Nature is Your New Roommate: The Benefits of Biophilic Design

Nature is Your New Roommate: The Benefits of Biophilic Design

When you step into a room where sunlight spills onto the floor, plants drape from the ceiling, and fresh-picked flowers grace the table, how do you feel? If you’re like most people, you become more relaxed and happier. Several studies have shown that being surrounded by nature can reduce anxiety, relieve stress, and make you happier and more creative. However, according to the EPA’s Report on the Environment, the average American spends over 90% of their time indoors. Spending so much time trapped indoors can be dangerous for our health and wellbeing. How do we combat the negative effects of staying inside? This is where biophilic design becomes a key solution.

“Biophilic design is derived from the word ‘biophilia’ which essentially means humanity’s innate love of nature and living things.”

Biophilic design is derived from the word “biophilia” which essentially means humanity’s innate love of nature and living things. Biophilic design is a concept for bringing our connection with the natural environment into architecture, including in homes, offices, hospitals, and other buildings. The three major categories of biophilic design are Nature in the Space, Nature of the Space, and Natural Analogues. Nature in the Space means physically bringing nature inside: plants, flowers, trees, and sometimes animals. Nature of the Space includes bringing natural processes inside the space: circadian rhythms (by using lighting patterns that replicate the outdoors), comforting nooks, and intentional open spaces. Natural Analogues are architectural features that mimic nature’s textures, colors, shapes, patterns, and materials. Examples of Natural Analogues include mushroom-shaped pillars, curved ceilings, and stone-shaped chairs. Incorporating nature through each of these 3 categories creates a cohesive biophilic design.

You might be wondering: “why is this important?” Why do you need more greenery in your house or office? Bringing nature inside has many positive consequences. Biophilic design can improve one’s physical and mental health, bring sustainability to the forefront, and even be financially beneficial. So, pull up a chair (or mossy log), and let’s talk about the benefits of biophilic design.

Physical Health

Other than the more evident physical advantages to spending time around nature, there are other less- known reasons that biophilic design can improve your overall physical health. Trees, especially, can have healing effects on our heart rate and stress levels. Researchers have already found this through the success of a practice called “Shirin-yoku” or forest-bathing. “Shirin-yoku is the ancient Japanese practice of restorative walks through natural settings, most often forests.” Including trees in interior design has similar positive effects as forest-bathing because trees produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) called phytoncides. While some VOCs are pollutants, phytoncides are proven to have several positive effects on humans. A study conducted by Italian researchers found that “inhaling forest VOCs like limonene and pinene can result in useful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on the airways.” A Japanese study found positive health benefits of phytoncides as well. Human participants, between the ages of 37 and 60, stayed at an urban hotel where phytoncides were produced by a humidifier to test the effects on human NK (Natural Killer) cell activity. Higher levels of NK cells are beneficial to the human body because they kill tumor cells. At the end of the study, it was found that phytoncide exposure increases the percentage of NK cells and cell activity in the body.

How does biophilic design factor in? By bringing trees inside a building, the amount of phytoncides increases. In addition to the health benefits already mentioned, biophilic design can also help improve quality of sleep and strengthen the immune system. According to three different studies (two from 2018 and one from 2017), spending time in nature boosts the immune system. The physical benefits of being around nature inspired a hotel in Singapore to embrace biophilic design. The Khoo Teck Puat Hospital has sixteen gardens, including one which grows organic fruits and vegetables for the patients, and seven hundred species of native plants on the premises. After surveying patients, staff, and visitors of the hospital, over 80% of respondents said hospitals should incorporate greenery and natural elements.While biophilic design has impressive physical health benefits, the positive impact it has on mental health is equally notable.

Mental Health

“...over 80% of respondents said hospitals should incorporate greenery and natural elements.”

The main ways in which biophilic design can improve your mental health are by affecting your stress levels, attention span, and anxiety, depression, and ADHD symptoms. Part of these positive results are due to phytoncides. The aforementioned Japanese study found, “Phytoncide exposure decreased the scores for tension/anxiety, depression, anger/ hostility, fatigue, and confusion in the POMS test; however, there was a significant decrease only in the score of fatigue.” The POMS mentioned here is the “Profile of Mood States” test which was used to research the mood changes of each participant before, during, and after their hotel stay. Similarly, a Malaysian study during COVID-19 testing anxiety, stress, and depression levels after nature exercise (15 participants) and nature therapy (15 participants) found that nature therapy was more successful in reducing anxiety, stress, and depression. Nature therapy can be practiced in a biophilic design environment, as in this study it was tested in areas of urban greenery.

