Search Results (22)

Biophilic design has emerged as a multidimensional response to growing concerns about health, well-being, and ecological balance in the built environment. Despite its rising prominence, research on the topic remains fragmented across building typologies, user groups, and geographic contexts. This study presents a comprehensive review of the biophilic design literature, employing a hybrid methodology combining structured content analysis and bibliometric mapping. All peer-reviewed studies indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus were manually screened for architectural relevance and systematically coded. A total of 435 studies were analysed to identify key trends, thematic patterns, and research gaps in the biophilic design discipline. This review categorises the literature by methodological strategies, building typologies, spatial scales, population groups, and specific biophilic design parameters. It also examines geographic and cultural dimensions, including climate responsiveness, heritage buildings, policy frameworks, theory development, pedagogy, and COVID-19-related research. The findings show a strong emphasis on institutional contexts, particularly workplaces, schools, and healthcare, and a reliance on perception-based methods such as surveys and experiments. In contrast, advanced tools like artificial intelligence, simulation, and VR are notably underused. Few studies engage with neuroarchitecture or neuroscience-informed approaches, despite growing recognition of how spatial design can influence cognitive and emotional responses. Experimental and biometric methods remain scarce among the few relevant contributions, revealing a missed opportunity to connect biophilic strategies with empirical evidence. Regarding biophilic parameters, greenery, daylight, and sensory experience are the most studied parameters, while psychological parameters remain underexplored. Cultural and climate-specific considerations appear in relatively few studies, and many fail to define a user group or building typology. This review highlights the need for more inclusive, context-responsive, and methodologically diverse research. By bridging macro-scale bibliometric patterns with fine-grained thematic insights, this study provides a replicable review model and valuable reference for advancing biophilic design as an evidence-based, adaptable, and human-centred approach to sustainable architecture. Full article

Schools can play a vital role in supporting children’s health and well-being, considering the time they spend in these environments. There is an increasing recognition of the role of nature in school design as many studies acknowledge that children have a critical need to be connected to nature. Therefore, the application of biophilia can be a design resolution appropriate for schools because of its impact on children’s health and well-being; however, it remains relatively unexplored in school design around the world, including in the UK. Biophilic design patterns can be used in school buildings and grounds for greater connectivity between spaces and nature. This study focuses on biophilic design patterns related to direct and indirect experience of nature in the school environment. This paper discusses the findings of an empirical study with 88 children in a primary school and the application of biophilic design features and patterns related to happiness for primary school design. Finally, this paper suggests that the evaluation of biophilic design patterns in schools could be a co-design process with children and young people, essential for creating a healthy and happy school environment. Full article

This study proposes design strategies for incorporating biophilic design into common areas in schools, with consideration of adolescents’ levels of depression. Types of common areas and relevant biophilic design attributes were identified through a comprehensive review of existing literature. Using Stable Diffusion, visual representations of school common areas featuring biophilic elements were generated, and adolescents’ preferences for these attributes were surveyed. The analysis revealed that Weather & View was the most preferred attribute across all types of common areas. Furthermore, adolescents experiencing depressive symptoms showed a higher overall preference for biophilic design elements compared to their non-depressed peers, with notable gender differences within the depressed group. Specifically, those with mild depressive symptoms exhibited generally high preferences, particularly for attributes such as Water, Shape & Form, Image, and Material. Distinct patterns of preference also emerged depending on the specific application characteristics of the design. This study contributes by proposing tailored design strategies for different types of school common areas that reflect adolescents’ emotional profiles. Future research should incorporate multidimensional approaches, including field studies and investigation of user preferences and psychological responses, to further validate and refine biophilic design applications in educational environments. Full article

