Biophilia in architecture

… integrate nature into design …

… connect people with nature to improve their well-being and quality of life …

What do we mean by ‘green buildings’?

A green future for architecture – Vision Group for Sidmouth

Certainly having a lot of green in and around our buildings seems to be a good thing:

How the environment shapes our health – Vision Group for Sidmouth

For example:

Victoria Hospital Sidmouth

The healing power of nature – Vision Group for Sidmouth

Here are the latest ideas from the Arch Daily site:

Biophilia in Architecture: Nature Indoors and Outdoors

The idea of “Biophilia” was defined as “love of life” in ancient Greece. Although the term may seem relatively new, coming across as a trend in the fields of architecture and interior design, the concept of biophilia was introduced by psychologist Erich Fromm for the first time in 1964 and then popularized in the 1980s by biologist Edward O. Wilson, who studied the lack of connection with nature caused by urban life.

The guiding principle is quite simple: connect people with nature to improve their well-being and quality of life. How could architecture do that? By seeking alternatives to integrate nature – either through natural elements or techniques – into its designs.

The most common approach is incorporating natural features into the built environment. Water, vegetation, sunlight, and natural materials are used quite often. Another typical characteristic of biophilic projects is the use of organic shapes and silhouettes instead of straight lines, even though the connection with nature is not necessarily a formal one, but also a process of mimicking nature’s unique strategies.

Check out the following 11 projects that explore biophilia indoors and outdoors…

~~Biophilia in Architecture: Nature Indoors and Outdoors | ArchDaily~~ Article now removed but you can read more about the idea here.

Although the ultimate creator of ‘organic architecture’ was doing it in Vienna some hundred years ago: