts of organic litter, which may become a nuisance to some pedestrians. However, the changing seasons and patina of time—the two biophilic experiences—are achieved, enriching and improving the overall biophilic experience.

Green infrastructure within street medians may generate higher maintenance costs. For example, the maintenance of green walls and roofs extend the area of greenery expected in conventional streets, which may result in additional costs.

The maintenance costs could be shared between the local authority and the residents (private and commercial) of a biophilic street. A successful maintenance sharing program can be found in Portland, Oregon. The Green Street Stewards were volunteers who were responsible for occasional removal of sediments, collection of organic matter and rubbish from the planters and watering [ 76 ]. By facilitating the stewardship program, the city helped to create bonds between the residents and the local urban nature, at the same time reducing the cost of maintaining the streets.

Research into costs and benefits of selected street elements, such as trees, can be found in the scientific literature [ 77 , 78 ]; however, a biophilic street—as a green infrastructure project—would require a holistic economic analysis to prove the feasibility of a proposed design scheme.

Analysis of the selected streets

Four illustrative examples of a street revitalisation project were selected for analysis through the lens of the proposed Biophilic Streets Framework: a former urban highway in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain; the streets renewal project in Downtown Berkeley and SW Montgomery Green Street in Portland, United States; and the Green your Lane project in Melbourne, Australia. The selected streets serve as examples of a diverse approach to street design using multiple tools and strategies to achieve high performing biophilic public spaces. They represent different types of biophilic streets in terms of their hierarchy and their functions. Their biophilic street features are summarised in Table  5 using each of the Framework’s six design characteristics.

Gasteiz Hiribidea in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain

Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital city of the Basque Country, has been committed to the principles of sustainable urban development for many years. In 2013, Vitoria-Gasteiz joined the league of biophilic cities with a showcase of successful projects and interventions fulfilling the biophilic urbanism agenda [ 7 , 8 ]. The urban greenery of Vitoria-Gasteiz features 50,000 plants composed of 381 species of trees and shrubs, including tree-lined streets and avenues connecting urban biodiversity [ 79 ]. One of the main roads, Gasteiz Hiribidea, underwent a major revitalisation and became an example of good practice for other cities to follow. In the past, the street was an eight-lane highway, but after a major redesign, it now features a naturalised stream and an abundance of greenery including trees, a grassed tram line, two cycle tracks and broad sidewalks. The naturalised stream, which was once channelled under the streets, now runs along the pavement. It features native aquatic and riparian vegetation bordered by a reinforced embankment. The stream provides habitat to small animals for feeding, breeding and shelter, enhancing local urban biodiversity (Fig. 1 ). Together with the large green envelope of the Palace of Europe, the stream creates a biodiversity hotspot in the city centre providing habitat to over 70 species of butterflies [ 7 ]. Flowering perennials and annuals create a vertical botanical garden which also serves as an educational centre bringing local nature closer to city dwellers. The street, which once had no room for nature, now abounds with it and its natural processes are available to observe and interact with it on a daily basis. This revitalisation project reinforces the cultural value of the place while also promoting environmental awareness by building a relationship between citizens and nature.

Living stream opposite the Palace of Europe in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. Source: Agata Cabanek

So far, the City of Vitoria-Gasteiz has developed a plan for improving bio-capacity, biodiversity and urban landscape. The most important project is the creation of an external and internal green belt and the activation of the potential of urban green spaces connected by a network of green and biophilic streets, avenues, wooded garden walks and urban trails. The connection between innovative biophilic structures and traditional greenery secures the effectiveness of the urban green network to perform ecological functions and increase biodiversity in the city. The biophilic street in Vitoria-Gasteiz is emerging as a major part of the city’s biophilic urbanism.

Downtown Berkeley, United States

The aim of the streets renewal project in Downtown Berkeley was to provide the usual functions of a street, but to add ecological features in an innovative way on a limited budget. In 2012, the City of Berkeley issued The Street & Open Space Improvement Plan (SOSIP) to present a shared vision for the future of Downtown Berkeley’s public realm (Fig. 2 ) [ 80 ]. The revitalisation project included Shattuck Avenue and Park Blocks, Shattuck Square, University Avenue, Centre Street Plaza, Greenway, Hearst Street and Ohlone Greenway. A number of sustainability goals were established featuring biophilic attributes and experiences. The main objectives of the major projects were walkability, place-making, public life, sustainability, health and comfort. To achieve these a community engagement process was undertaken [ 6 ].

SOSIP masterplan and section of street design integrating greeneries and multiple functions

The strategies employed in the Downtown project were to create a more vibrant, attractive and memorable destination. The information gathered during community consultations informed the focus of the project: public life and the provision of space for a myriad of activities—social, cultural and business—engaging all residents and visitors. The leading aspiration was to establish public green open spaces for residents of different ages and abilities. To meet the objectives, the city established the design criteria, which required all the design features to be used consistently along the nominated streets reflecting traditional character compatible with Downtown historic assets. As a result, all place-making amenities, including public art, were expected to provide a sense of place and evoke local heritage values as well as exhibiting biophilic features.

The biophilic elements included temporary planted installations, such as parklets in parking spaces, to improve and promote pedestrian-oriented activities rather than car use. Parklets help to raise awareness of local nature if their ecological design underpins the concept. Their presence may also lead to the reconsideration of the public realm; parklets could become permanent features evoking a biophilic sense of place.

To achieve the walkable city standards, the city council considered improvements supporting car-free living. One of the solutions was to provide more accessible transit options. To make streets more inviting and attractive, the traffic lane widths were reduced, the sidewalks were widened and bicycle lanes were introduced. The biophilic element was to provide extra space for landscaping buffers between pedestrians and traffic.

Bio-retention swales and rain gardens with riparian landscaping were used in some streets to treat rainwater run-off, thereby improving watershed conditions. The program also included daylighting of Strawberry Creek between Shattuck Square and BART Plaza. Daylighting the creek provided another opportunity to educate the residents about the ecological and biophilic values of natural waterbodies in the urban environment.

Living walls and roofs installed on the buildings bordering the streets provided green infrastructure services and served as aesthetic features enhancing the image of Downtown as an eco-destination. Accessible educational and recreational features in the form of interpretive plates, boards and interactive play equipment were included to educate people about natural systems and their ecological and economic values.

The local government initiated the Downtown revitalisation project which aimed at creating an Art and Theatre District. The funds to finance the public art projects came from many sources – certificates of participation, bond funds, capital, and federal transportation funds. Additionally, the town representatives were also able to secure private funds by consulting the local property and business owners. The money raised to be invested in public art was partially used to revitalise the local streets. Another important source of funding came from the earthquake retrofit bond launched in 1996, which added $4 million for enhancing the streetscapes. As a result, the revitalisation of the Downtown project delivered many biophilic elements to the streets and created attractive, walkable restorative public spaces [ 81 ].

SW Montgomery street in Portland, United States

In 2004, Portland City Council approved the Green Street Policy Goals program through which they committed to promote and incorporate the use of green street facilities in public and private development. One of the first streets to undergo green transformation was SW Montgomery Street. The changes demonstrated an emerging new urban street design approach. This multi-sectional revitalisation project incorporated strategically designed green infrastructure and public transportation. SW Montgomery Street is considered to be Portland’s boldest and most innovative green street project and has received national and international recognition [ 82 ]. The main planning strategy was to activate the neighbourhood, build community culture, enhance the pedestrian experience and showcase the sustainability agenda in the downtown area of the city. The concept applied, which included substantial biophilic street elements, was to become a new place-making model for other downtown streetscape projects in Portland. Street design goals included creating a pedestrian-oriented streetscape that incorporated a variety of green infrastructure solutions such as stormwater planters and swales (Fig.  3 ), green walls and roofs, and kerbless street design to offer a variety of sensory experiences throughout the seasons.

SW Montgomery Street. Shared space with stormwater swales. Source: Nevue Ngan Associates

The biophilic street concept exemplified by SW Montgomery Street, emphasised pedestrian and bicycle travel over vehicular access. Bicycle and pedestrian safety became a priority, and in order to achieve it travel lanes were narrowed, some blocks were closed to through traffic and speed limits were lowered. The biophilic features could then be added to a kerb-less street with merged sidewalks that incorporated planting and swales to absorb stormwater [ 83 ].

Stormwater planters and swales also became educational amenities for the local communities. Since SW Montgomery Green Street runs through the Portland State University campus, students are encouraged to take part in monitoring the performance of the green infrastructure. To facilitate the involvement of local citizens, public education about the corridor was incorporated into the design in the form of interpretive signage.

The project also proposed the installation of green walls and roofs on new development buildings. Stormwater from new building facades was directed into the stormwater planters to demonstrate innovative ways of stormwater management.

This project demonstrates how a busy urban street can be re-designed to improve ecological conditions, foster environmental learning, support community identity and neighbourhood engagement and maintain healthy business districts. The street delivers spaces for public interaction and serves as a transportation corridor whilst achieving much more because of its biophilic elements [ 84 ].

Green lanes in Melbourne, Australia

The rejuvenation and revival programs of lanes and alleys have emerged in many cities such as Austin, Chicago, Montreal, San Francisco, Sydney and Melbourne. Although the programs differ in objectives, there is an increasing use of biophilic elements that enable multiple extra objectives through ecosystem services, aesthetics and social life. The example chosen to illustrate this is from Melbourne.

In 2015, City of Melbourne established the Green Your Laneway program to encourage the transformation of Coromandel Place, Guildford Lane, Katherine Place and Meyers Place (Fig.  4 ) as replicable exemplars [ 85 , 86 ]. As a part of the program, an interactive map was developed to mark the preselected laneways with strong potential for green transformation based on their local micro-climatic conditions and physical qualities. The program involved strong community engagement to ensure later community ownership of the transformed lanes.

Meyers Place in Melbourne. Source: https://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/greenlaneways

Four lane typologies were selected: vertical gardens, forest lanes, park lanes and farm lanes. In this program, greening mainly meant planting tough ornamentals and establishing vegetable gardens to be cultivated by local residents. Elements such as window boxes, planter boxes with climbers, hanging baskets and miniature rain gardens were proposed (Fig.  5 ). The more spatially-demanding biophilic design elements involving water were not considered in the narrow laneways due to site constraints.

Design concept for Guilford Lane in Melbourne . Source: Source: Agata Cabanek

The planting strategies were designed to improve biodiversity, provide habitat for wildlife, filter pollution from the air and divert some stormwater run-off despite the small size of the gardens due to the restricted space. Other environmental benefits, such as a reduction of carbon emissions and mitigation of urban heat island effect through ‘green insulation’, are also expected.

A range of social and economic benefits were projected by the council. The vision for the revitalisation of the lanes was to transform them from waste areas to useable public spaces. The lanes were rejuvenated to provide pleasant walkways and encourage people to spend time outdoors and engage in social activities. The Biophilic Streets Design Framework was almost completely implemented in terms of biophilic design elements, showing how much can be achieved in urban regeneration if these are central considerations in street rejuvenation or retrofit.

Several economic benefits are expected due to the activation of the lanes: increase in property values, increase in useable green outdoor spaces, extended life-span of permeable surfaces and savings on heating and cooling [ 87 ].

All four analysed examples of a street revitalisation project show multiple urban benefits which are summarised in Fig.  6 . The many additional outcomes that surpass the usual functions of streets are evident. Cities would derive substantial value from considering biophilic enhancements in their streets as part of their future plans.

The multiple urban benefits of a Biophilic Street

Conclusions

The Design Framework for Biophilic Streets, developed through this research, suggests that much more can be achieved within a city if streets are given biophilic design elements absent in traditional streets. Much can be achieved by adding the biophilic elements of green walls, green roofs and green balconies to building envelopes. Considerable benefit is also possible by adding elements to existing urban streets and road reserves: tree pits, street trees, linear gardens, pocket parks, bioswales, rain gardens, daylighting streams, and biophilic elements integrated with street furniture. The value of all of these biophilic features can be enhanced by incorporating educational and activity functions that can be seen and experienced in the street.

The four analysed street examples demonstrate how biophilic streets can be built in different climates, types of cities, urban structures, and levels of development. In the four analysed projects, the streets illustrated most of the biophilic elements in the Framework, though spatial limitations in high density urban fabrics do limit most of the water-oriented biophilic design elements. However, the majority of the examples were in medium density areas and were able to demonstrate that biophilic design elements can be incorporated into streets and create significant value outcomes in a multiplicity of economic, social and environmental ways. The value in humanising streets has been well established and it should now be possible to add the design dimensions of biophilic streets, as set out in the Biophilic Streets Design Framework. This is likely to enable a broader perspective on the value of streets in cities.