Architectural design influences both environmental outcomes and occupant behaviors. Green buildings convey environmental responsibility through formal (e.g., signage, tours) and informal means, including natural materials, daylighting, and energy-efficient features. These choices contribute to overall building “atmospherics” that can foster occupant awareness of sustainability. To explore how atmospherics contribute to occupant perception of building sustainability, we surveyed (n = 250) and interviewed (n = 16) occupants of two LEED-certified university buildings—the Green Building and the Green and Biophilic Building—focusing on their awareness of sustainable features and sources of this awareness. The results showed that occupants of the Green and Biophilic Building were significantly more likely to recognize its sustainable features. The diversity and frequency of features identified varied significantly between buildings, with the broader range in the Green and Biophilic Building. Content analysis revealed occupant misconceptions about the sustainability of features like automatic toilets, aesthetic elements, and biophilic patterns, with some assumptions based solely on appearance. These findings highlight how occupants develop green building awareness without formal instruction, underscoring the value of visible design elements in fostering engagement. This study offers practical recommendations for architects and designers to enhance green messaging through non-verbal cues and interpretative educational features. Full article

Sustainability in the built environment seeks to balance ecological responsibility with human health and well-being. Biophilic design, a key strategy within sustainable architecture that emphasizes connections with nature, has emerged as a promising approach to enhancing Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) and promoting occupant well-being. However, while biophilic design has been widely studied in various settings, its application in workplace environments within public buildings, particularly museums, remains underexplored. This research addresses this gap by investigating biophilic design strategies integrated in the Bell Museum in St. Paul, Minnesota, and their impact on IEQ, occupant satisfaction, work performance, and health. Utilizing the Sustainable Post-Occupancy Evaluation Survey (SPOES) based on the B3 Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines, this study assesses employee perceptions of their health and well-being in the built environment. The findings reveal high satisfaction (M = 6.29) with the physical environment, a positive impact on work performance (M = 5.89), and improved overall health (M = 5.35). The authors examine how the Bell Museum’s adaptation of Terrapin’s 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design, identifying effective strategies such as natural light, material connections with nature, and spatial configuration. While these elements contribute to an enhanced indoor environment, the study also identifies areas for improvement, including the absence of certain biophilic patterns, such as biomorphic forms and multisensory elements, and complexity and order, which could further enrich occupant experience. The study underscores the role of biophilic principles in shaping indoor environments and suggests that future research explore additional strategies to enhance well-being. Full article

Contact with nature is believed to enhance mental health through the process of human psychological restoration. However, prolonged indoor living limits individuals’ exposure to nature, potentially hindering the timely alleviation of stress and fatigue induced by work. While biophilic design is recognized as a potential solution, its impact on the restoration process has not been extensively studied, particularly in relation to its various design patterns. Therefore, it is important to determine the restorative effects of different patterns of biophilic design and their combination in order to guide the practical application of biophilic design. In this study, the effects of two typical biophilic design patterns and their combination on attention restoration were measured using subjective scales, cognitive tasks, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in a simulated real workspace. The results suggest a significant enhancement in the restorative impact on cognitive performance and physiological benefits when combining two biophilic design patterns, while a single design pattern does not yield the same effect. These findings contribute to a better understanding and improvement of workspaces, enhancing users’ experience and well-being. Full article

A lightscape, as a special visual landscape, has unique temporal and spatial characteristics that traditional photometric measurements and descriptions struggle to capture accurately. Despite their significance, there is a lack of in-depth understanding of the on-site perception of lightscapes’ temporal and spatial characteristics, including in outdoor university campus spaces. This study aims to explore the temporal and spatial characteristics of outdoor lightscapes on university campuses and their potential perceptual influencing factors, providing sustainable design, planning, and management suggestions for campus lightscapes. This study was conducted in the Wushan Campus of the South China University of Technology. It employs a “lightwalk” method for on-site perception evaluation, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches to investigate the temporal and spatial characteristics of lightscapes in outdoor university campus spaces and the effect of temporal and spatial factors on lightscape perception. The main findings are as follows: (1) Meteorological, architectural, and biophilic lightscape dominate the outdoor campus lightscapes. (2) The temporal and spatial characteristics of the lightscapes are affected by changes in natural light, the transition of light sources from day to night, human activity patterns, and the functional characteristics of the site. (3) The correlation between meteorological and traffic lightscape types and lightscape perception is diminished during the evening periods. This method should be a good way to optimize water and architectural lightscape at night to alleviate discomfort. (4) In green-shaded spaces, the association between meteorological, architectural, and traffic lightscape types and the evaluations of emotional, luminous, and eventful aspects is significantly enhanced, suggesting an increase in such spaces to improve lightscape experience quality. This study advocates that the construction of buildings and environments should be “human-oriented”, paying attention to the scientific foundation that humans perceive the habitat environment through the “five senses”. Research on lightscapes’ temporal and spatial characteristics, exploration of the temporal and spatial modes of lightscape perception, and avoiding energy waste and light pollution are conducive to the design and construction of university campuses in line with the principles of sustainable development. The lightscape optimization strategies derived from this study can not only provide practical guidance for the design and management of campus but also may offer valuable recommendations for planning sustainable campus development. Full article

