Connect With Nature Through Your Decor With Biophilic Design
Sourced from the Seattle Medium
Have you ever dreamed of having a sanctuary where you could focus on your work and embrace your inner creativity? If your answer is “yes,” you may want to look into biophilic design.
This design technique taps into one of our deepest and most ancient yearnings as humans. It helps us discover an inner peace by forging natural connections to plants.
What is Biophilic Design?
“Biophilia” is defined by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) as the “innate human instinct to connect with nature and other living beings.” More simply: it’s a fancy word for nature-lover. The term itself derives from the Greek words for “life” and “love,” which creates the translation: “love of life.”
Biophilic design transforms this concept into art using natural materials, patterns, and colors found in nature (e.g., bamboo, natural light, indoor plants, rattan, etc.). Urban environments are often prime locations for biophilic design. Even so, this design technique is ubiquitous.
Benefits of Biophilic Design
Biophilic design isn’t just a trend; it’s a way of life. According to research conducted by the Healthy Building Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, biophilic design can help to improve your vital cognitive functions, reduce stress, and ease anxiety. Biophilic design is good for the environment too! This 2021 study shows that living wall systems (a wall or vertical structure covered in greenery) reduce heat loss and double as power shades against direct sunlight. (A win-win for cold winters and hot, muggy summers.)
Additionally, biophilic design is an investment. According to The Economics of Biophilia: Why Designing with Nature in Mind Makes Financial Sense, a report created by the sustainability consulting firm Terrapin Bright Green, biophilic design has saved money through reduced energy costs and greater employee satisfaction (fewer turnover costs). Biophilic design has also increased profits for many business owners, thanks to increased worker productivity.
From the Living Architecture Monitor
