The Biophilic Concept
- Jan 7, 2023
- 3 min read
So what actually is biophilia? and why should we be incorporating the concept into our lives?
Humans innate attraction towards the natural environment. E.O. Wilson
Wilson popularised the idea of biophilia in his 1984 book 'Biophilia'. The ideas of biophilia can be seen throughout history from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the free formed nature-inspired architecture of Gaudi. Recently green and sustainability driven design are in hot trend, biophilic design ties into these, most obviously with the increase of plants in the built environment. Plants are overhauling coffee shops and biophilia is the idea backing why you love the environment so much.
So, how can we incorporate these design ideas easily into our lives?
Below are a few inexpensive and easily achievable ideas.
1. Potted plants - House plants are available almost anywhere these days, so it shouldn't be too hard to get a hold of one. Spider plants are one of my favourites, and they're relatively easy to look after, grow quickly and form smaller 'baby' spider plants; these can be re-potted to give you more plants.
2. Lamps - lighting that mimics the lux of the sun is great for your well-being as they can help to re-align your body's natural circadian rhythm. I find an alarm clock with a light that gradually increases to mimic the sunrise very helpful if you're, like myself, a late riser trying to be a morning person!
3. Décor - Natural colours, textures and materials. An aspect of biophilic design, natural materials have shown to have benefits for strong well-being.
Some larger projects
1. Good daylight - you don't need to convert the entire south side of your house into a window to achieve good natural light. If you're considering a larger change to your living space such as the addition of a new window consider which spaces you spend most of the day time in to gain better benefits. If you work at home consider a window or skylight by your desk. - note that larger windows often can make small spaces seem larger, so don't be afraid to go bigger. Viewing the sunrise and sunset can also help to re-align your body with its natural circadian rhythm (built-in body clock) - try leaving your curtains slightly open or a light fabric curtain to let some of the natural light in to wake you up in the mornings.
2. Air quality and air flow - Air ventilation systems can be fantastic, otherwise, manual (opening your windows) can create a better environment. Cross ventilation (one side of the room to the other) and stack ventilation (upwards, i.e. an open stairway) encourage the circulation of airflow.
3. Wellbeing programmes in the workplace - According to PayScale the average person spends 13 years and 2 months in the workplace, whilst only 328 days socialising with friends, so it's fair to say that your work environment plays a significant effect on your daily wellbeing. If you work for a large company, it is likely that there is a well-being programme in place - if not, a few easy introductions you could recommend include; bringing potted plants into the office, social activities (i.e. breakfast morning, paintball day, after work drinks), ergonomic desk equipment (the BCA announced that 33% of Brits took at least one day off of work in 2019 as a result of back or neck pain - regular breaks and ergonomic desks, chairs and screens can reduce this).
It has been found that semi-open plan office layouts promote a good work environment. A variety of spaces - casual sofas and ergonomic semi-cubic desks, combined with private rooms promotes better focus. Bright white lighting creates an energetic environment, whilst low lux and warm yellows create a slower and more comfortable space.
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