To unleash the emotional potential of natural fibre materials in sustainable development and utilisation, this paper presents a material-driven design method with emotional and ecological indicators (E²-MDD). The method offers product-level solutions for the sustainable development of natural materials. The method involves several steps, such as screening the main material quality, capturing the user emotion vision, deconstructing the E² vision pattern, and deducting the product design concept. The method was tested on luffa sponge samples, seen as one kind of traditional fibre resource, which resulted in four differentiated schemes, which were evaluated using the E²-MDD ring radar column score chart. The study identified three key emotional qualities for natural fibre materials: associativity, uniqueness, and biophilicity. The results show that product concepts closer to the natural material’s original form scored higher, while the inclusion of non-natural materials had a negative impact on the evaluations. This study also found that E²-MDD could strengthen the emotional and ecological connection between people and products, further indicating that material and design can establish a link between environmental friendliness and emotional experience. Lastly, the paper suggests future development areas for the E²-MDD method, including focusing on users, ecology, and business. Full article

Intelligent technology has had a profound impact on working patterns and the needs of office workers. The corresponding office environments have also changed to some extent. As more and more intelligent functions are integrated, a question as to whether the intelligent office environment really meets needs of office workers needs to be considered. In this study, a methodology that is applicable to improve biophilic and intelligent designs simultaneously in office environments was developed according to the needs of office workers. The observations of office environments, interviews, and questionnaires of an office group were performed. The physical and psychological health needs of office workers, as well as the correlations between six office environmental factors and six intelligent functions were discussed using the data of 211 office workers. Then, 12 patterns of biophilic design were addressed from existing biophilic theory, and the results of a user study, as well as the corresponding design framework of intelligent office products, which are the carriers of intelligent functions, were described. The feasibility and the positive influence in the office have been illustrated through a design case and its evaluation in real office environments. This study mainly explores the design of office environments from the perspective of humans with the hope to provide helpful guidance for intelligent offices and related workspace design in the future. Full article

Since 2007, more than half of the population has lived in cities, and an increase of 60 percent is expected by 2030. The city can bring many benefits to citizens, but it also brings a series of problems, such as a loss of psychological well-being and the breakdown of social cohesion and several aspects of mental health. University districts, usually concentrated in specific parts of cities, suffer particularly from these negative effects. Nature can be used to alleviate these problems and provide the benefits of a connected urban life. The university community’s well-being depends on contact with nature. In this sense, biophilic design improves the built environment. The purpose of this article is to analyze the relationship between connectedness to nature and psychological well-being in university communities to contrast the effect that nature has on people’s psychological well-being and to identify possible biophilic design patterns that could improve connectedness to nature, validating the urgent need to design and implement biophilic design in current cities and university urban districts. Full article

This paper investigates and compares people’s subjective impression of an office with a biophilic design and blue lighting. Existing studies have examined their influence on perception separately, but how they compare is unclear. Additionally, only a few studies have used an office setting as a case study. To address this research gap, this study collected people’s ratings and rankings of four simulated interior scenes of a private office using an online survey. The scenes include blue lighting, a biophilic design with daylight and view, a biophilic design with indoor plants, and a non-biophilic baseline with conventional white lighting. A total of 284 complete responses were collected and analyzed using a mixed-effect model. It was found that the two biophilic designs improved people’s perception of the office compared to the base case. The biophilic design with access to daylight and view outperformed the space with indoor plants in all the examined perceptual categories, specifically how the office space was perceived by participants as brighter, more comfortable, and spacious. On the contrary, the space with blue lighting decreased people’s ratings in most perceptual attributes in comparison to the baseline. The negative influence was notably significant in how lively, comfortable, bright, and appealing the space was perceived as being by participants. Subjects’ preference rankings of the four simulated office spaces showed a similar pattern. Full article