In her TED Talk titled “Prescribing Nature for Health,” pediatrician Nooshin Razami states, “After 15-20 minutes walking through trees, you will have a longer attention span, you can solve more complicated cognitive tests and puzzles. After 3 days, the prefrontal cortex relaxes – it resets – and that’s when you have your most creative and productive time.” In other words, if you spend just 3 days immersing yourself in the forest, your mind becomes more relaxed and productive. A 2019 study conducted at Harvard University used VR office settings to test physiological stress and anxiety levels in 100 participants. The subjects were exposed to a “stressor” and then allowed to virtually explore one of four office environments. One of these office environments was non-biophilic; the other three had various aspects of biophilic design. One was titled “indoor green” and featured plant life on the floor and walls. Another was titled “outdoor view” and included a long-distance natural view of trees, water, and grass. The last was titled “combination” and included both an outdoor view and plant life inside the room. The researchers concluded: “Generally, biophilic environments had larger restorative impacts than non-biophilic environments in terms of reducing physiological stress and psychological anxiety level.” These results indicate that biophilic design is an effective tool in combating stress and anxiety, which would be especially beneficial in office and hospital settings.

“If you spend just 3 days immersing yourself in the forest, your mind becomes more relaxed and productive.”

Sustainability

It likely will not surprise you that biophilic design is more sustainable than its non-biophilic counterparts. Biophilic design can help address some of the UN General Assembly’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. For example, the SDG Goal #7 is Affordable and Clean Energy or to “decrease energy consumption.” Through the implementation of natural lighting, therefore decreasing the use of electricity, biophilic design can help with this goal. Some biophilic design elements even benefit more than one of the Sustainable Development Goals. An article reviewing biophilic design contributions to sustainability explains: “the proper use of indigenous natural material cannot only reduce construction costs to reduce poverty (Goal 1) but also contribute to the recycling of materials for more responsible consumption (Goal 12).” While the impact of biophilic design on UN Sustainable Development Goals needs to be researched more, the potential is evident.

The use of water in biophilic designs is an area that can especially foster sustainable architecture. Waterscapes such as fountains, constructed wetlands, water walls, rainwater spouts, and more could be built around the physical space. These waterscapes could be used either to generate energy (hydropower) or the water could be recycled and reused. Through the use of water, the building itself can become self-sustaining or what the International Living Future Institute calls a “living building.” Part of the Institute’s definition of a living building is one which is “self-sufficient and remain(s) within the resource limits of their site.” This can be achieved through recycled water as well as other forms of renewable energy and self-sustaining features.

Economic Considerations

While this area of biophilic design is less studied than the others, a sustainability consulting firm called Terrapin Bright Green has published a report called “The Economics of Biophilia: Why Designing with Nature in Mind Makes Financial Sense.” The report delineates how incorporating biophilic design can be financially viable even in disparate areas such as hospital recoveries, crime rates, childhood development, and small business sales. The study uses what the researchers define as “indirect measures of productivity,” examples of which include staff retention, hours worked, absenteeism, and tardiness. For example, let’s take a deeper look at absenteeism. Terrapin Bright Green claims, “Biophilic changes made to a workplace can reduce absenteeism over a long period of time, reduce complaints that drain human resource productivity, and help retain employees over many years.” However, even just adding views of nature can make a difference. At a University of Oregon administrative office building where 30% of the offices overlook trees, 31% overlook urban scenes, and 39% have no outside view at all, a survey found that the office view made a significant difference. Employees with natural views took approximately 57 hours of sick leave per year, while employees with no view took about 68 hours of sick leave per year. The employees self-reported similar conclusions: “When asked to rate scenes according to their preference, the building’s occupants heavily favored the vegetated views over the urban views, and either view over none at all.” Considering the financial losses that accompany absenteeism, changing the office window views would be economically beneficial for the company.

Employee productivity with and without biophilic design has also been measured. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District Call Center found that the number of calls taken per hour by workers with views of vegetation was much greater than those by workers who did not have a view of nature. In fact, employees with natural views handled calls 6-7% faster than their colleagues without outdoor views. Once the company rearranged their workplace accordingly, profit margins grew. The results were that “the annual productivity savings averaged $2,990 per employee.” This brought increased profits, demonstrating the financial gains of adding biophilic design to the building. Due to these studies and more, the Terrapin Bright Green report concludes, “...biophilic elements show productivity increases among staff when provided with nature in the workplace with economic benefits ranging from $1,000 per employee to $3.6 million company-wide.” The financial investment pays off, making a strong case for increasing natural light and biophilic design in the workplace.

Conclusion

With compelling benefits in financial growth, sustainable development, physical health, and mental health, biophilic design paints a picture of a brighter, healthier world. While these studies have limitations, more research is required, and biophilic design will not create a utopia by itself, the range of possibilities is inspiring. With hospitals that relax patients and strengthen the immune system, offices that increase productivity, and homes which alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression, biophilic design could be an answer which can improve Quality of Life and foster sustainability. Implementing biophilic design does not need to be done as a grand gesture; you can start with small steps. Next time you pass your local plant store or are thinking about redecorating your house, consider this: nature could be your new roommate.