2026-27 Capstone

Biophilia

Photo by Annie Spratt / Unsplash

What is Biophilia

“…Biophilia is not a single instinct but a complex of learning rules that can be teased apart and analyzed individually. The feelings molded by the learning rules fall along several emotional spectra: from attraction to aversion, from awe to indifference, from peacefulness to fear-driven anxiety.”

A space with a good Non-Visual Connection with Nature feels fresh and well balanced; the ambient conditions are perceived as complex and variable but at the same time familiar and comfortable, whereby sounds, aromas, and textures are reminiscent of being outdoors in nature.

Advice For Biophilic Design

"Design for non-visual connections that can be easily accessed from one or multiple locations, and in such a way that allows daily engagement for 5 to 20 minutes at a time."

"Integrate non-visual connections with other aspects of the design program."

"A single intervention that can be experienced in multiple ways can enhance the impacts."

"Prioritize real nature over simulated nature; and simulated nature over no nature."

"Prioritize biodiversity over acreage, area or quantity."

The Goal

"Biophilic design must nurture a love of place."

Biophilia is a word I had been looking for to describe the feeling I get when I'm immersed in a natural landscape. It's a mixture of awe, wonder, cosmic insignificance, and connectedness to the world at large. I feel it as the overwhelming reminder that we are both deeply connected to the planet and ecosystem, while we are simultaneously such a small fraction of what makes happens here in history.

This isn't only felt at the top of a mountain with your arms outstretched and basking in the sunlight. I've felt this way while looking out across the small pond in my childhood neighborhood, driving past a cornfield creating glistening green waves on a windy day, or watching the sun rise in the valley behind a loved ones home.

References

14 Patterns of Biophilic Design. (2014, September 12). Www.Terrapinbrightgreen.Com. https://www.terrapinbrightgreen.com/reports/14-patterns/#biophilia-in-context

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