what are Biophilia and Biophilic Design?
definitions of biophilia and biophilic design for hotels aand residences
The Wardian biophilic design residences in London’s Canary Wharf, a development by EcoWorld Ballymore
Biophilic design concept - the key principles
There is a tendency to over-simplify biophilia as meaning plants or greenery in general and therefore biophilic design as simply bringing plants into an interior space, effectively as decorative objects.
There is a grain of truth in that but I’d classify biophilic design a little more precisely as a way to bring the outside world in to re-establish our connection to nature even when enclosed in a built environment.
The biophilia hypothesis
That concept of a connection to nature starts to outline the logic behind biophilic design, essentially the biophilia hypothesis that states we are inherently connected to mother nature, the elements, animals and the plant kingdom due to our shared evolutionary history.
Lest it needs reiterating, Homo Sapiens has really only had a bit part role in nature’s billions of years of history, we have to keep that in perspective as the world does not, despite appearances, actually revolve around us.
We do not have any ownership rights over the planet, quite the opposite in fact. We may currently be the dominant species but this, like everything from a meta historical perspective, is likely to be temporal. Our time will come, eventually.
Once we have established that nature ultimately runs the show, the biophilia hypothesis can be seen from an entirely different perspective. The further we disconnect ourselves from the natural world the greater the risk for our health and the future as a species. On this basis, a couple of plants on your desk at work is not the solution.
health benefits of biophilia
When I talk about the health benefits of biophilic design I typically divide the answer into mental and physical wellbeing.
how can hotels use biophilic design?
There are some interesting studies that address the potential role of biophilic design in hotels such as the one done by Bill Browning entitled Human Spaces 2.0 - Biophilic Design in Hospitality. That is very much a reference point.
In that study Terrapinn Bright Green did a fine job of putting some hard data to biophilia’s claims of adding value to the guest experience, driving room rates higher and increasing ‘linger time’ in hotel lobbies, all tangible deliverables in terms of a design strategy.
The biophilic design Sky Lounge at The Wardian residences in London UK, a development by EcoWorld Ballymore
biophilic design in real estate
That research team took some of what we know from the world of biophilic design in residential real estate development around how access to nature increases property values, whether it be proximity or views of green nature (parks, gardens) or blue nature (ponds, lakes and seas).
Dwell time in a lobby increases when there are views of nature (direct biophilia) but also when there are representations of nature such as landscape murals, dense indoor landscaping and so on (indirect biophilia).
A prime example of this is the lobby area of The Wardian Residences in London’s Canary Wharf, a veritable bonanza of biophilic design for a luxury residential target market. Yes there are many plants in the mix but this development also uses natural stone such as marble to great effect, as well as nature motifs on carpets, wallpapers and murals.
Does biophilic design help heal hospital patients quicker?
This is the research study that so many people refer to, delivered by Roger Ulrich. did patients recover quicker when they had a view of nature than when they were looking out onto a brick wall from their hospital bed? YEs.
I think there are so many different variables within that, perhaps it is worth taking it with a pinch of salt and corroborating it with other studies that draw similar conclusions. No t to discount the work of Ulrich, far from it but we need more such data to build up a truly bullet-proof case for biophilia’s impact on healing and recovery times.
Direct biophilia vs indirect biophilia
It is also important to define the difference between direct and indirect forms of biophilia - direct forms of biophilia would be a view out onto a park, or in this case, a living green wall.
Indirect biophilia can be a representation of natural forms through patterns, textures, colour, images and so on, often with nearly as much impact on our mental wellbeing as direct forms of nature in fact, which opens the door to a far wider range of biophilic design solutions for an interior space.
Biophilia and community
A vertical garden wall that produces edible salad leaves can have a far larger role to play than merely decorating a hotel or office building’s lobby. because you're effectively creating a design feature with community benefits as the leaves can be contributed to a local charity for example, or used in the hotel kitchen for guests as a 0km herb garden.
It can also be a way to build local community ties for a corporation by inviting kids in to learn about the vertical farming process, whilst still all the time delivering a great biophilic feature. This type of solution with multiple benefits has a very bright future ahead in our opinion as it gives biophilia a wider purpose than pure aesthetics.
Restorative nature
Garden walls can be a great way to create a calming, restorative space, be it in a health clinic, hotel lobby or workspace. It's been shown to help with concentration levels as well. . The study that I did in London showed that it helped with reducing anxiety and creative brainstorming sessions, people just felt me it was a conducive environment to that sort of work.
biophilia and indoor air quality
Living plants have another purpose, for example, helping in some small way in terms of indoor air quality, improving the quality of the indoor air that we're all breathing.
Usually here we refer to the famous NASA study where they tested 10 different species and worked out that a number of them were able to take out the bad stuff, take out the co2 and pump oxygen back into the air, even in a spaceship. So if you focus on those, you’ll need lots of them to have a really tangible impact but again if you're dealing with scale, then the solution is to go big on your biophilia for maximum health benefits, no better way to do that than with a vertical garden wall!
In addition to ventilation filters, this can really make a difference, as do natural fibres and fabrics in an interior space that do not contain VOCs for further improvements to the indoor air. See more on that here.
The 1 Hotels example of sustainable luxury
The 1 Hotels brand has redefined the sustainable luxury hotel segment from our perspective. They really went big on sustainability by integrating biophilia and biophilic design into the DNA of their hotel concept from day one, combined with a health and wellness angle. This gave them a People and Planet approach that aligns perfectly with our value system, it’s more than skin deep too, this goes all the way through their operations policies to help shape the guest experience form the ground up.
biophilia and sustainability
If we go back to where we started, with biophilia being a love of and innate connection to nature, it follows that if we do not respect nature in our work as biophilic designers, real estate developers or hoteliers, we are effectively shooting ourselves in the foot. If you’re not doing things in a sustainable way, using sustainable design and construction practices for example, then anything you do that has a negative impact on nature is to avoided at all costs, otherwise we are merely greenwashing.
biophilic design and moss walls
In spaces that have no natural light, how do we work with biophilic design? Can we ever use plants in this context? Often, the solution here lies with preserved moss, possibly combined with a wall panel such as cork bark. We can also use patterns and textures that reflect nature here, organic fabrics, wabi sabi finishes, anything that fits into an organic design approach that does not require natural light. By layering detail upon detail in this way, we can create great results even in a lower ground space, when needed, proving that biophilic design comes in many different guises!