The Biophilic Streets Design Framework could be used by policy-makers and designers to move from the theoretical and imaginative biophilic urbanism discourse to real-life projects and urban interventions. When applied in conjunction with other design strategies and policies, for example, water-sensitive, biodiversity-sensitive, regenerative, resilient or ecological urban design, the Framework could help to improve urban infrastructure so it delivers restorative and health-promoting outcomes across any city.

Biophilic urbanism is becoming a major policy area for delivering tangible benefits to cities and their populations. This paper has suggested that by transforming urban streets into biophilic streets it is possible to add an extra dimension to biophilic urbanism. The biophilic street concept integrates the ideas advocated by Jane Jacobs and Jan Gehl who have demonstrated that people-oriented streets contribute to a community’s economic and social enhancement by integrating environmental approaches into the functional design of streets.

Future research is needed to monitor and quantify the performance of biophilic streets in addressing the adverse effects of climate change, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss; as well as how it can be cost-effective.

Availability of data and materials

The dataset used and analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Cabanek, A., Zingoni de Baro, M.E. & Newman, P. Biophilic streets: a design framework for creating multiple urban benefits. Sustain Earth 3 , 7 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42055-020-00027-0

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Biophilic design in architecture and its contributions to health, well-being, and sustainability: A critical review

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• Published: 17 December 2021

Activating biophilic design patterns as a sustainable landscape approach

• Sahar Ismail Mohamed Abdel Hady   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-9688-9980 1  

Journal of Engineering and Applied Science volume  68 , Article number:  46 ( 2021 ) Cite this article

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Biophilic design elements are found around us in many landscape elements while we do not perceive them as biophilic design patterns. By developing our understanding of biophilic design as a phenomenon, we could discover simple ways to utilize landscape elements and transform them into a good biophilic design that might have positive impacts on a user’s health and well-being. Activating existing biophilic elements as an approach to a sustainable landscape has not been studied yet. Therefore, we rather analyse some international case studies in order to understand how biophilic design patterns can be implemented and see their different forms. Later, we will also go through an Egyptian biophilic design pattern case study and implement it to reach a sustainable landscape model. To summarize, the purpose of this study is to present a new sustainable landscape approach by activating biophilic design patterns in order to increase landscape efficiency.

Introduction

A “love of life or living systems” is biophilia (Aristotle). It is our intrinsic human connection to the natural world. This simple relationship may often seem comprehensive but unfortunately has been lost through the urban world of technology and industrial architecture. In order to get a natural environment for us to live, function, and learn, we should consider biophilic design for this matter. We are unconsciously reconnecting by integrating nature into interior or architectural design, integrating the great nature into our environment. An environment without nature can badly impact health, efficiency, and well-being.

Biophilic design can incorporate nature into our environment and designs places of inspiration and regeneration that bind humans with their environment. Although it is hard to find a space that can accommodate all biophilic design elements, many contributory elements can enhance the space and well-being. It is more than just adding a plant or two to the space! [ 10 ]. A positive effect can be generated by filtered sunlight, planting, green walls, water features, natural textures and materials, and views of nature. If simply looking at nature can inspire you, imagine how living in an environment integrated with elements from nature can do? As a result, an important question comes up “Could we use the biophilic design patterns to increase the landscape efficiency?” And if so, how could it be implemented in existing landscapes to set up a sustainable approach in the Egyptian cases.

It is imperative to apply the concept of biophilic design not only in new designs but also within existing landscape sites. To our knowledge, no study has introduced biophilic design patterns as an approach to increase the efficiency of an existing site and create a sustainable landscape. Therefore, we will explore what is biophilia and biophilic design on a broad scale, then narrowing them into different biophilic design patterns with different landscape design forms. Then, we will study different international case studies and analyse all forms of biophilic patterns. Then, finally, we will repeat the same scenario but to an Egyptian case study, to examine the presence of biophilic patterns and suggest modifications in the proposed design, so we can come out with an efficient, integrated, and sustainable approach using biophilic design.

In this study, the concept of biophilic design was further investigated and studied, concerning its positive contribution to health and well-being. Based on profound theoretical and analytical studies, the principles of biophilic landscape design patterns were concluded. Furthermore, the efficiency of the concluded patterns was tested in a practical case study in the Egyptian urban context.

Sustainable landscape, biophilia, and biophilic design

Themes from nature had been always seen in early human structures, such as cave paintings and statues, which shows that biophilic design is not a new phenomenon. In 1865, the landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted argued that nature scenery influences the human mind over the body and refreshes the whole system. Later, in the nineteenth century, there was a campaign to create large public parks in order to help in stress reduction and improve health [ 10 ].

The beginning of the term “Biophilia” was in 1964 by the social psychologist Eric Fromm who defined it as “Biophilia is the passionate love of life and of all that is alive” [ 22 ]. Later, in 1984, the biologist Edward Wilson contributed in making the term Biophilia more common [ 28 ].

A conference was conducted in 2004 to discuss translating the biophilia into the built environment design; a book was then released sequentially (Eds., [ 1 ]). The book discussed the ways of creating a biophilic experience and summed up the user experience into three main categories: nature in the space, natural analogues, and nature of the space.

The recent decade has shown an increase in the research and practice of biophilic design that it has been included in the green building standards. Some of the most popular texts that have been published on this topic are mentioned hereinafter: Last Child in the Woods [ 23 ], Healing Spaces [ 24 ], The Shape of Green [ 25 ], Your Brain on Nature [ 26 ], The Economics of Biophilia [ 27 ], and, 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design [ 10 ].

Biophilia definitions

Biophilia as a concept promoted the idea that connection with nature plays an essential role in physical and mental health, and this has been proven in many studies [ 16 ,  29 ] In modern society, it also plays a significant role in social and family relationships [ 30 ]. It is also useful in highly dense urban areas office workers [ 31 ] and helps in stress reduction for university students and staff [ 32 ]. Furthermore, a study proved the inherent psychological and physiological link between humans and nature and evaluated the research supporting the social, environmental, and economic benefits of biophilia [ 33 ].

The term biophilia was defined as “The inherent human inclination to affiliate with nature that even in the modern world continues to be critical to people’s physical and mental health and well-being [ 34 ,  35 ,  36 , 37 ].

Terrapin also defined the term biophilia as “Humankind’s innate biological connection with nature” [ 10 ]. He also added: “It helps explain why crackling fires and crashing waves captivate us; why a garden view can enhance our creativity; why shadows and heights instil fascination and fear; and why animal companionship and strolling through a park have restorative, healing effects.” [ 10 ].

Biophilia was lastly defined as “The innate, genetically determined affiliation of human beings to nature and other living organisms.” (Biophilic Design Guidebook, June 2018).

Elements, principles, and experience of biophilic design

Biophilic design dimensions were first introduced in the book ‘Biophilic Design: The Theory, Science and Practice of Bringing Buildings to Life’ [ 1 ]. According to the book, there are two basic dimensions of biophilic design; the first dimension is the organic or naturalistic dimension, which represents the shapes and forms. The becond basic dimension is the place-based or vernacular dimension, which represents the buildings and landscapes connected to the culture and ecology of the local environment [ 21 ].

These two basic dimensions of biophilic design were then related to six biophilic design elements. Environmental features, natural shapes and forms, natural patterns and processes, light and space, place-based relationships, and evolved human-nature relationships are the main biophilic desig n elements [ 1 ] . Table 1 shows the different attributes of each element.

Later, in 2015, the principles of biophilic design were introduced in the book ‘The Practice of Biophilic Design’ [ 38 ]. These principles were repeated engagement with nature, focusing on human adaptations to the natural world, encouraging emotional attachment to specific places, promoting positive interactions between people and nature, and encouraging interconnected and incorporated architecture solutions. Also, the experience of nature was grouped into three types: direct experience of nature, indirect experience of nature, and the experience of space and place [ 38 ].

Categories and patterns of biophilic design

Biophilic design could be summed up into 3 main categories; each category encompasses some patterns. The main categories are as follows: nature in the space, natural analogues, and nature of the space [ 10 ].

The first category Nature in the Space includes all the direct, physical, and ephemeral existence of nature in a place. The influence of the nature in the space experience can be achieved through three main factors which are diversity, movement, and multi-sensory interactions, for instance Some flowerbeds and bird feeders ; this category consists of seven biophilic design patterns and they are visual connection with nature, non- visual connection with nature, non-rhythmic sensory stimuli, thermal & airflow variability, presence of water, dynamic & diffuse light, and connection with natural systems [ 10 ]

The second category Natural Analogues includes indirect and non-living nature evocation. A strong result can be gotten if we can have accurate information, common examples are wooden furniture and granite table tops, they are real if they only represent analogous of the natural state of the objects. This category consists of three patterns of biophilic design and they are biomorphic forms & patterns, material connection with nature, and complexity & order [ 10 ].

The last category Nature of the Space includes all spatial aspects which can be found in nature and it expresses our desire to see things above and beyond our instant surroundings, and explore the unknown in a safe manner. A strong experience is achieved by: deliberate and engaging spatial arrangements, combined with patterns from the two other categories: Nature in the Space and Natural Analogues . This category consists of four biophilic design patterns, they are prospect, refuge, mystery, and risk/peril [ 10 ].

Since Wilson published The Biophilia Hypothesis almost two decades ago; the biophilia term has expanded considerably and the final biophilic patterns were analysed to disclose emotional connections mentioned by Wilson.

The term “pattern” is not only related to the natural environment through psychophysiological and cognitive relationships, but it can be an independent description for three main reasons: set up clear and standardized terminology, avoid confusion, and maximize accessibility across other disciplines. Table 2 gives a brief explanation of each biophilic pattern [ 10 ].

Biophilic design application

Good biophilic design is usually drawn based on the user’s influential perspectives which can be impacted by health conditions, sociocultural norms, past experiences, and frequency and duration of experience are some of the most common examples [ 10 ].

Understanding the project’s design intent is one of the vital steps for a designer; the user’s performance needs must be precisely set up to identify the design strategies and interventions; to apply this scenario, two approaches can be used: first is to ask : What is the most biophilic space we could possibly design? Another query is to ask : How can biophilic design boost efficiency indicators that are already used by the client? [ 10 ]. Reducing stress and improving overall mood is one of the many biological responses that may occur to the design, besides other unlimited combinations of design interventions and patterns. A biophilic design’s impact on health represents great importance to managers, planners, and policy makers [ 10 ].

There is no appropriate duration when it comes to the time of exposure to a pattern; ideal duration depends upon the user and the required effect; it has been verified that health benefits could occur in a time of 5 to 20 min [ 39 ,  40 , 41 ]. When a little duration of exposure is required, a pattern is usually located along paths with high foot traffic; this helps in improving access frequency [ 10 ].

Biophilic design impact on health

Evidence of the impact of biophilia on health was shown mainly in three mind-body systems: cognitive, psychological, and physiological systems; the impact on these systems was tested and explored in various ways to understand how the environment could impact a user’s health and well-being [ 10 ]. The results showed how each pattern can affect three main categories: stress reduction, cognitive performance, and emotion, mood, and preference . All patterns had an impact on at least one category but most of them impacted two to three categories.

Framework of biophilic design patterns

Biophilic design patterns have been defined to guide and assist in the design process and the main purpose was to explain the connection between the characteristics of built and natural environments [ 10 ]. Table 3 shows the summary of each pattern’s experience, objective, design attributes, and examples.

Biophilic design patterns are very flexible and could be implemented in design using various shapes based on user-specific needs; the combination of patterns tends to increase the positive impact on health and also integrating design strategies could lead to a restorative environment for users from different cultures and demographics [ 10 ].

Case studies

When it comes to studying the different biophilic patterns in a landscape and their efficiency, we need to choose spaces that are accessible to the public and created for different types of users. In that order, we can understand if all different users receive the same experience or not.

Case 1 (Greenacre Park)

Greenacre Park is a small park that is located between tall towers in Manhattan; it consists of three different levels offering users various environmental conditions; the excellent implementation of the biophilic design patterns creates a quiet and peaceful space, which is rare in the city centre.

