what is biophilic design

Biophilic design is a concept used in the building industry to increase occupant connectivity to the natural environment through the use of direct nature, indirect nature, and space and place conditions. It emphasizes human adaptations to the natural world that over evolutionary time have proven instrumental in advancing peoples survival. Biophilic design seeks to connect our inherent need to affiliate with nature in the modern built environment, recognizing that our species has evolved for more than 99% of its history in adaptive response to the natural world and not to human-created or artificial forces. Biophilic design is argued to have a wealth of benefits for building occupants and urban environments through improving connections to nature, including health benefits. Biophilic design can be organized into three categories: Nature in the Space, Natural Analogues, and Nature of the Space. The six elements of biophilic design were conceived by Stephen Kellert, a social ecologist and prominent biophilic design advocate who wrote extensively on the subject. They are: Environmental features, Natural shapes and forms, Natural patterns and processes, Light and space, Place-based relationships, and Evolved human-nature relationships.