BIOPHILIC DESIGN FOR WELLNESS
Bringing Nature Indoors
After a long time in lockdown, and that lockdown having sent many people to work from home, there has suddenly formed an onus on architects and designers to make workspaces more focussed and aware of wellness. If you haven’t already heard of the term, ‘biophilic design’ you soon will as it continues to garner a substantial following. Although it has been around since the 1980’s, this design principle is only now gaining momentum in the wake of COVID-19, which made many feel disengaged from the environment.
In brief, biophilic design is how you engage nature in your own environment. It is about incorporating the outside world into the inside world, harnessing plants and design elements from the natural world. Research indicates there are many wellness benefits that come from incorporating natural elements into your living, work and educational environments. After all, in terms of evolution, living as one with nature is ingrained in our blood.
Designing Biophilic Homes For Improved Health and Wellbeing
In the scale of time, humans are relatively new to the concept of living life indoors. People are in fact meant to be in union with nature, so it is a great idea to embrace nature in homes and work spaces to improve general wellbeing. It is relatively easy to bring nature inside the home with plants. Taking care of them will not only help them thrive but you will find it also helps your mind thrive!
Beyond simple styling, actually bringing nature into the world of architecture and design is increasingly important. Coming home should be something that feels good and you are proud of – that’s the first step of wellness.
Key Features of Biophilic Designs
Natural light such as skylights, large windows, glass doors and clerestory openings
Indoor and outdoor gardens that seamlessly complement the environment of the home
Outdoor living spaces created in conjunction with a designer
Natural materials like concrete, timber, rock and biomimetric facades
Calming earth tones and varying blues, greens and greys
Organic shapes via architectural elements, incorporated throughout furniture and décor
Non visual environmental connections such as air flow, sounds of water and the smell of plants (including trees, flowers and herbs)