The site plan is divided into three different spaces using plants, water, and trellises (Fig. 1 ). A T-shaped flower bed acts as a physical divider, the water bordering the lower level and a steel trellis demarcating the raised platform. This section highlights the elevation change between the street and space levels (Fig. 1 ).

Site plan. Source: www.terrapinbrightgreen.com

Case 2 (Paley Park)

Paley Park was the first of its kind when initially opened back in 1967; it was created right after designing the concept of very small accessible parks that are open to the general public; today, it is one of the most common parks in New York City (Fig. 2 ).

Section. Source: www.terrapinbrightgreen.com

The way this park was designed makes it a unique space for office workers and Museum of Modern Art patrons during short breaks.

This site plan shows the honey locust trees arranged loosely to assure the casualness of the space (Fig. 3 ). A tall waterfall acts as a focal point and dominates the space. Also, the movable site furniture allows flexible seating throughout the space, which creates a dynamic series of layouts (Fig. 4 ).

Biophilic design patterns implemented in case studies

Table 4 shows biophilic design patterns in the case studies.

Applied case study

As mentioned in the previous section, existing landscape spaces need to be accessible to the public and visited by different types of users; our case study is a commercial administrational complex that is sought by various user types; the space offers a pleasurable pedestrian experience and also a great haven during short breaks for different types of employees in the complex.

Rivulet is a fully integrated complex that is located in El Sheikh Zayed City on the main 26th of July corridor combining different categories of attractions like restaurants, cafes, shops, and gyms and also has a business hub and medical centres; the space’s unique and simple design makes it a harbour for visitors and workers during short breaks (Figs. 5 , 6 , 7 , and 8 ).

Green wall. Source: Researcher

Reflecting pool. Source: Researcher

Water fountain. Source: Researcher

Site Plan. Source: Researcher

The plan shows the green wall and water fountain that is located beside the entrance; the palm trees are arranged with fixed spaces between them; besides the reflecting pool that acts as a focal point in the space, some seat steps are provided by the water features.

The section cut through the centre of the plan showing the reflecting pool area with its deck, railings, and palm trees. It also shows the green wall (Fig. 9 ).

Section. Source: Researcher

In order to evaluate this case study, we need to verify which patterns were achieved, and in which form and more over how we could increase its efficiency. Table 5 shows the patterns represented in the case study, with a brief on the form that was used to represent each pattern.

Results and discussion

The unrepresented patterns in the case study, lead to the absence of some important integrations of biophilic design patterns. This lowers the positive impact of design on health and reduces the effect of biophilic design overall. Table 6 shows the missing and achieved integrations between patterns in the previous case study.

The missing patterns could be implemented easily in order to achieve the integration between different patterns and increase the positive impact of the design. Referring to the case study, the missing patterns are dynamic and diffuse light and biomorphic forms and patterns.

Dynamic and diffuse light is an important pattern in order to elicit feelings of drama and mystery, time, and movement, buffered with a feeling of peace; the main goal of this pattern is to achieve an ununiformed distribution of light, but without extreme differences. This pattern could be achieved in many ways; some examples are creating shade structures, providing more shade using trees, or using simulated light distribution at night.

The aim of biomorphic forms and patterns is to use biomorphic styles and patterns in a way that creates a more visually desired atmosphere that enhances cognitive performance while helping to alleviate tension. We are more attracted to organic and biomorphic shapes, but there is a hidden scientific reason that we need to figure out and address. While biomorphic forms and patterns are not living objects, our brain recognizes that they can be represented as symbolic representations of life; this pattern could be implemented in two ways, the decor elements and the form. Some examples in decor include golden mean in fabrics, carpets and wallpaper design, window glass colour and texture, and free-standing sculptures. While in form, examples include building and furniture form, columns shaped like trees, and pathway form.

Conclusions

As explored throughout the paper, biophilic design patterns can increase the efficiency of a landscape site experience; the more varieties of the patterns are used, the more efficiency we get. This takes us back to our main research question: “Could we use the biophilic design patterns to increase the landscape efficiency?”

The research aimed to introduce a new sustainable landscape approach by activating biophilic design patterns, to increase landscape efficiency; this approach was applied to an Egyptian case study, to analyse the possibilities and results and furthermore to suggest a proposed design that activates the biophilic landscape efficiency and achieves pattern integration.

All in all, biophilic design patterns are found around us in the landscape elements of any space, even if not intended or implemented in purpose. With little modifications, some landscape designs could be transformed into an integrated sustainable biophilic design that could generate positive impacts on the users and increase the landscape efficiency. Activating our perception of biophilic design patterns could be easily achieved by increasing the types of patterns and their different forms. This would also impact the user’s health and well-being.

Availability of data and materials

All data and materials will be available upon request.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to express my very great appreciation for the valuable assistance given by Dr. Hesham Mohamed El-Barmelgy. I also wish to acknowledge the help provided by Eng. Shorouk Ahmed Taha.

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Ass. Prof. Sahar Ismail Mohamed Abdel hady

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Hady, S.I.M.A. Activating biophilic design patterns as a sustainable landscape approach. J. Eng. Appl. Sci. 68 , 46 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s44147-021-00031-x

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Biophilic Design as an Important Bridge for Sustainable Interaction between Humans and the Environment: Based on Practice in Chinese Healthcare Space

1 College of Art and Design, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi'an, China

Qinchuan Zhan

Tiancheng xu.

2 Key Laboratory of Acupuncture and Medicine Research of Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China

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Since the COVID-19 epidemic, there has been an increased need for well-being and sustainable development, making biophilic design in hospital environments even more significant. However, after investigation, it was found that in many countries including China, the biophilic design of some hospitals is seriously absent, while other parts have the integration of biophilic design, but the standardization and recognition are not high. By restoring the interaction between buildings and nature, biophilic design improves the quality of environments and the health of users. The basic theoretical framework of environmental psychology is followed in this research. The health promotion mechanism, applicable natural features, and relative health advantages of hospital space and environment biophilic design are first investigated. Furthermore, according to the current status of biophilic design applications in the 12 hospitals that have the closest interaction between people and the environment. Combined with the professional and functional requirements of the healthcare spaces and the users' special demands, we propose appropriate update design methods. The goal of this study was to present ideas for healthy and efficient space environment design and to inspire sustainable environmental design for future healthcare environments.

1. Introduction

The normalization and recurrence of the COVID-19 have made the development of the healthcare spaces to become a global concern. In addition to balancing hygiene, efficiency, and equity, the design of healthcare spaces needs to be more integrated with the concept of sustainability, thus serving the health of all humanity in the context of the carbon neutral era [ 1 ]. As the number of hospital building projects grows, health administrators are progressively adopting green initiatives and ecologically friendly techniques. According to the federal Office of the Environment Executive (OFEE), “Sustainable hospitals can be defined as the practice of designing, constructing, operating, maintaining, and removing buildings in ways that conserve natural resources and reduce pollution [ 2 ].” The healthcare spaces have become one of the most visible venues for the green building movement as a result of concerns about hospitals' environmental implications. In the realm of architecture and design, there has been an increasing interest in the influence of nature on people in buildings [ 3 , 4 ]. Biophilic design, which is strongly related to people's emotional experiences, is thought to play a significant role in this loop [ 5 ]. As an environmental design philosophy that promotes public health through the healing effects of nature, biophilic design interprets the relationship between nature, space environment, and human health from the perspectives of biology and psychology [ 6 ]. In the past decade, there has been a substantial increase in research related to biophilic design published by scholars from various countries [ 7 ], with applications ranging from interior design and architectural design to parks, streetscapes, schools, and urban design [ 8 , 9 ]. Simultaneously, a group of researchers is looking into how the use of biophilic design in buildings and interior spaces improves patients' health and well-being [ 10 ]. Depression and mental health disorders are the main cause of disability globally, according to the World Health Organization, and because people spend 90% of their time in buildings [ 11 ], environmental design poses both difficulty and opportunity for designers [ 12 ].

In the context of COVID-19, people are forced to stay indoors in closed environments for extended periods, leading to heightened anxiety about the indoor environment and an urgent need to create medical spaces that promote emotional and physical well-being [ 13 ]. As a central place for the restoration of human health, hospitals are also working to create health-friendly spatial environments through the power of nature [ 14 ]. The main participants in medical activities, such as nurses and patients, are in a special state of intense concentration and are relatively fragile and sensitive [ 15 ]. The quality of the healthcare spaces' spatial environment is directly related to the effectiveness of medical treatment. And the natural attributes that biophilic design can give to the healthcare space's spatial environment and the health benefits it can create are highly compatible with the functions of the hospital and the demands of its users [ 16 ]. The existing literature suggested the various psychological and cognitive benefits of biophilic design, such as helped to have a positive impact on the patient's physiology and psychology [ 10 ], reduced negative emotions such as panic and anxiety [ 17 ], stimulated the patient's body's potential and promoting a return to health [ 16 ], reduced staff stress and fatigue [ 18 ], improved productivity, increased security in the environment [ 19 ], and negative associations with mortality [ 20 ].

To achieve restorative environmental design, real sustainability in healthcare environments should integrate low environmental impact design with biophilic design [ 21 ]. However, there is a lack of consistency in current research and practice in this area. Several issues with biophilic design have been observed in existing healthcare environments in China, according to the author's research. Natural resources are undervalued and in short supply. And some hospitals that use natural elements blindly copy them without appropriate selection and application according to the specific situation, lacking a systematic design theory to guide them, and ignoring the positive influence natural spaces bring to people. To seek the direction of sustainable design of healthcare spaces, as the starting point of creating a healthy environment for people, this research analyzes the application mode and existing problems of 12 healthcare spaces in China from the perspective of biophilic design and proposes suitable design solutions. Furthermore, given the size of the reaction to COVID-19 and its impact on health systems and the economy, constructive research action is crucial to reducing future health system restrictions and ensuring high-quality, accessible, and sustainable services [ 22 ].

The research is organized as follows: the introduction is presented in Section 1 . Section 2 analyzes the materials and methods of the proposed work. Section 3 discusses the literature review. In Section 4 , case study on biophilic design of healthcare spaces in China was explored in depth. In Section 5 , the proposed methods are compared with previous concepts and made the results. Finally, in Section 6 , the research work is concluded.

2. Materials and Methods

This paper conducted a literature analysis and a case study to establish the spatial design characteristics of healthcare settings using the biophilic design principle. The following is a detailed description of the research method and scope: we first outlined the positive effects of nature on human health, as well as the concept, elements, and patterns of biophilic design, based on the literature review. Second, to integrate and classify similar or flawed items in the biophilic design model in Chinese healthcare spaces from the case study results through field research and structured interviews to identify the characteristics and problems. Third, the transformed medical space environment was designed using software, including the 2021 edition of SketchUp, Lumion10 version, Enscape3.0 version, and AutoCAD2020. SketchUp is a 3D modeling software used in the interior design industry. Lumion is a real-time 3D visualization tool that covers areas including architecture, planning, and design. Enscape3.0 is used to render models. AutoCAD2020, or computer-aided design, uses computers and their graphics equipment to help designers with their design work. In the practical session, we used the concept of biophilic design to carry out an initial evaluation and update of a selected healthcare space environment.

3. Literature Review

3.1. natural elements and human health.

Nature's therapeutic effect on physical and mental health has long been discussed. There are numerous direct and indirect relationships between human health and nature. Nature connectedness, in addition to meeting basic human requirements (such as food and natural resource availability), heals or mitigates the majority of ailments and can be considered a health resource (which keeps people healthy) [ 23 ]. The earliest site of physical healing by nature was the Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus, on a hill with fresh air and lush views was a rehabilitation centre in ancient Greece in classical times [ 24 ]. Professor Clair Cooper Marcus pointed out in her book Healing Gardens: Therapeutic benefits and design recommendations : “90% of garden users experience a positive change in their mood after taking a rest outside [ 25 ].” Ester M Sternberg wrote in her book Healing Spaces: the science of place and well-being : “When you see a scene that everyone likes, such as a beautiful view, sunset, woods, dormant nerve cells will become active.” Your mind is buzzing like a morphine addict. Both authors agreed that being in or observing a natural environment caused positive changes in the mind and body. As a source of healing and source of inspiration, nature plays an important role in the identity of people and the development of its sense of place.

