Green Building Interior Design: Biophilic Design in Sustainable Interiors and Buildings

biophilic esports gaming room concept A.I. image BIOFILICO — sustainable interiors or biophilic interiors? esports gaming room concept A.I. image BIOFILICO

What contribution can biophilic design and its natural elements make to a sustainable building strategy?

Biophilic design emphasizes the connection between humans and nature. It seeks to create a harmonious relationship between people and their environment by incorporating natural elements into green building strategies.

By doing so, it can help reduce energy consumption, lower the carbon footprint, improve air quality, and create a healthier indoor environment. Through its ability to improve the overall sustainability of a building, biophilic design can be an effective component of any sustainable building strategy.

Biophilic design can help reduce stress levels in occupants by providing calming visual cues and promoting well-being through increased contact with nature.

What is the difference between biophilia and sustainable design?

I see biophilic design as a bridge between the worlds of healthy buildings and wellness, real estate and sustainable interiors.

So biophilic design sits neatly between those two worlds. So nature effectively becomes a bridge between people and planet so it's then both a healthy environment for us as people in an indoor space or within a building or even within a city but also a space that is not negatively impacting the environment around us, so good for us and good for the planet.

I think biophilic design is really one of the very few interior design concepts that can do that. You know, the sustainability piece has now started looping back around to incorporate a more people centric or human centric wellbeing oriented approach.

Healthy interiors have some element of considering the environment too of course but in between lives this fascinating concept that we call biophilic design.

I think it is about interior design that is intended to reconnect us with where we came from, and create a more harmonious relationship between living systems our urban, dense built environments and our evolutionary past.

How does biophilic design contribute to a healthy building design?

When we’re thinking about how biophilic design impacts or contributes to the creation of a healthy interior and healthy building you could divide it schematically into two halves. Selecting products with no or low volatile organic compounds to preserve air quality and respiratory health is crucial.

We have mental wellbeing and our physical wellbeing - the latter is slightly more tangible, for example there are things we can do with technology to improve the indoor air quality, removing dust particles and other PM.25 or PM10 particulate matter from indoor air, upgrading HVAC filter systems to MERV13 or better, introducing air-purifying plants in abundance, and so on.

What is the difference between sustainable interior design and biophilic interior design?

Sustainable interior design focuses on reducing the environmental impact of an interior space by using materials and resources that are environmentally friendly and have minimal waste and environmental impact.

This means looking for products made from recycled or sustainable materials, such as bamboo, cork, and organic cotton. It also involves promoting energy efficiency by reducing energy consumption through the use of efficient lighting and appliances, as well as incorporating natural ventilation.

On the other hand, biophilic interior design is more focused on bringing nature into an interior space to create a healthier environment for occupants.

This could involve adding natural elements like plants, wood accents, and stone features to an interior space to mimic nature in some way.

Additionally, biophilic design emphasizes creating a connection between the indoors and outdoors by incorporating large windows or skylights that get fresh air and offer views of the outside environment.

So while the two concepts are inherently linked they are perhaps like brother and sister rather than twins.

sustainable interiors or biophilic interiors? esports gaming room concept A.I. image BIOFILICO

What are the scientifically proven benefits of biophilic design based on the latest research studies?

One of the most significant benefits of biophilic design is the improvement in mental health and wellbeing. Energy and environmental design principles contribute to these benefits by promoting energy efficiency, sustainable sourcing of materials, and integrating environmental impact considerations into interior design.

Studies have found that biophilic design can reduce stress levels, improve mood, and increase cognitive performance. It has also been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Additionally, biophilic design has been linked to improved physical health, such as lower blood pressure, improved sleep quality, and increased immune system function.

Furthermore, research suggests that people who work in environments with biophilic design are more productive and creative than those who don’t.

Finally, biophilic design can help to create a sense of connection with nature which can lead to a greater appreciation for direct nature of the environment and its inhabitants.

Healthy natural materials in biophilic design strategies

If you look at the different types of healthy materials for interior spaces on the market today, the vast majority of them are in fact natural materials, and as they are not man-made they will likely show some visual trace of their natural source.

They're 'imperfect' in other words, at least compared to synthetic, industrial materials that often have no texture or unique patterns to them. This wabi-sabi concept of beauty is where biophilic design can have most fun.

So there's a huge overlap between healthy materials and natural materials that we might look to deploy in a biophilic interior design project.

That's really the game here, it's about how can we integrate as many of these natural components into an interior space whilst also ticking as many boxes as we can from a wellbeing design perspective.

Mental wellbeing and biophilic design features

Then there's a whole other segment around mental wellbeing. So the tangible data-driven stuff is more to do with what materials we're putting in and how we're impacting the air quality while mental wellbeing is about reducing levels of stress and anxiety, while promoting feelings of positivity and boosting mood.

Studies show that you can improve productivity and concentration levels by being exposed to nature, for example a half hour during a lunch break, for example, and then going back in to work is a healthier alternative to having another coffee or sugary drink to pick you up.

Patient recovery rates in hospitals even improve when there are views out onto nature instead of staring at the inside of a windowless room - no surprises there perhaps but combining these physical wellbeing features with the mental wellness angle is what it's all about.

What industries or sectors are successfully using biophilic design?

Offices

sustainable interiors or biophilic interiors? esports gaming room concept A.I. image BIOFILICO

If it's an office development, then it is all about improving staff wellbeing and creating a space that is desirable for corporations to spend their days (and sometimes nights) in.