This study aims to identify and compare the objectives and elements of three emerging concepts, Health, Sustainability, and Resilience (HSR), which are proposed in this paper working together to provide a better response to the post-pandemic challenges that cities face today. This paper argues that it is possible to create sustainable, healthy, and resilient environments by reconnecting with nature through biophilic design (BD) by answering the following questions (1) What would be the common variables and elements when seeking to create a sustainable, healthy, and resilient environment and (2) How can those resultant elements be linked to biophilic design patterns to achieve solutions focused on improving people’s health and well-being by reconnecting with nature? Consequently, this paper tries to integrate biophilic design with the healthy, sustainable, and resilient environments while comparing the variables and indicators of each concept to demonstrate that there is a common connection between them. As a result, 19 overlapping concepts are identified through the content analysis method, namely: safety, crime, risk, adaptability, environment, green, land, water, pollution, food, affordability, housing, education, transportation, planning economics, policy, community, and management. Finally, it is shown that 16 of the 19 concepts are closely related to biophilic design. In conclusion, through biophilic design, it is possible to solve the problems represented in the HSR model. For those that are not contemplated by any of the patterns, it provides an opportunity for further research. Full article

Biophilic design is developed in urban planning concepts for cities—in line with sustainable development. A case study of converting a former paper mill in Nanterre into a university campus showed what factors influence the emergence of the biophilic form. The research informs the planning and design mechanisms and directs attention to the process. As a result, the study demonstrates that biophilic elements from the place-based pattern group are directly related to in-depth environmental analysis—similar to elements from the nature-based and element-based pattern groups. Together they result in a biophilic form. The element of creation is also present in the design process but is not the primary determinant of the choice of a design approach. In part, the form is adapted to the area’s environmental characteristics, which result from their interaction with objective determinants. Nevertheless, the implementation is not devoid of compositional, creative, and cultural elements—that is, it assumes the features of biophilic architecture. This fact proves that the environment can influence the creative potential in architecture and urban studies. Full article

Existing frameworks for biophilic design have similar strategies and attributes as useful checklists for designers; however, the focus has been on adults rather than children, and there remains the need for more guidance related to school design by extension. The application of biophilia would be a design resolution in schools because of its impact on children’s health and well-being, which has been more important since the pandemic started; however, it remains quite unexplored in school design in many countries, including the UK. Biophilic design patterns can be used in school buildings and grounds for greater connectivity between spaces and nature in order to promote children’s well-being. This paper focuses on ten biophilic design patterns under two categories of ‘nature in the space’ and ‘natural analogues.’ This study presents the findings of case studies in various countries. The analysis focuses on the manifestations of biophilia to inform the application of biophilic design patterns for primary schools. Finally, this paper suggests how primary school children could be involved in a co-design process in order to evaluate biophilic design patterns. Full article

This essay discusses a deep malaise of contemporary architecture, made more obvious by experiencing COVID-19 lockdowns for several months. Evidence-based arguments urge society to improve human health and well-being by re-considering the design of interior and exterior spaces. So far, predictions of how design will “improve” after COVID-19 just continue business-as-usual, ignoring accumulated evidence. Yet, the negative emotional experience of families cooped up during the pandemic reveals the failure of the standard approach to designing spaces. An architecture that adapts to human biology and psychology starts with the relatively new understanding of people interacting unconsciously with their environment and broadens it. A traditional design toolkit, augmented by the latest technology, can generate healing spaces as judged by their ability to enhance users’ subjective well-being. We recommend implementing specific design innovations to achieve this goal—replacing industrial-minimalism with biophilic and neuro-based design and using documented patterns that trigger feelings of happiness in users. Full article