The development of modern science and technology and the process of industrialization have brought about the transformation of human's view of nature to mechanistic, and the integrity and systematicness of nature have been broken in human cognition, which has led to essential changes in the relationship between human and nature. “The epidemic has made us understand that human health is inextricably linked to the health of natural ecosystems,” experts from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said. Human activities such as excessive and unnecessary production are primarily to blame for the calamities we have witnessed. We need to reverse this vicious cycle and protect and restore healthy ecosystems that thrive [ 26 ].

3.2. Biophilic Design

The international practice of biophilic design has a significant geographical dimension due to many factors such as regional development and socio-economic levels and culture. The 2006 conference in Rhode Island, USA, was the beginning of the formal introduction of biophilia into the field of environmental design, exploring the value and implementation strategies of its integration in cities and buildings [ 8 ]. In 2008, with the publication of Biophilic Design: The Theory, Science, and Practice of Bringing Buildings to Life , the term “biophilic design” was officially named and established. Biophilic design is about learning from nature and creating artificial environments that support and revive human biophilic nature by recreating, using, modeling, and extracting nature [ 27 ]. Kellert et al. proposed four basic principles for biophilic design in the same year: first, the importance of repeated and continuous engagement with nature; second, a focus on human adaptation to the natural world; third, encouraging emotional attachment to specific environments and places; fourth, promoting positive interaction between people and nature, encouraging an expanded sense of relationship and responsibility between human and natural communities; fifth, encouraging mutually reinforcing, interconnected and integrated architectural solutions [ 28 ]. William Browning proposed 14 biophilic design patterns in 2014 (Browning, Ryan, and Clancy 2014) in Table 1 , and Stephen Kellett and Elizabeth Calabrese proposed 24 biophilic design strategies in 2015 [ 29 ] in Table 2 . A comparative analysis of the two reveals that the design approach develops in three ways: the use of real natural elements, the abstraction and extraction of natural elements or characteristics, and the deduction and transformation of the relationship between man and nature. William Browning categorizes the first two components in terms of their homogeneity, reflecting a more simplified result, and adds to the third two features of “mystery” and “adventure.” By now, biophilic design has become a mainstream design approach in the field of architecture, widely accepted and used, and even included in the measurement criteria for evaluating the built environment. Biophilic design is not simply the transplantation of any natural elements into the spatial environment, but the translation of selected natural elements that have a positive effect on humans into concrete or abstract design language is based on the expansion of the connotation of natural elements, and their integration into each other and their application to the spatial environment in an effective way.

The biophilic design methods from William Browning in 2014 [ 30 ].

The biophilic design methods from Stephen Kellert in 2015 [ 29 ].

In conclusion, the biophilic design of buildings and urban environments abroad started early and has taken shape. To some extent, economically developed cities have launched biophilic design study and practice, demonstrating that biophilic design has become a significant trend in urban design. Although China's urban buildings are gradually adopting concepts like green ecology and sustainable development, many of the related designs still fall short of biophilic. This demonstrates that China is still systematically applying biophilic theories, models, and procedures. Many of the existing successful schemes are from Western countries. It is critical to learn from international advanced thoughts and experiences and investigate biophilic design methodologies that are appropriate for China's unique circumstances.

3.3. Biophilic Design in Healthcare Spaces

Ulrich conducted some of the earliest research into the application of biophilic design in healthcare spaces in the 1980s. His research found that patients in rooms overlooking green areas had shorter postoperative hospital stays and used less pain medication than patients in similar rooms but overlooking the built environment [ 31 ]. Following international investigations, it was shown that 95% of patients and families that were exposed to nature had lower stress levels, more positive attitudes, and improved coping skills [ 32 ]. Biederman and Vessel suggested that plants in healthcare spaces and roof gardens could reduce patients' pain, anxiety in therapeutic psychology in 2006 [ 33 ]. Eisen et al. conducted a study of art preferences among pediatric inpatients, which showed that children of different ages and genders did not differ much in their choice of artwork. They preferred nature art to abstract art, with nearly 75% preferring nature art (forests with lakes and deer) or impressionistic nature scenes (beaches with waves) [ 17 ].

Natural materials can improve patients' perceptions of their surroundings and their recovery from disease. This is because natural materials improve optical effects (by absorbing more light than they reflect) and have a favorable impact on olfactory comfort (through essential oils), creativity, overall health, and the immune system [ 34 ]. The famous German geographer and explorer Alexander von Humboldt emphasized the role of gardens in healing, suggesting that design should be integrated with nature, thus enhancing the quality of the existing environment [ 35 ]. The Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Cancer Centre's chemotherapy space was created in the shape of a long cobblestone in response to patients' photosensitive and olfactory drug reactions, providing a long and soothing view of the patient's dizziness [ 36 ]. In 2020, Dushkova and Maria's biophilic-inspired “restorative healthcare environment design extends the focus from the outdoor landscape to the indoor architectural space.” Extensive experimental data showed that biophilic design in terms of natural light, greenery, green windows, outlook spaces, natural sounds, aromas, water features, real marine life, visual comfort, and a sense of personal control can all have a positive effect on promoting positive emotions and accelerating recovery [ 23 ]. Healthcare spaces are the core place for rehabilitation, and the study of the biophilic design of medical space environments has positive significance for improving the health of patients. The biophilic design research system of medical space is not yet perfect, and the norms and methods for the application of natural elements need to be further optimized in practice.

4. Case Study on Biophilic Design of Healthcare Spaces in China

Some hospitals in China were chosen for field research on the healthcare sector's spatial environment. The variety of hospital kinds was rather extensive, covering practically every aspect of medicine. Biophilic design applications were examined in some nodes with high foot traffic in hospital public spaces using field surveys and structured interviews. The aim was to identify the deficiencies and shortcomings of current healthcare institutions, propose corresponding solutions, and identify the characteristics of the biophilic design model for healthcare spaces. Table 3 shows the basic information of 12 national hospitals with a floor area of 50,000 square meters or more.

General information of healthcare spaces in China was studied in the case.

Based on the selection of hospitals, the nodes with the high pedestrian flow in the hospital environment were selected, and seven nodes in the medical space, namely, the lobby reception, registration, and payment, waiting area, corridor, CT room, inpatient ward, and hospital lift, were extracted for study. The details of each node are shown in the following Table 4 .

Characteristics of biophilic design elements and patterns in healthcare spaces of China.

Through field research in a number of the above hospitals, it is possible to summarise the current biophilic design issues within the healthcare environment: the first is that the natural element is not valued and is severely lacking. Second, some hospitals that use natural elements blindly copy them without appropriate selection and application according to the specific situation, lacking a systematic design theory to guide them, and ignoring the positive influence natural spaces bring to people. Finally, the design approach's simplicity within some healthcare environments does not allow for efficient, rapid, and sustained action on human physiology. In terms of validity, the integration of individual natural elements into the hospital's spatial environment is isolated and stagnant, and the elements are not sufficiently appealing to people. In some healthcare environments where the principles of biophilic design are applied, it can be seen that such spaces not only relieve physical fatigue and reduce depression but also stimulate good moods and make patients cooperate with the examination and treatment.

The characteristics of biophilic design patterns in healthcare environments given in the literature and case studies were used to create 27 survey items in three patterns. To enhance respondents' comprehension, the questionnaire included photos of each scenario as well as the effect of applying the features. There were 240 responses, with a significant proportion of men (55%) and those aged 41 or older (41%) and patients (57.5%). The overall characteristics of survey respondents are shown in Table 5 .

General characteristics of survey respondents.

The importance of biophilic design patterns in healthcare spaces are shown in Table 6 . The overall mean of the importance assessment was 4.08, which represents a consensus among the respondents on the importance of biophilic design. The importance of biophilic design patterns above the total mean was highest for “experience mode of natural sense of space” (4.24), followed by “direct nature experience mode” (4.09), and “indirect nature experience mode” (3.83).

Importance of biophilic design patterns in healthcare spaces.

(a) represents physiological benefits, (b) representing psychological benefits, and (c) representing perceived benefits.

As for the mean of importance by item, the highest was “create a relatively inward-looking space environment that resembles a cave in nature, with a long-distance open view in the foreground, and a sense of wrapping from overhead, behind, and on both sides, such as entrances with overhangs and colonnades balconies, sofa seats, etc.” (4.58), followed by “real plants or specimens, green roofs, green walls” (4.55), and “the natural building or decorative materials such as wood, stone, wool, cotton and leather, bamboo, rattan” (4.47). And each element of the biophilic design pattern brings different physiological, psychological, and perceived benefits to the user. From the results of the public's assessment of the importance of the elements of biophilic design patterns, it can be concluded that they need small spaces that can provide shelter and lookout and prefer direct natural elements. When planning the design of the medical space in the future, the biophilic design pattern characteristics of the healthcare spaces that are relatively important in the analysis results should be considered.

This chapter will present appropriate design strategies for the problems found in the biophilic design of healthcare spaces in the research.

5.1. The Overall Design Idea of Transformation

The outpatient hall and other locations guidance systems of some hospitals such as Jiangsu Provincial Hospital are relatively single, the overall color is single, the use of natural elements is less and stiff, and the introduction of natural light is limited. In response to the above problems, further skylights can be added in the outpatient halls and corridors to introduce natural light into the indoor space, which can not only relieve the pressure of patients but also save electricity and reflect the concept of sustainable development. Second, the use of floor-to-ceiling windows in the waiting room should be raised in an appropriate amount to increase the gentle combination of indoor and outdoor spaces, so that patients waiting can enjoy the view of the outdoors from the comfort of their own home (especially by making good use of the landscape resources of the adjacent mountains). Third, indirect natural elements are incorporated into the stylistic design by reducing the use of arrow-like directional signs and using green, blue, yellow, or faceted signs to guide and divide spaces. In the Kaiyi Hospital's hall design, designers have shaped the hospital hall into a well-lit and ventilated atrium. The lounge area in the hall is arranged to look like a living room, with sunlight illuminating the whole hall through the skylight on the roof, and with indoor greenery, trying to create a homely atmosphere and a warm resting space for doctors and patients. In the lobby, the supporting beams are used as a base combined with the top lighting to create a decorative design in the shape of a ginkgo tree, which symbolizes strength, hope, and resilience. At the same time, its color reflects the representative color of Jiaxing, namely, the Ginkgo Avenue on Swan Lake Road in autumn, incorporating local cultural elements into a modern large general hospital. These qualities were distilled into an abstract design language by the designers and used in the hospital interior design ( Figure 1 ).

Kaiyi Hospital's Hall biophilic design update renderings.

5.2. The Partial Transformation of the Consultation Room

The overall spaces of the waiting area in some hospitals are relatively closed, mostly in a room with glass on one side, which lacks communication with the outdoor environment and has a relatively depressing atmosphere, which is unfavorable for both doctors and patients. To address the aforementioned difficulties, a small patio-style garden can be added to the waiting area, introducing natural light through the patio and floor-to-ceiling windows so that patients can enjoy the external beauty even when they are inside. The two-story cedar shingle walls and windows of various offices look out over the space, which is filled with plants, the majority of which are medicinal species. Second, the paths leading to the two seats at either end are unusual water features made of concrete stepping stones set in moss [ 2 ]. Multimedia equipment is added to the wall facing the waiting patients, decorated with geometric patterns of the golden ratio. Finally, add several cave-like lounge sofas and play soft music containing natural elements such as the sound of water and birdsong, which can help to alleviate the fatigue of people and relieve the patient's anxiety ( Figure 2 ).

Rendering of the updated biological design of the waiting area.

5.3. Renovation of the Functional Examination Unit

The CT room is undecorated, and the white walls and cold machines can put patients in a depressing and frightening mood, especially as the examinations often allow only the patient to be alone, while examinations such as fMRI take 30 minutes or more. To address these concerns, the walls can be painted in a natural-elements design, and vegetation can be put to the room to help the patient relax. Since the patient is in a lying position during the examination, the eyes are focused on the top, natural patterns such as the sky or woods can be added to the ceiling, while natural sounds such as fountains, streams, waves, birdsong, and rain can be added to soothe the patient through a combination of audio and visual stimulation [ 37 ].

