The Nature of Design

With what seems to be a never ending January in St. Louis I find myself desperate for sunshine on my skin, blooms on the trees and the chirping sounds of birds and crickets. As humans we have an innate connection to nature. We also spend, on average, 90% of our lives indoors with little to no connection to it. World populations are increasingly moving from rural to urban centers. With that comes more steel and concrete and less green spaces. So how do we fill the void while making a positive impact on our surroundings? That is where Biophilic Design comes in. It is the practice of incorporating nature in to our built environments and will continue to gain popularity as sustainability practices and urbanization trends build.

EFFECTS OF BIOPHILIC DESIGN

Research has shown that biophilic design reduces stress, promotes well-being, improves the ability to concentrate, boosts our creativity and expedites healing. Exhaustive research has been completed on the effects and applications of biophilic design. With all of the positive impacts it makes you wonder why more people aren’t embracing the principles in their own spaces. When you think about it more thought goes in to the habitats at our zoos than goes into creating our built environments.  For the purpose of this blog we are going to focus on a few ways to introduce the benefits of biophilic design in your home and office setting.

INCORPORATING BIOPHILIC DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Visual Connection to Naturea view of natural elements.group of potted indoor plants

Material Connection to Natureincorporating the use of materials and elements found in nature.natural fiber placemat

Presence of Water refers the ability to see, touch or hear the sound of water.indoor water feature

We would love to hear from you. Let us know how you are embracing nature in your space. Better yet, show us!