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Bringing the Outside In Biophilic Design Connects Walgreens with the Natural Environment By Julie Schaeffer
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march–april 2015
effect. A 2010 study published in Environmental Health and Preventative Medicine, compared the effects of walking through forests versus walking through urban areas. Pulse rate and salivary cortisol were reduced in individuals who walked through the forest rather than the city. Even more impressive is the fact that in forest walkers, parasympathetic nervous system activity—which occurs when we feel relaxed—increased by 56.1%, while sympathetic nervous system activity—which occurs when we feel stressed—decreased by 19.4%. But you don’t have to be in the forest for these effects to take hold: neuroscientists have found that views of natural scenes trigger more interactions of the opioid receptors in the large rear portion of the visual cortex. That said, biophilic design isn’t only about creating outside views and bringing plants and animals inside; it’s about representing nature, and that can happen in one of three ways, Heinking says. The first category of biophilic de-
RIGHT The first of two levels houses the retail store, which features tree representations under which terrazzo tile mimics a shadow beneath a tree canopy. BELOW When shoppers climb the stairs to the second level, which houses the pharmacy, it’s as if they’re moving beyond the treetops into the clouds.
sign, nature in space, refers to the representation of plants and animals in an interior space. It doesn’t have to be an actual tree, as you might find in, say, a Rainforest Café; it can be as simple as a pattern that represents a tree. The second category, nature of space, pertains to how one experiences a space walking through it. Do you want to interact with the space, peeking around the corner to see what’s on the other side? Does the lighting change? The third category, natural analogs, refers to fractal patterns. Movement in a natural setting, such as ocean waves crashing, fish swimming in an aquarium, and winds whispering through trees capture our attention. “You know how you tend to zone out when you stare at a fire?” Heinking says, “That’s a natural analog. Something that is constantly moving such that it almost hypnotizes us. It could even be a pattern on the floor that has a psychological and physiological benefit.” The goal of biophilic design, Heinking says, is that when people experience these features, they’ll feel happier and even be healthigbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS BY TOM ROSSITER
Walgreens Health System Pharmacy is taking drugstores into a new era with a location that features innovative biophilic design. The concept of biophilia, coined by the social psychologist Erich Fromm, stems from Greek roots meaning “love of life.” Popularized by Edward O. Wilson in his 1984 book, Biophilia, it holds that there is an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems. “It’s about nature-inspired design,” says Susan Heinking, VP and sustainability leader at VOA Associates, Inc., which designed the Walgreen’s store at Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Galter Pavilion in Chicago. “We live 90% of our time indoors, but there are many health benefits to being outside and part of nature. With biophilic design, we’re trying to marry the two. How can we bring nature into an interior space so people still benefit from a connection with nature even though they’re inside?” Scientists are well aware that time spent outdoors has a calming