5.4. Ward Transformation

The overall color palette of the ward space is predominantly white, lacking color variation and plants, while the furniture and cabinets are mostly made of metal and plastic, lacking a sense of intimacy. The beds in the multiperson ward are separated from each other only by bed curtains and lack personal space. To address these concerns, natural elements can be used to beautify the wards by including appropriate plants and animals, such as green buckets and goldfish. Create a unique natural element in the landscape by forming the walls in the shape of a natural environment, such as a beehive, and then adding suitable plants to the individual units. Second, instead of bed curtains, screens with pulleys can be used. Screens of rigid material are more capable of dividing space than fabric bedroom curtains, and the pulleys ensure that the flow of space is unobstructed [ 28 ]. The ward unit adopts a zigzag plane, and green platforms are arranged in the recesses in the plane so that there is a natural landscape outside each window. Combined with the external multilevel healing garden, patients on each floor have the opportunity to have direct contact with nature and use the “direct experience mode” with nature in the biophilic design to enhance the healing properties of the interior space. In addition, through the overall consideration of the window size and the location of the hospital bed, the window ventilation only serves the nearby patients, reducing the risk of mutual infection. The windows also feature removable louvers to maximize daylight and minimize glare, shielding patients from low-angle sunlight in the morning and evening. And a forward-facing eave can be added to the window to give the patient a sense of perspective ( Figure 3 ).

Ward biophilic design update renderings.

5.5. Garden Renovation

The survey found that some Chinese hospitals did not realize the role of healing gardens, several healing garden space is less functional, the configuration of plants and so on is relatively single, and the landscape modes are not sparse and dense. First, a multifaceted composite landscape system can be introduced into the garden, such as different scales and types of nonirritating odor plants, to create spatial places with different experiential sensations and to increase complexity and connectivity. The use of plants and geometric cuts and microtopographical enclosures creates a private and secluded place that adds a sense of mystery and provides a sense of refuge for patients [ 38 ]. Tree-shrouded paths lead people's eyes to distant views and landmarks, giving depth and coherence to the space of this journey. This atmosphere allows people to control their emotions and restore their focus by providing a momentary getaway, a sense of “distance.” Then there is the introduction of water features, which are classified as either dynamic or static depending on their qualities. Dynamic water features such as cascading water and streams can create a natural and dynamic water ecology and bring vitality to patients. Landscapes such as water mists and fogs can increase the humidity of the air in the hospital environment and create a microclimate of comfortable spaces. Patients can interact with the water features to create a pleasant emotional experience. Third, the introduction of animal therapy, the inclusion of animal elements, can promote interaction between people and nature and increase the emotional connection of the place. The interaction and play of patients with animals can increase patients' sense of belonging to the hospital space, which in turn relieves patients' physical exhaustion and pain ( Figure 4 ).

Healing garden biophilic design update renderings.

6. Conclusions and Discussion

To achieve true sustainability in healthcare facilities, low environmental impact design should be combined with biophilic design (or positive environmental impact design), resulting in what is known as a restorative environmental design [ 28 ]. Biophilic design is based on the biophilic nature of human beings. It is a space-environment design concept that can boost human health, cognition, and productivity. The biophilic design idea highlights the relationship between nature, space environment, and human health from a biological aspect and can drive the long-term development of the healthcare spaces environment. To ensure safety and standardization, natural elements suitable for the healthcare spaces environment should be picked, and then prudent and effective design approaches should be used, all while not interfering with medical activities and completely addressing the demands of patients. The idea is to continuously stimulate the human body using a variety of sensory inputs like vision, hearing, touch, and smell. People's biophilia is stimulated, and doctors' and patients' health is enhanced, by leading the human body to create a response to natural components. This is a paradigm aimed at reestablishing a harmonious balance between humans and nature in the building environment. Biophilic design, within this concept, may represent the missing piece in sustainable design, which is still related to an understanding of nature as an ethical value rather than a physiologically determined condition.

To ensure the correct biophilic design of the healthcare space environment, to ensure the safety of patients' lives, and to avoid additional physical and psychological harm to patients during the treatment process, the biophilic design process must carefully select natural elements and use highly controlled design methods to avoid the possible increased risk of infection and physiological burden of natural elements. Based on the existing theoretical framework of biophilic design, this study analyzes the existing problems, health promotion mechanism, and specific associated health benefits of biophilic design through field investigations in 12 healthcare spaces in China. Then combined with the professional requirements of hospital functions and the special needs of users, the following three points of biophilic design are proposed:

6.1. Optimize the Interaction Mode between Direct or Indirect Natural Elements and People

In traditional medical spaces, natural elements such as greenery and animals are used for aesthetic and even Feng Shui reasons. In most of the hospitals and clinics we studied, greenery was used only as a landscape, at best for the short-term value of “removing formaldehyde” [ 39 ], but not for its value in optimizing the flow of care or even for its medical value [ 40 ]. Natural elements such as plants and natural light can themselves create order and hierarchy. The placement of plants in our design corresponds to, and even merges with, the flow design of medical appointments, serving as a good segregation and guide. And this is just the beginning of its job. The plants themselves can become the focus of attention for patients and doctors, especially in information-heavy waiting and registration areas, and the interplay of information screens and varied signage with the plant arrangement can serve to reduce anxiety among patients [ 41 ]. The introduction of animals is a bold design, but we were fortunate to see more than one site in the hospitals we researched that had adopted this element, such as the ornamental fish pond provided in the outpatient halls of the Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This design enhances the cognitive and reactive abilities of patients through the interaction of animals with them. Especially for dentistry, a department that causes more direct pain, the active character of the fish has a relaxing effect on patients [ 42 ]. Animals are especially important in the medical value of human interaction because their natural curiosity helps to provide additional healing space for parents with children, whose increased attention to animals reduces their attention to other things around them, such as crying children and anxious patients.

In addition, the use of indirect natural elements such as natural colors (e.g., soft colors such as green, blue, and yellow), natural materials (e.g., wood, stone, and bamboo), simulated light and air, natural geometry (fractals, golden ratio, golden spiral, etc.), natural associations (abstraction and symbolization of natural forms), and natural images (multimedia natural landscapes) in interior spaces also need to be based on the needs of the patient's healthcare experience. And to systematically examine the volume of consultations and the geographical distribution of specialties in the renovated premises, to improve the health of the staff in three directions: mental cognition, psycho-emotional, and physiological functions.

6.2. Increase the Emotional Connection of the Place and Provide an Interactive Place for Shelter and Lookout

Following extensive fieldwork, the research identified a lack of natural spatial experience models in healthcare settings. Hospitals are stressful places where both staff and patients want some private sanctuary to relieve their emotions. The advantage of the natural space experience model is that it is easier to create an immersive experience of nature by creating a spatial organization in an artificial environment that resembles that which exists in nature. Relevant natural elements include a sense of shelter and watchfulness, order and complexity, mystery, and contrast. In the actual design process, real natural objects, natural analogs, and products are often used to assist in creating a sense of natural space. This model not only helps to alleviate mental fatigue caused by continuous and intense work but it also promotes refocusing and intelligent recovery; it also helps to increase health care staff motivation, willingness to communicate with patients, and overall work effectiveness, all of which have a positive impact on patient recovery.

For example, healing gardens can provide a temporary sanctuary with a degree of privacy, offering a place to escape for patients who have been in a group living space. Create a relatively inward-looking space environment that resembles a cave in nature, with a long-distance open view in the foreground, and a sense of wrapping from overhead, behind, and on both sides, such as entrances with overhangs and colonnades balconies, sofa seats, etc., and it can increase patient's emotional attachment. Emotional attachment is a person's high identification with the environment, which helps patients to develop a series of positive emotions, such as relaxation, willingness to integrate into the treatment environment, and more confidence in the treatment plan.

6.3. Realize Systematic Compounding with Real and Diverse Designs

In terms of achieving effectiveness in the biophilic design of healthcare spaces, research has shown that real natural objects can have a more positive effect than simulated natural analogs, and that overly distorted natural analogs can cause boredom and resentment [ 28 ]. The combined health advantages of using several natural components in a systematic way are more important and conducive to the production of a sense of natural space and environment than the benefits of using individual natural elements alone [ 21 ]. The multisensory complex stimulation of the human body by natural elements is more attractive than the stimulation of a single sense. Elements of nature that attract active participation and physical activity are more influential than those that only allow for static appreciation of dwelling [ 43 ].

Considering the complexity of the spatial environment of the hospital and the specificity of the personnel, to enhance the effectiveness of the design: first, it should try to objectively and realistically display the diversified natural elements more understandably, moderately highlight the dynamic changes and attractiveness of the natural elements, and thus enhance the participation of the personnel; second, the biophilic design of each spatial interface is compounded. Patients are often supine when receiving treatment and resting, so the design should focus on the roof interface, which is often overlooked but has a high frequency of patient sighting; third, when it is difficult to make a direct connection between the imaging centre and the real exterior natural world due to the spatial limits imposed by the functional requirements of healthcare, reference can be made to the indirect natural experience model by systematically using natural materials such as logs to awaken tactile perception, electronic media, and virtual reality technology to reshape the audiovisual experience, and natural scents to activate the olfactory memory, creating a comprehensive fake natural experience.

Millions of people's health had improved significantly before the COVID-19 epidemic. However, additional work is needed to completely eradicate a variety of diseases and treat a variety of persistent new health challenges. Biophilic design is one of the efforts that need to be implemented, a concept that is difficult to implement in many developing countries and regions due to economic factors and research limitations. In line with the general trend of human evolutionary progress, the biophilic design is founded on genuine life impulses and survival laws. Biophilic design can contribute to the health promotion of hospital spaces and is in line with the requirements of sustainable development. With the development of mankind's understanding of the relationship between humans and nature, the natural elements with health-promoting potential can be further expanded in the future through more extensive and scientific empirical research, and their health-promoting effects on specific people in specific hospital spatial environments can be explored in a targeted manner, providing a more adequate theoretical basis and empirical guidance for the future biophilic design of hospital spatial environments.

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China, grant number 21BG107.

Data Availability

Conflicts of interest.

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Authors' Contributions

Q.C.Z. did the software and writing—original draft preparation. T.C.X. did the investigation. Y.Z. did the writing—review, and editing. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

An interdisciplinary debate on project perspectives

• Open access
• Published: 02 March 2018

Applying the benefits of biophilic theory to hospital design

• Simona Totaforti 1  

City, Territory and Architecture volume  5 , Article number:  1 ( 2018 ) Cite this article

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Introduction

In 1839, the Lexicon Medicum mentioned the “healing powers of nature”, arguing that many illnesses could be cured without the help of medicines, simply by paying attention to air, food, rest, physical activity, and state of mind. Therefore, already then, the environment was considered therapeutic and capable of affecting the health of individuals and helping their recovery (Hickman in Therapeutic landscape. A history of English hospital gardens since 1800, 2013 ). This awareness has remained valid since then, although the approach has changed and evolved over time.

Case description

In the 20th century, these assumptions have been supported, among others, by the research carried out by Ulrich on the ability of surgical patients to recover when they were exposed to the sight of nature. Indeed, there is a growing body of research which confirms the benefits of interacting with nature in hospital settings. The results of such studies have helped to better define a new approach to design that benefits the psychophysical well-being of individuals and improves their health (i.e. biophilic design).

Discussion and evaluation

The aim of this article is to highlight the growing importance of a cultural change in the design of spaces aimed at reconnecting individuals with the patterns and processes of nature, both in the urban context and, in particular, in healthcare spaces. This study intends to contribute to the ongoing debate concerning a new architectural language for hospitals and to shed light on the key features of health-inducing buildings.

Conclusions

The global health challenges of the 21st century require a new way of thinking and a change in the organisation of healthcare services through an approach that considers human needs in their entirety, and not in a strictly therapeutic sense. According to several studies, the humanisation of healthcare spaces and contact with nature can empower the patient and have a positive impact by reducing stress and pain and improving emotional wellbeing. However, further studies are required not just in order to deepen our understanding of the human-nature relationship and its impact on health, but also to change our approach regarding patients’ health by considering a new vision of medicine, healthcare and healing environment.

Humanity evolves in close relation to nature and the quality of this relationship is reflected in the emotions, thought, culture, and health that every individual or society expresses. In modern times, however, the built space has been conceived and designed by giving nature a role that is not only marginal, but also irrelevant to the health and happiness of individuals (Kellert 2012 ). As early as the 1960s, in Silent Spring , Rachel Carson described the irreversible damage caused by the use of pesticides, foreseeing a scenario in which bees no longer danced on flowers, with no pollination nor fruits. Carson thereby started contemporary ecological thinking, and in the later The sense of wonder she argued: “What is the value of preserving and strengthening the sense of awe and wonder, the recognition of something beyond the boundaries of human experience? Is the exploration of the natural world just a pleasant way to pass the golden hours of childhood or is there something deeper? I am sure there is something deeper, something lasting and significant. Those who dwell […] among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life […] There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature” (Carson 1998 ).

This does not mean demonising the modern lifestyle or thinking that it is necessary to distance ourselves from cities, from built environments or from technological advancement. However, it is certainly necessary for urban design to have a design quality oriented to the physical and emotional reconnection with nature, its patterns and its processes.

In other words, the compatibility of a building with the needs of the contemporary city is not limited to the design of the physical structure, but it also includes the functions and relationships that it produces and its ability to communicate with the surrounding environment with an exchange of value, in synergy with the individuals who enjoy it as a space dedicated to housing, work, leisure, but also healthcare.

In spite of their being very insightful, Kevin Lynch’s and Jane Jacobs’s studies on orientation and perception, and those by Christopher Alexander on natural forms applied to architecture, ultimately failed to give proper recognition within urban planning culture to the importance of people’s emotional reactions to the built space. At the same time, the concept of environmental sustainability has been emptied of any meaning and has become one of the rhetoric expressions that permeate contemporary society.

As a matter of fact, the continuous erosion of the perceptual sphere of individuals through the standardisation of space has shown a resistance to change over time. The contemporary city—extensive and polycentric—gives the illusion of living in the green and in contact with nature but at the same time increases the ecological and environmental crisis of the territory. An urban space, in short, which is often described as the anti-city made of solitary buildings and land use (Totaforti 2017 ).

In contrast, the objective should be to pursue an urbanisation that is not in conflict with the natural environment, perhaps by adopting the best intuitions of well-established city planning on the one hand, and of landscape urbanism on the other. Such urbanisation expresses the characters of biophilic design, of biomimicry that sees nature as a “model, measure and mentor” (Benyus 1997 ), respecting the needs of individuals and contributing to building a liveable city, by promoting biodiversity and a greater connection with nature and with the other forms of life.

The very idea of biophilic design was actually born from the growing awareness that the mind and the human body develop within a “sensorially rich world” that is fundamental to people’s health and intellectual, emotional and spiritual well-being. Humanity evolves through adaptive responses to natural conditions and natural stimuli, such as sunlight, plants, animals, water and landscapes. In fairness, the age of technology has facilitated the conviction that humans can ignore their association with nature and that progress can be measured with the ability to transform the natural world. This illusion has encouraged the environmental degradation and the separation of humankind from natural systems and processes (Kellert et al. 2008 ). The dominant paradigm has become a growing alienation of humans from nature and a growing loss of the meaning of places (Kellert 2012 ). Mumford ( 2007 ) was one of the first to argue that urban concentration produces an emptying of the natural environment and that covering more and more roads with pavement and tarmac modifies the perception of individuals.

According to Galimberti, the origin of this condition is to be found in the idea that nature can be considered as the human dwelling, in the adoption of an anthropocentric vision—not far from the Judeo-Christian notion that inspired modern science—in which nature is defined in relation to humankind. The ecological question arises from the increasingly exasperated conflict between the ways in which humans affect the environment, by modifying it, and their being subjects to laws of nature that are outside their control. While depending on the environment, humans detach themselves from it with their ability to create alternative models, more or less distant from the natural one and sometimes opposed to it. The city is nothing but the artificial world that humans needed to create in order to ensure their survival. According to Bateson, the ecological crisis has been caused exactly by technical progress, population growth and a misguided approach, typical of western thinking, to the human-nature relationship, which does not recognize that the creature that manages to win against its own environment eventually destroys itself, since it moves away from the structure to which it innately belongs (Scandurra 2001 ).

The modern city developed from an unshakeable faith in technology that determined a definitive opposition to nature and that assumed a future scenario, to which it tends, where progress would save the world and free it from evil and suffering. Today, we are aware that the categories of modernity are increasingly inadequate to describe the present or to hypothesise the future, but the gaze of humans is short-sighted and they cannot find a way to reconcile themselves with nature and the environment to which they belong.

By virtue of being a man-made artificial environment, the city expresses this opposition, this conflict. David Orr describes this condition by pointing out that today “most [modern] buildings reflect no understanding of ecology or ecological processes. Most tell its users that knowing where they are is unimportant. Most tell its users that energy is cheap and abundant and can be squandered. Most are provisioned with materials and water and dispose of their waste in ways that tell its occupants that we are not part of the larger web of life. Most resonate with no part of our biology, evolutionary experience, or aesthetic sensibilities” (Kellert et al. 2008 ).

Recognising the importance of the need for change therefore means trying to minimise the impact that modern progress has on human health and the environment. Moreover, the broadest and most accredited definition of sustainability refers precisely to the integration of social, economic and environmental values. As John Elkington suggests, this is a multi-dimensional process that, however, has historically focused almost exclusively on the environmental aspect through, for instance, a design that is able to reduce the so-called “ecological footprint” of a building (Wackernagel and Rees 1996 ), and the economic aspect. This is evidenced by the extraordinary growth of the American Green Building Council (USGBC) with the rating that assesses the sustainability of buildings known as the LEED ( Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ) and its widespread presence at the forefront of the debate on urban sustainability. This is certainly an important aspect, but it is absolutely inadequate to achieve the goal of urban sustainability and of the health and well-being of society. On the contrary, the social dimension of sustainability has often been neglected. Only recently, some programs such as the Living Building Challenge or the WELL Building Standard have recognised the importance of the human dimension of sustainability by defining goals for health, air quality and beauty. It is therefore clear that sustainability, as a social value, is an underestimated aspect in the city’s design.

The main weakness of current sustainable design is therefore an approach overly focused on the “respect” of nature—which is therefore considered “other” than humankind—and on the ability to avoid harmful impacts of the built environment on the natural environment. In other words, the so-called ecological approach often translates into managerial technicalities, or what goes under the name of low environmental impact design. In spite of its importance, this view fails to meet the equally vital need of reducing the separation between humans and nature by improving the contact with processes related to the natural environment and building according to an approach that is culturally and ecologically geared towards human health and well-being.

True sustainability should therefore combine low environmental impact design with biophilic design (or positive environmental impact design) obtaining what is called restorative environmental design (Kellert et al. 2008 ). This is a paradigm aimed at reconstructing a harmonious relationship between humans and nature in the built environment. Within this framework, biophilic design arguably represents the missing element in sustainable design, which is still tied to an idea of nature understood more as an ethical value, than as a biologically given condition.

• Biophilic design

Talking about the spread of biophilic design principles within the contemporary city’s development needs a terminological premise. The term “biophilia” was used for the first time in the 1960s by Erich Fromm, to describe the tendency of humans to be attracted to everything that is alive and vital. According to Fromm’s socio-ecological analysis, biophilia was the result of humans’ non-disruptive relationship with the environment, based on the presence of three essential requirements: security, justice and freedom.

In 1980, the biologist Edward O. Wilson defined biophilia as “the inherent human inclination to affiliate with natural systems and processes, especially life and life-like features of the nonhuman environment” (Kellert et al. 2008 ). It is inherent because it does not come from experience, and it is emotional because it has the potential to influence aspects related to people’s psychological sphere and emotional health. Biophilia therefore indicates both an evolutionist adaptive character (i.e. the ability of the strongest to adapt to the conditions of the surrounding environment that has been transmitted through a stereotyped system of symbols common to the entire human race) and an emotion. It is therefore an extremely complex concept that refers to the relationship that has always bound humans to nature and the ability to respond to the stimuli that point to the origins of that relationship. We still find the landscapes resembling the African savannah—which has been a human habitat for 2 million years—pleasant and reassuring, and we design urban green areas following the same pattern: low and ordered vegetation, with small woods and large isolated trees (Barbiero and Berto 2016 ).

Architecture has often contributed to distancing humans from nature through the use of artificial and predictable forms. This has, in turn, generated the illusion of relegating nature to parks, forests, and natural reserves: one could think, for example, of the strict geometric rules of modern architecture, which often overlook the relation of buildings with the natural world within which they are placed. In addition, the quality of the built environment in contemporary cities has emphasised the isolation of individuals from the experience of natural systems and processes (Kellert 2005 ). In fairness, the relationship that links human beings to nature cannot be reduced to a subject/object relationship, as humans are part of the same nature that they seeks to reduce to an object (Cesario 2014 ). In this sense, nature is not only irrational or otherwise defined in opposition to a symbolically and spatially codified city, but represents the original context in which humankind is immersed and to which it innately belongs.

Biophilic design, therefore, is based on the attempt to transfer the innate inclination of individuals towards natural systems and processes—biophilia (Kellert et al. 2008 )—in the urban project, trying to overcome the difficulties associated both with the ability to understand the true character of this inclination, and the ability to identify innovative approaches that can be used by planners and developers. Kellert has identified two main dimensions of biophilic design: the organic or naturalistic dimensions (the forms of the built environment that refer directly, indirectly or symbolically to nature) and a place-based or vernacular dimension (when the built environment or landscape refer to the culture of a given territory). According to Kellert, the two dimensions are linked to six biophilic design elements (environmental features; natural shape and forms; natural patterns and processes; light and space; place-based relationships; evolved human-nature relationships) which are in turn found in more than 70 biophilic design attributes (Kellert 2012 ). This categorisation is certainly evolving and continues to be enriched by the outcomes of studies conducted in different disciplines (just think of 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design , Browning et al. 2014 ), but so far it has had the merit of systematising for the first time an innovative approach with the goal of enriching the concept of sustainability and reconnecting the built environment with the well-being of individuals.

Benefits of biophilic design in hospital settings

The positive effects on the health and performance of human beings in response to biophilic design of the built environment have been verified by extensive scientific studies in different settings: healthcare facilities, workplaces, children’s spaces, community spaces, etc. The reflection on the principles of biophilic design is particularly interesting when it is applied to healthcare facilities. This is not only due to the high rate of critical and stress factors in hospitals for patients, their families as well as healthcare professionals, but also because the hospital and the city are two separate but interconnected systems, which are visited and used by the same individuals. This relationship is characterised by a certain exceptionality that is precisely due to the isolation of the hospital structure, which is essential to enable the medical practice. The shape of the contemporary hospital has evolved from its initial division into pavilions that almost created a city within the city, to the present-day single-block buildings. This form and organisation have been encouraged and homogenised in Europe since the 1930s with totalitarianism; one may think of the architecture of healthcare facilities during Fascism, in particular tuberculosis sanatoriums to deal with typical poverty-related diseases. These developments have led to the gradual standardisation of healthcare practices for citizens as an affirmation of a democratic principle that was gradually strengthened in Europe since the 1950s, with the introduction of welfare policies. At the same time, the hospital’s architectural design has undergone major changes since the second half of the 20th century. These are certainly linked to the role the hospital has in contemporary society, but also to the recovery of values that are no longer just quantitative and functional, contrary to what happened until the first half of the 20th century. These “new values” translate into a “humanised” vision of spaces that, together with the latest technological discoveries and new treatment and care protocols, influence design choices in contemporary hospitals.

In other words, the change in direction happens with the transition from functions to experience, such that the city and the hospital tend to become increasingly similar, not so much for the hospital structure approaching the urban forms but for the inverse process. Architecture and the city enter the hospital redefining the dimension of the hospital through a progressive introduction, in addition to the diagnostic and therapeutic functions, of commercial, informational and recreational features that have redefined the sense of space and the role of the institution in its territory.

One of the first examples of this trend was the Harlem Hospital Pavilion project in New York with the creation, promoted in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration, of murals that depicted the history of working and leisure activities of the African-American population (the African diaspora from 18th-century African village life to slavery in America to 20th-century freedom). The hospital, in fact, plays a catalyst role within the urban environment, strives to reflect the common culture and tries to recuperate it and make it compatible with its identity. It therefore reflects the characteristics of the space and time in which it is located.

What clearly emerges in the historical and social evolution of hospital design and its relationship with the urban space and the people living in it and passing through it is that the hospital is a privileged place of research to highlight not only the advancement of scientific and medical knowledge (and how these affect quality of life indicators), but also the change in the relationship between humans, the built environment and nature.