Marijuana dispensaries

In a biophilic marijuana dispensary in North America, you can play on both the mental and physical wellbeing aspects but it's less to do with creating a sense of wellbeing right there and then as it's essentially a transitory space, clients are only there a short while.

So it's more to do with connecting the product and brand image with an interior design that reflects their values as accurately as possible.

Hotels & hospitality

Any hospitality business that has a connection to say sourcing local ingredients, or zero waste kitchen policies has a direct connection with nature and sustainability, making it a perfect opportunity for an interior design concept aligned with that positioning.

In eco-luxury hotels we’re seeing a number of brands who are bringing biophilic design in but also still playing in that five star luxury space, especially but not exclusively in resorts, it’s just a natural fit for that type of environment. Additionally, many eco-luxury hotels are using solar panels to generate electricity for powering lights, appliances, and building systems, enhancing their commitment to sustainability. a resort environments for them to be a kind of synergistic approach between inside and out.

Residential

Wellness real estate is focused on creating energy-efficient spaces in which we spend most of our time - where we live and work, then there are ‘secondary spaces’ such as your gym, cafes, restaurants, hotels and so on.

What are the the challenges of implementing biophilic design and its natural processes?

Definitely one of the big questions is always around maintenance because it does come up and clearly there is an element of ongoing operational responsibility when you when you create something like this because it isn't like putting up a sculpture on the wall and then leaving it there for five years and not worrying about it. living plants do need a little bit of love and care.

But there are always options and so there's a discussion with with the client at some point which is which plants are going to require this and and it just may not be possible in some instances to put plants hanging from the ceiling if there's also wiring and electrics and HVAC systems up there and plants don't want to be right near an air vent, etc, etc.

So you know, the realities are both operational and maintenance base, but also just the practicalities of installing this stuff in certain locations where space is limited, natural light is limited, or there's just other things that are taking priorities and so there's always a crunch time in any project where right Okay, well that's the that's the aesthetic that we're going for.

You end up with the MEP consultants or the mechanical electrical engineer with the cost consultants slash project manager, the architects and interior designers and me around the table trying to hash it out and it's a lot of give and take and that's just the messy reality.

But it's not that far off from any other project. If I'm honest, it's just that there's an extra there's an extra head around the table pushing for as much live natural direct by affiliate as possible.

And my second option, My Plan B is indirect biophilia, the things that represent nature that do a lot of the same things aesthetically without actually being alive. And that's where you can get into all kinds of other stuff.

Direct biophilia vs indirect biophilia - what's the difference?

Obviously there are elements of the natural world and natural processes that we'll never be able to recreate without actually being out in nature, but it seems that we can get pretty close in terms of the brain's reaction to those stimuli, whether that be from certain scents, sounds, visual prompts or textures..

What we have to avoid is any kind of dissonance, we have to make the natural spaces in a biophilic interior as cohesive as possible.

Biomimicry in biophilic design elements

Biomimicry is a relatively new field of study that draws inspiration from nature to create sustainable solutions for humans.

It focuses on studying and emulating natural processes and systems, such as the way a beaver builds its dams or how a spider weaves its web. By doing so, biomimicry can help us develop innovative solutions to human problems.

Biophilic design, on the other hand, is an approach to design which takes into consideration the human connection to nature.

It seeks to bring nature into our built environment in order to create more comfortable and enjoyable spaces that are conducive to better health and wellbeing.

Biophilic design can also be used as a tool for sustainability by creating green spaces that help reduce energy consumption and conserve resources.

Where does biophilic design go from here? What does the future look like for this design trend?

I think biophilic design is now undergoing a subtle but important shift towards a version 2.0. It's no longer enough just to bring inside elements of the natural world, creating an interior that's inspired by the natural environment, likely full of plants and living green walls. That's version 1.0 right there.

Nowadays there's a new wave coming that is closer to a concept called 'organic design', this is how the trend moves on to its next life phase, opening up a wider palette of colours and materials for itself as well as taking inspiration from a far wider range of other natural elements, in the quest for improved human health benefits.

How did you first begin your career in biophilic design?

I came in via the world of real estate development. So I was initially in the Creative Director role in-house with a mixed-use real estate development in Montenegro called Porto Montenegro.

We had construction , design, operations and project management teams building out a small multifamily residential and superyacht marina destination.

I was in the thick of all of this and started to see how teams could literally pull entire buildings out of the ground for 300 units in two years or build an entire Marina and I thought, well, 'this is this is my industry, for sure'.

I enjoy working in the world of interiors and real estate and started to really understand how that process worked from the initial business case right through design, launch and operational phase.

What first inspired you to work in biophilic design and sustainability?

During an early chapter in my career I was placed in South Africa, Cape Town, an amazingly natural location where the big city kid me was taken out of the urban environment and dropped into this low key, nature-centric location and something awoke inside me while I was living there.

Later I found myself working for this real estate development project in a very small town called Tivat in Montenegro on the Adriatic coast, again completely immersed by nature.

So I've got this these two things happening, which was this combination of real estate interiors, architecture, construction industry, all while diving into the world of living in very natural , environments, having previously grown up in cities my whole life.

There was just this strong internal reaction, I stopped training in indoor gyms and started training outdoors, just connecting in a way that I'd never done with nature.

I started reading into this subject, at first it even took me a little while to come across the term 'biophilia' but I knew that something was happening and that perhaps this space of real estate and interiors, that was already my world, could be integrated with my nascent passion for sustainability and nature....the rest is history!

Green Building Interior Design: Biophilic Design in Sustainable Interiors and Buildings — Biofilico Wellness Interiors