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Amid rapid changes around us, and the new options and increasing cultural shifts we witness today to keep up with the new world - the post-Corona world or what has been called the New Normal - and the accompanying rise in anxiety and stress, special strategies emerge in creating natural environments around us and integrating them with health strategies to support our immune and respiratory systems, and introducing habits that promote recovery and healing ability, as an essential factor and urgent need in a world plagued by health crises.

This is the perfect time to invest in the capabilities of nature around us, by reconnecting humans with their natural environment. One of these methods is biophilic design or Biophilia, which the Babylonians first embodied in the architecture of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, but the theory of 'Biophilia' was first proposed in the 20th century by American biologist Edward Wilson, who stated that humans are biologically predisposed to connect with nature, as one cannot live a healthy life away from nature. Therefore, we need direct contact with real life forms, instead of the gloomy alternatives we see today in many architectural works. Wilson's hypothesis asserts that we need this connection as much as we need nutrients and oxygen for our metabolism.

Biophilic Design

Biophilic design is defined as design capable of providing our innate need for connection with life and vital processes. It relies on integrating nature and its elements into interior and exterior construction in urban areas, creating a permanent link between architectural projects and nature, which in turn preserves the essential connection between humans and their natural environment, and their innate tendency to seek connections with living systems as a form of life.

This trend emerged in response to technological advancements and calls for globalization in future architectural projects that would separate humans from their natural environment.

Psychologists and designers believe that attempting to provide good housing for humans as biological beings in a natural environment yields countless benefits. Applying biophilic design strategies and connecting humans with nature not only enhances the livability of spaces but transforms them into renewed, inspiring places that help improve health, increase productivity and learning ability, improve relationships, and enhance feelings of psychological comfort, happiness, and harmony.

Therefore, 'biophilic design' should become a fundamental strategy for any designer aiming to make humans and their surroundings healthier and happier.

Biophilic Patterns

Biophilic design comprises 14 patterns organized into three main categories: Nature in the Space (direct connection with nature) which requires direct contact with nature or natural systems, relying mainly on the physical presence of elements, and is applied directly using natural elements such as light, fire, water, plants, animals, landscapes, and natural systems. The second category is Natural Analogues (indirect connection with nature) which relates to forms, representations, and various abstract images that mimic nature, and is applied indirectly by using natural geometric shapes from images, materials, and colors, simulating natural light and air, and imitating and evoking nature. The third category is Nature of the Space (linking place with natural environment) which involves creating studied spatial conditions and configurations derived from nature and mixed with the previous two patterns. It is slightly more complex because it requires the designer to create a cultural and environmental connection to the place.

All these patterns can be implemented in spaces of various scales and climates to show positive health responses, but biophilic spaces that tend to use more than one pattern are considered the most successful in achieving the desired effect.

It is worth noting that some of these patterns can be applied somewhat intuitively, while others require careful planning and follow-up.

Healing and Boosting Productivity

According to many clinical evidences, living in such an environment emotionally and biologically can strengthen the internal nervous system and the immune system, especially in people suffering from diseases and health disorders. Just as being in a room with a window overlooking an outdoor green space helps speed up the recovery process for patients in hospitals, having plants thoughtfully placed in the same room can do the same and more. Biophilic design can reduce stress and fatigue, lower systolic blood pressure and heart rate, improve overall immune functions, cognitive and creative functions, and regulate emotion and mood.

It is especially recommended in educational, medical, and workplace institutions, as well as in various home spaces, so that we try to integrate it with our home decor as much as possible and in different proportions depending on the space's size and function, starting with adding elements that mimic nature to incorporating natural elements as they are, such as water, light, and plants, and coordinating them with interior decor.

Global Companies

While American companies spend billions of dollars every year hoping to restore lost productivity caused by stress-related illnesses, biophilic design reconnects us with nature and provides people with opportunities to live and work in healthy places and spaces with less stress and greater overall health and well-being.

In fact, 'biophilic design' has been used by major companies in building their headquarters and offices, such as Amazon, whose headquarters in Washington is one of the most beautiful applications of this design. It consists of three large glass domes and a private garden for meetings and gatherings equipped with waterfalls, birds, and 400 plant species inside and outside the building, providing a quiet work environment suitable for problem-solving and boosting productivity.

Design adopting 'Biophilia' strategies is more than just applying a technique or scientific methodology. Its effective application depends on adopting a new awareness towards nature, as the designer starts from a mindset that believes in the importance of focusing on physical and mental health and adopting it as a lifestyle, beginning from home to all places we frequent, from workplaces to restaurants, hospitals, and parks.

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More about: Biophilia, Architectural design, Nature, Mental health, Cultural changes, Immune system, Biophilic design, Plants, Water, Boosting productivity, Global companies.