However, this is a slow and inconsistent process often determined more by far-sighted physicians and the management of individual hospitals, than by a shared and repeatable approach to space design. This scenario reflects the ever-increasing polarisation between large hospitals with highly qualified staff and specialised equipment, where, at the same time, it is often possible to obtain a comfortable environment for the well-being of patients; and small local hospitals that have limited operating and diagnostic capabilities and are only peripheral nodes in the public healthcare network.

As a matter of fact, in most cases, the design of modern hospitals is still geared towards defining spaces in which the only design goal is the precise definition of environments that ensure the proper operation of clinical and surgical procedures, and only in the best-case scenarios, efficient organisational and administrative functions. Hospital architecture often still reflects medical and healthcare practices from the past: these technically and scientifically complex environments are characterised by information asymmetry, which at the same time expresses and defines the relationship between doctors and patients; this asymmetry emerges from a system of temporal and spatial rules that often sees users confused and disoriented, in a state of psychological inferiority to healthcare staff and the care environment in general. At the same time, hospitals are a crucial element of the public healthcare system, both from an economic and organisational standpoint, and from a symbolic point of view, as recognisable institutions in the community.

In fact, since the days of Cà Granda di Filarete in Milan or of Brunelleschi’s Ospedale degli Innocenti in Florence, the hospital is not only an expression of the culture and sensitivity of designers, but also expresses a symbolic value attributed to it by the community that it is home to, which defines it as a monument, with a precise identity within the urban fabric. This symbolic value coincides with the functional and physical value given by the form, the materials and the internal order. After all, since as early as the Middle Ages, the life of the city itself has been revolving around the hospital in a mixture of religious, civil, ethical, political, economic and financial interests (Bevilacqua 2017 ).

The hospital remains a place that is not easily permeable to external culture, and despite the interventions of humanisation of spaces aimed at a broader hospitality and the process of interpenetration with the city, it is still a separate world in which the patient fails to fully perceive the organisational rules. At the same time, it is true that the interventions of humanisation have introduced the value of beauty and the recovery of the relationship between humans and nature in the architecture of the hospital, alongside the more economical and social factors. A beauty understood not as an end, from a Kantian perspective, but as an ethical way to allow the individual, as a temporary guest of the hospital, to accept the set of space-time rules that regulate it and be in an emotional condition that facilitates recovery and care (Tartaglia 2009 ).

A place perceived as dialogic, welcoming, understandable, aesthetically attractive and relaxing promotes the development of a greater sense of trust and activates a positive feedback to the information and the stimulations coming from outside. Stress factors for patients in therapeutic environments are generally related to the inability to control the surroundings, especially in terms of physical and organisational spaces and timings of the place of care. Other stress factors include the lack of privacy, the presence of unfamiliar and often disturbing or potentially anxiogenic sounds and noises, artificial lighting with a low comfort level, and intense environmental smells, which are often familiar due to the association in the lives of most people with the experience of illness.

Design has only recently started to adopt the patients’ point of view, considering not only their physical, but also their social and psychological needs; this has prompted interventions aimed at enhancing the physical, sensory and psychological comfort, improving wayfinding systems and increasing the clarity of the meanings communicated by space design.

Modifying hospitals’ design by humanising spaces and especially through reconnecting with nature offers a therapeutic support that can positively impact on the patients’ psychological and physical well-being; it can also improve their ability to recover, with varying results depending on the different levels of treatment (diagnosis, therapy, recovery) and on the disease in question. At the same time, space design can improve the efficiency levels of an organisation and contribute to economic benefits, both because the staff’s well-being increases, and because it reduces health-related costs. Rooms with plants (especially roses), natural ventilation and light, the sight of, and contact with, nature increase the staff’s productivity and organisational capability. These biophilic design choices also boost the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system, thereby decreasing stress levels and encouraging a general sense of well-being. By promoting staff’s health, biophilic design helps to reduce sick leave, while improving satisfaction and attention levels (Browning et al. 2012 ; Heerwagen 2000 ; Raanaas et al. 2011 ; Ikei et al. 2014 ; Nieuwenhuis et al. 2014 ).

Moreover, extensive research that is supported by rigourous empirical data has shown that the beneficial effects of biophilic design are not only found through architectural solutions that encourage direct contact with the external natural environment, but are also obtainable by inserting green or elements of biophilic design within the interior spaces. Such interventions, especially if integrated, allow patients to better manage their emotions, fears and anxieties related to disease. Positive effects have also been verified from the physical standpoint.

One of the earliest studies on the subject was conducted by Ulrich in the 1980s. From an analysis of the medical records of some surgical patients in a Pennsylvania hospital between 1972 and 1981, Ulrich noted that those who could see from their window a natural landscape had significant beneficial effects. In particular, patients with a room overlooking a green area had a shorter post-operation hospitalisation and lower use of analgesics compared to patients who were in similar rooms, but overlooking a built environment. According to Ulrich’s research, looking at greenery and nature reduces hospitalisation time by 8% (Ulrich 1984 ).

Subsequent international studies have confirmed that 95% of patients and families exposed to direct contact with nature reported lowered stress levels, more positive thoughts and increased coping ability (Marcus and Barnes 1995 ). In addition, plants in rooms and rooftop gardens in hospitals improve patients’ psychological response to treatment, with lower levels of pain, anxiety and fatigue (Park and Mattson 2008 ; Matsunaga et al. 2011 ). Fractal structures and, more generally, natural patterns and shapes instigate a reduction of stress levels due to the stimulation of μ-opioid receptors, which are responsible for pleasure (Biederman and Vessel 2006 ).

Natural light affects serotonin levels, inducing a lessened perception of pain in patients. A 22% reduction in the use of analgesics and a 21% drop in healthcare costs was observed. Moreover, natural light has positive effects on patients undergoing chemotherapy (Walch et al. 2005 ; Liu et al. 2005 ).

Several studies have also demonstrated that the use of natural materials improves the patients’ perception of environmental quality and their recovery from illness. This is because natural materials enhance visual comfort (as they absorb more light than they reflect), and have positive effects on olfactory comfort (for instance through essential wood oils), creativity, overall health and the immune system (Tsunetsugu et al. 2013 ; Li 2010 ; McCoy and Evans 2002 ).

The results of these research projects contribute to defining the concept of “humanisation” of hospitals as “a therapeutic practice that leads to looking at the patient taking fully into account the person’s integrity, encouraging his or her participatory and active role in the therapeutic path and in the social structure of the hospital” (Spinelli et al. 1994 ). The humanisation of hospitals therefore involves the design of interventions aimed at redefining the environment both with regard to the organisational and therapeutic aspect, and, more generally, to how the hospital is experienced by patients and visitors.

The Scottish painter, writer and landscapist Maggie Keswick was a great believer in the importance of attending to the needs related to the psychophysical well-being of patients, especially in the case of degenerative diseases. She was determined to make the experience of her own illness the manifesto of a revolutionary cultural change. In the last few months of her life, she worked with Frank Gehry to the design of the Cancer Caring Centers that now carry her name. In her view, the patient needs psychological support and therapies that can reduce and mitigate stress, in addition to seeking a cosy atmosphere, spaces full of light and contact with nature. The aesthetic quality of the hospital can therefore help patients to better endure their disease. Many archistars have designed Maggie’s Centers pro bono: Frank Gehry has designed the center in Dundee, Scotland, Zaha Hadid the Kirkcaldy Fife near Edinburgh, Roger Stirk Harbour and landscape designer Dan Pearson have conceived London’s Maggie’s Center and many more have been created in recent years.

What is striking in Keswick’s words is the narration of space and the surrounding environment. Hospitals can often go against the needs of their visitors: lighting from above (sometimes even neon lights), indoor spaces with no outside view and scarce seating, often placed along the walls and increasing the levels of mental and physical stress of patients (Jencks and Heathcote 2010 ).

However, biophilic design is much more complex than a window overlooking nature or the presence of plants in the waiting halls or inside the hospital rooms. Recently, 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design (Browning et al. 2014 ) identified a broad view of biophilic design tools and applications as well as opportunities to increase the health and well-being of individuals for the different care levels (stress reduction, cognitive performance and emotion and mood enhancement).

In particular, when it comes to biophilic design, it is possible to convey or promote different types of experiences within hospital spaces. According to Browning et al. the 14 biophilic design patterns can be organized into three categories to illustrate the enhancement of user experience and its biological responses, and potential impacts in different care levels: nature in the space, natural analogues and nature of the space. First, the direct experience of nature (nature in the space) that refers to real contact with nature in the built environment, such as the presence of natural light (positively impacted circadian system functioning, Figueiro et al. 2011 ; Beckett and Roden 2009 ), thermal and airflow variability (positively impacted comfort and well-being, Heerwagen 2006 ; Tham and Willem 2005 ; positively impacted concentration, Hartig et al. 2003 ), presence of water (reduced stress, increased feeling of tranquillity, lower heart rate and blood pressure, Alvarsson and Wiens 2010 ; Pheasant et al. 2010 ; Biederman and Vessel 2006 ), or the visual connection with nature for instance through abundance of plants and vegetation indoors or view of natural landscapes (lowered blood pressure and heart rate, Brown et al. 2013 ; van den Berg et al. 2007 ; Tsunetsugu and Miyazaki 2005 ).

It is also possible to conceive interventions aimed at facilitating an indirect experience of nature, referring to the contact with the representation or the image of nature or the exposure of individuals to particular patterns and processes that are typical of the natural world (natural analogues). This type of experience refers to the use of natural materials, the choice of colours that are typical of the natural world, the reproduction of natural forms (decreased diastolic blood pressure, Tsunetsugu et al. 2007 ; improved creative performance, Lichtenfeld et al. 2012 ).

Lastly, the nature of the space can affect the experience of patients and visitors through spaces and places. In fact, biophilic design can influence the relationship between the hospital environment and its users, producing positive effects on human health and the feeling of well-being. This can be achieved, for instance, through the use of perspective in interior spaces (which amplifies the perception of the surrounding space), while at the same time conveying a sense of protection (reduced stress, Grahn and Stigsdotter 2010 ). Other means to ensure patients’ comfort include the proper design of the organised complexity found in hospitals: due to their functions and roles, hospitals are by their very nature complex spaces; however, patients and visitors should perceive that they are organised in such a way that the options and opportunities available to them are presented in clear, understandable and consistent manners, e.g. by means of effective orientation and wayfinding systems that should ensure informative comfort.

Browning et al.'s classification of the nature-design relationship applied to hospital design provides a useful framework to understand how to best systematically integrate the individual’s experience into the design process and the benefits that derive from it.

However, the analysis of the relationship between the individuals and the hospital space must also consider a further pattern (Downton et al. 2016 , 2017 ). Virtual connection with nature represents the pattern that can provide an increasingly immersive experience of nature, thanks to technological innovation that in the last few years has brought the use of advanced virtual reality (VR) tools to the consumer market.

Up to the present day, the main applications of VR envisaged in the medical domain concerned typically surgical training, post-stroke rehabilitation and the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Ongoing studies aim at defining a methodology for integrating VR into biophilic design (including personalised options) in treatment settings (for example, in Italy the project Exploring the therapeutic benefits of biophilic design in hospital settings , carried out by ReLab and Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, Rome, 2017). As a matter of fact, it is necessary to define and measure the positive effects of the artificial connection with nature and its processes on the patients’ well-being, depending on the various conditions, both with regard to distraction capacity, and pain reduction.

In 1859, Florence Nightingale was already talking about the positive effect of light, colour and hospital environment on the body—and therefore on the illness—and not just on the minds of patients. However, although extensive scientific literature has demonstrated a very tight link between the environment and the increase in the effectiveness of treatment, still little attention is paid to the design quality of hospital facilities (Rosen 1993 ).

The hospital is not just a place of therapeutic knowledge, research and technological innovation, but also a place where professional and human relationships are activated. The final report of the World Health Organization, UNICEF ( 1978 ) specifies in the first chapter: “The Conference strongly reaffirms that health, which is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, is a fundamental human right and that the attainment of the highest possible level of health is a most important world-wide social goal whose realization requires the action of many other social and economic sectors in addition to the health sector”.

Already then, there was a strong belief in the necessity of producing a change in the organisation of healthcare services through an approach that considered human needs in their entirety and not merely with respect to the treatment of the disease in a strictly therapeutic sense. The humanisation process of healthcare spaces, as highlighted above, entails the adherence to a holistic approach that considers people, spaces and activities not only as individual components of a system, but rather as elements in relation to each other. The hospital’s architectural design incorporates a vision of the future of healthcare that needs to consider what care could or should be.

In most cases, however, there is no innovative architectural design that looks at how spaces contribute to the conceptualisation of the disease and how they affect the daily actions of residents and visitors, and that is capable of supporting the well-being of patients through the attention to multisensoriality and the integration of natural elements.

In the last few years, several projects have envisaged hospitals not only as containers of functions, but also as expressions of cultural and social value. However, many of these new projects and of those that have been conducted since the 1990s seem to speak a double language. On the one hand, the language of space aesthetics, that aims to create a comfortable environment, more or less dependent on evidence-based design and biophilic design; on the other hand, the language of medical science that dictates the necessity for sterile and efficient spaces, that do not consider patients’ emotional needs.

Still, the opposition of medical science clashes with the new patient-centred approach, which sees patients as “competent” subjects within the therapeutic relationship, who exert their right to be satisfied in their roles as guests/clients, both in terms of the diagnosis and treatment that they receive, and in terms of their expectations related to comfortable clinical and hospital spaces.

As a consequence, the present time does not seem to be able to define a prevalent typological model. Ironically, the last typological model that could clearly express its identity within the urban structure was the one of soulless, efficient and alienating megastructures of the second half of the 20th century.

Otherwise, if we also include projects that were never completed, one could think of Le Corbusier’s New Venice hospital project. Today, the landscape is quite complex and shows models of the recent past, maybe partly updated especially in connection with existing buildings, along with new trends and experimental projects, that however do not point in a single direction.

In contrast, what one can actually see is a wide range of experiences, that are more or less influenced by scientific evidence, spanning the gamut from space humanisation (certainly not a new concept, but that is reinterpreted over time according to the prevailing culture), to the idea that cures and therapies are a form of consumption (and, at times, of luxury consumption), to the attempt to use the architectural project to reconnect humans with nature to improve psychological and physical well-being, to performative and sensory design.

However, what is missing is an overall notion of healthcare and, therefore, in some cases, of the very identity and of the role of the institution as it is perceived by the population. But, above all, what is needed is the awareness that biophilic design is not only about integrating plants into the built environment (for example, green walls, green roofs, plants in rooms, etc.), but consists of a more complex experience (as clearly shown by Browning et al.'s 14 patterns) that is founded on the correct understanding of the human–nature relationship.

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Simona Totaforti is Associate Professor of Urban Sociology at Università per stranieri Dante Alighieri-Reggio Calabria, Italy and director of ReLab-Studies of Urban Re-Evolution, an international and interdisciplinary research and design center based in Rome with a focus on people, health and the urban ecosystem. ReLab mainly conducts research on the healthy city, biophilic design and the design of healthcare spaces to promote significant social, environmental and economic benefits.

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Biophilic architecture: revolutionizing senior living spaces.

Biophilic architecture, a concept that incorporates natural elements into the built environment, is revolutionizing the way we think and design senior care facilities.

Senior living spaces have traditionally been designed with functionality in mind, often overlooking the importance of creating environments that connect residents with nature. However, a new trend in architecture, known as biophilic design , is transforming the way we approach building environments for older people. In this blog, let’s explore how this revolutionary design philosophy is reshaping how we envision and create environments for the aging population, along with some design tips on seamlessly incorporating biophilic architecture in senior living spaces!

What is biophilic architecture?

Biophilic architecture is based on the concept of biophilia, which suggests that humans have an innate connection to nature. This design philosophy incorporates natural elements, materials, and lighting into buildings to create a connection between humans and nature. This approach focuses on creating spaces that enhance the well-being and productivity of occupants by bringing elements of the outdoors inside.

7 main principles of biophilic architecture

As architects and urban planners increasingly embrace biophilic principles, it's crucial to understand the core concepts behind this innovative design philosophy. Let’s take a look at the seven main principles of biophilic architecture:

• Nature in the space: Incorporating natural elements like plants, water, and light directly into the design fosters a sense of connection to the natural world. For example, indoor gardens, aquariums, and large windows that provide views of nature. 
• Natural shapes and forms: Utilizing natural forms and shapes, such as undulating lines and organic shapes, mimics the structures found in nature. This approach helps to create more visually pleasing and comforting spaces.
• Natural patterns and textures: Using textures and patterns found in nature, such as wood grains, stone surfaces, and fractal patterns, engages the senses and provides a tactile connection to nature, enhancing the sensory experience of the space. These can be incorporated into walls, floors, and furniture. 
• Light and shadow: Designing with natural light and the interplay of light and shadow creates dynamic and engaging environments. This principle not only improves the aesthetic quality of a space but also positively impacts mood and circadian rhythms.
• Color: Using natural color palettes inspired by the outdoors, such as earth tones, greens, and blues, creates a calming and welcoming environment. These colors are known to have a soothing effect on the mind, contributing to a sense of peace and relaxation.
• Views: Ensuring that spaces have views of natural landscapes connects residents with the outdoors, even when they are indoors. These spaces can have views of natural landscapes, whether through windows, balconies, or even strategic placement of mirrors to reflect outdoor scenes. 
• Connection to nature: Creating direct and indirect connections to nature includes not only physical elements like plants and water features but also sensory experiences like the sound of water, the smell of flowers, and the texture of natural materials. These connections enrich the living environment and promote a holistic sense of well-being.

Benefits of biophilic architecture for senior living

Seniors often face challenges related to physical and mental well-being, and the integration of biophilic elements into architectural design can greatly enhance their overall quality of life. The benefits of biophilic design in senior living extend beyond aesthetics. Let's take a closer look:

• Improved mental health: Regular exposure to nature has been shown to lower cortisol levels, reduce stress, and promote a peaceful state of mind. Natural elements like light, greenery, and water can also improve mood and cognitive function, benefiting seniors struggling with mental health.
• Enhanced physical health: Access to outdoor spaces and nature trails also encourages physical activity, maintaining mobility, strength, and cardiovascular health in seniors. Natural environments can also boost the immune system, as the presence of plants can improve air quality by filtering out toxins and producing oxygen.
• Increased social interaction: Communal areas designed with nature in mind encourage social interaction . Gardens, courtyards, and atriums serve as gathering spots, helping combat loneliness and fostering a sense of community. This helps fight sadness and isolation, which are common issues among seniors.
• Cognitive benefits: Nature exposure has been shown to improve cognitive function . Seniors can benefit from better memory retention and mental clarity in environments that include natural elements like indoor gardens and water features.
• Enhanced healing environments: The presence of nature in living spaces can create more healing environments. Studies have shown that patients recover faster and with fewer complications when they have access to natural views and elements. This can be particularly beneficial in senior living spaces where residents may be recovering from surgeries or illnesses. Exposure to nature has also been linked to reduced pain perception.

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How to design biophilic architecture for senior living spaces.

Incorporating biophilic design in senior living spaces involves more than just adding a few plants. It requires a thoughtful approach to design that considers the unique needs of seniors. Here are some key elements to consider:

1. Natural light

Maximizing natural light is crucial for senior living spaces. Large windows, skylights, and open floor plans help regulate circadian rhythms, improving sleep and overall well-being. For example, positioning communal areas and dining rooms to receive plenty of daylight can make these spaces more inviting and energizing. You can also incorporate sunrooms and solariums, providing residents with a bright and sunny place to spend time, even during colder months. 

2. Greenery

Incorporate plants and green walls into indoor spaces to create a connection to nature and improve air quality. Ensure that residents can access gardens and outdoor areas to encourage physical activity and interaction with nature. For instance, rooftop gardens can provide urban senior living facilities with green spaces without requiring additional land. Indoor plants can also improve air quality and create a more pleasant living environment.

3. Water features

Include elements like fountains or ponds to provide calming, natural sounds. Indoor water walls or small indoor ponds can also be used in common areas to create a tranquil environment. The sound of water can have a soothing effect, reducing stress and promoting relaxation.

4. Natural materials

Use materials such as wood, stone, and bamboo to create a warm, natural feel, contributing to a cozy and inviting atmosphere. Wood floors and furniture, stone fireplaces, and bamboo flooring are examples of how these materials can be incorporated into the design. Natural materials not only look and feel natural but also help create a connection to the outdoors.

5. Views of nature

Design spaces with views of gardens, trees, or water to connect residents with the outdoors. Strategic placement of windows to capture scenic views can also make a significant difference. This connection to the outside world can enhance residents' mood and overall sense of well-being . For instance, positioning resident rooms and common areas to overlook gardens or natural landscapes can enhance the living environment.

6. Multi-sensory experience

Incorporating elements that engage multiple senses can enhance the biophilic experience. This includes using materials and features that provide auditory, tactile, and olfactory stimulation. Examples include using natural fabrics for upholstery, incorporating wind chimes or bird songs, and planting fragrant flowers.

7. Connection to nature

Ensure that indoor and outdoor spaces are designed to encourage interaction with nature. This can include creating outdoor seating areas, walking paths, and spaces for gardening. Encouraging residents to spend time outdoors can improve physical health and enhance their sense of well-being.

8. Outdoor access

Ensuring easy access to outdoor spaces encourages physical activity and interaction with nature. Pathways, patios, and garden areas should be designed to be easily accessible for seniors, including those with mobility issues. Covered walkways and shaded seating areas can make outdoor spaces more usable year-round.

9. Natural color palettes

Using color palettes inspired by nature, such as earth tones, greens, and blues, creates a calming and welcoming environment. These colors can be used in wall paint, furnishings, and décor to evoke a sense of peace and relaxation. For example, using soft green walls and blue accents can create a serene atmosphere reminiscent of a forest or ocean.  

Future trends in biophilic senior living spaces

What does the future hold for senior living spaces in terms of design and well-being? As society becomes more attuned to the benefits of biophilic elements in our surroundings, the trends in senior living facilities are also evolving to incorporate these trends. Let’s take a look at some of them below:

• Virtual Reality (VR): One study reveals using VR provides immersive nature experiences among seniors and young adults. This technology can simulate walks through forests or beaches, offering a sense of being in nature even when outdoor access is limited.
• Smart gardening systems: Automated watering and lighting systems for indoor gardens ensure that plants thrive with minimal maintenance, making it easier to incorporate greenery into senior living spaces.
• Biophilic technology: Innovative technologies like green walls with integrated irrigation systems, biophilic lighting that mimics natural daylight patterns, and advanced air purification systems using natural filtration methods are becoming more common.
• Holistic wellness programs: Integrating biophilic design with wellness programs that focus on physical, mental, and emotional health. This includes activities like yoga in the garden, nature walks, and outdoor meditation sessions.
• Community engagement: Encouraging community engagement through biophilic design. This can include creating spaces for communal gardening, outdoor dining areas, and nature-based art and craft activities. Engaging with nature as a community can strengthen social bonds

Master biophilic architecture with BD+C

Biophilic architecture in senior living spaces is essential for promoting health and well-being among the elderly. Incorporating elements of nature into the design, such as natural lighting, greenery, and natural materials, can provide senior living spaces with a sense of connection to the outdoors and improve residents' overall quality of life. With the expertise of BD+C in biophilic architecture, you can create and design environments that support physical and mental well-being for not just the aging population but for everyone as well.

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FAQs about biophilic architecture for senior living

Let’s now address some commonly asked questions surrounding biophilic design in senior living to help you make informed decisions for creating a nurturing and rejuvenating living environment for seniors. Let’s take a look at some of them below:

What is the difference between biophilic architecture and green architecture

Biophilic architecture centers on the human experience and connection to nature , emphasizing incorporating natural elements, such as plants, water, and natural light, to improve occupants' well-being. In contrast, green architecture focuses on minimizing buildings' environmental impact, prioritizing energy efficiency, the use of sustainable materials, and reducing carbon footprints.

What types of plants are best suited for indoor use in senior living spaces?

Low-maintenance, non-toxic plants such as spider plants, snake plants, and peace lilies are ideal for indoor use. These plants are easy to care for and improve indoor air quality.

What are some easy and cost-effective ways to incorporate biophilic elements into senior living spaces?

Simple additions like indoor plants, nature-themed artwork, natural light optimization, and the use of natural colors and textures can significantly enhance the biophilic atmosphere without major renovations.

Read next for more senior living BD+C content

• The growing importance of cultural representation in senior living communities
• Senior living: 4 themes, 9 trends
• Not your grandparents’ senior living community: Redefining aging in place  

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