What is Biophilic Design?

Biophilic Designs are, quite literally, designs that are filled with life. When we say life, we are not just talking about people. Plants, animals, and other materials are combined to create built environments that function more like natural ecosystems.

This design strategy creates places that are quite the opposite of the sterile, disconnected from nature, built environments that where most people spend the majority of our lives in. In general, people are looking to biophilic design as a way to optimize people’s mental and physical health, while potentially preserving and/or improving our planet for future generations.

What does biophilic mean?

The most literal translation of biophilic is “life loving.” The term is a relatively new one, which was most likely derived from other similar biological terms such as hydrophilic (having a tendency to mix with, dissolve in, or be wetted by water). In this context, biophilic would mean having a tendency to mix with nature. A synonym for biophilic is naturalistic.

“Biophilic” as a term may intend to differentiate itself from “naturalistic” in terms of its aesthetic implications. For instance, people may describe a built environment as naturalistic if it looked natural or wild by design. They may describe a built environment as biophilic if it looks more sleek or designer but functions more like nature or uses more natural materials than is typical in modern built environments. For this reason, biophilic is often used to describe environments such as interiors, rooftops, walls, or other places where you wouldn’t typically find a lot of plants or other “natural elements.”

Very few of the environments we live in today are biophilic.

Most of our modern interior environments are purposefully made to be devoid of all non-human life. Yes the occasional pretty plant or house pet may be allowed to live, work, or play with you, but that’s where most humans draw the line. Therefore, the vast majority of our built environments are the opposite of biophilic. Most are extremely biophobic.

Humans are instinctively biophobic.

Biophobia is nothing new. Humans have always been a bit biophobic. It’s a fear-based survival mechanism that can be traced all the way back to caveman dwellings. This makes perfect sense because we are actually a pretty delicate species when you think about it. If we didn’t have our big powerful brains to figure out ways to protect ourselves from other life forms, we’d have gone extinct long ago.

If you aren’t biophobic…

you may be a Biophile.

Evidence suggests that humans are instinctively attracted to naturalistic environments. However, most modern humans want to visit nature, not live in nature or as a part of nature. If you want to live as part of a wilderness ecosystem, you may be a Biophile.

The Greek word “bio” means life and the latin root “phile” means beloved. So, if we’re being literal, a biophile is someone who loves life. Not just your own life, but all other lifeforms. In English, you might call yourself a “Nature Lover.”

In a modern context, a Biophile could also be someone who is sexually attracted to being “one with nature.” We’ll let you read into this however you’d like.

Biophobia is the new normal.

Today’s pandemic era mindset has caused our collective biophobia has reached unprecedented levels. This is not to say that viruses, bacteria, and other lifeforms aren’t a threat to our health, but never before have so many humans been so hyper-focused on the threat of “invisible enemies” like COVD-19 and all it’s variants. One could easily argue that extreme biophobia has become so ingrained in our “new normal” over the last few years, that those who are NOT biophobic are the ones being labeled as mentally ill, or at the very least, completely ignorant and tragically misinformed.

The Irony of a Biophilic Design Movement in the Era of Biophobia.

If we’re so afraid of other living beings, why is the concept of biophilic design gaining so much popularity recently? Most of the wellness industry and an exponentially growing number of health conscious consumers are clamoring to buy and sell any product or service that claims to be natural. Doesn’t that mean we love nature? Yes and no.

We seem to love the idea of nature more than nature itself. Take it a step further and one might conclude that we don’t actually love nature, but simply fear the man-made products and environments we’ve created may be doing us more harm than good.

Conspiracy Alert:

THEY want us to be biophobic.

Fear, fear, fear. Fight, fight, fight. Run, run, run. Survive, survive, survive. This natural instinct is encouraged and exploited by even the most well-intentioned marketers, entrepreneurs, influencers, governments, and pretty much anyone else who wants us to buy what they’re selling or behave the way they want us to.

Ok, we’re going to slam on the brakes right there. Otherwise, you might think we’re some kind of conspiracy theorist organization. Or worse, you might develop or intensify what Psychologists are now calling the “fear of engulfment.” This is the fear of being controlled and “losing yourself.”

BTW, we’re not conspiracy theorists. Biophilic designers want you to feel more at ease in life, not more afraid of life. Read that again. It’s what’s really at the core of the Biophilic Design Craze. Or maybe we’re just saying that to sell you something? Jk. We care about your well-being a whole lot more than we care about your money. I know that might be hard to believe, but if we didn’t need to make money, we’d still want to help people feel better.

“Environments that are devoid of nature may negatively affect health.”

A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health concluded that “an environment devoid of Nature may act as a “discord”, i.e., have a negative effect. While the term mismatch is used for any difference between present living conditions and the environment of evolutionary adaptation, discords are mismatches with a potentially undesirable impact on health or quality of life. The problem is partly due to the visual absence of plants, and may be ameliorated by adding elements of Nature, e.g., by creating parks, by offering a view through windows, and by potted plants. The conclusion is based on an evaluation of some fifty relevant empirical studies.”

Biophilic Designers base decisions on BOTH intuition AND credible scientific research.

Not all benefits of biophilic design are easily quantifiable. Most indigenous cultures had a much deeper connection with the natural environments we came from. Interestingly, many of the spiritual beliefs and cultural values of these cultures have made their way into modern biophilic design principles.

If you’re someone who values science above all else, these forms of ancient knowledge or intuition based “ways of knowing” may not be enough to convince you of the benefits of biophilic living environments. Fortunately, mankind’s innate biological connection to nature and the urge to affiliate with other life forms has been extensively studied by modern scientists.

The fields of Environmental Psychology, Environmental Sociology, and Human Ecology have served to legitimize many of the more intuitively derived elements of biophilic design.

The Risk of Cultural Appropriation in Biophilic Design

Since many past civilizations held cultural and spiritual values that have made their way into the field of Biophilic Design, the risk of cultural appropriation is high. Practices such as Feng Shui and Vatsu are often appropriated without proper credit, cultural sensitivity, or deeper understanding of spiritual significance.

There is a fine line between inspiration and appropriation. If we are inspired to gain a deeper understanding of a cultural practice, truly believe and practice the spirituality associated with that practice, and credit the cultures from which these beliefs originated, there’s no reason not work with a Feng Shui or Vatsu Guru.

Implementing proven design strategies rooted in Environmental Psychology, on the other hand, may be a better fit for those who do not practice Chinese mysticism or include India as part of their cultural identity. If you are looking for better mental health and overall well-being, biophilic designs based on scientific or intuitive design principles may be a better option for you.

We recommend starting slow when pursuing a more biophilic lifestyle.

Be honest with yourself. Biophilic design strategies don’t work if you’re making yourself uncomfortable. If you’re a total clean freak or germaphobe, a totally biophilic design may not be the right approach for designing your indoors.

Nevertheless, you can still incorporate many biophilic design principles and start to optimize your mental health without making your spaces look or feel dirty. Maybe start by creating a biophilic outdoor living environment. You’ll probably never want a biophilic bedroom if you hate bugs. The mere possibility that your plants are infested with insects could trigger insomnia and anxiety. That’s not what you want in the place that’s supposed to be optimizing your mental health by encouraging calm, peaceful slumber. 

We’ve all seen the gorgeous, houseplant-filled interiors on Instagram. Yes they photograph beautifully. Yes we are the type of people who live this way, but we are full blown biophiles here. For one, you have to really love taking care of plants or pay someone a lot of money to love them for you if you want to live in these kinds of urban jungles.

Confession...we’re the type of people who love bugs, don’t spend much time thinking about germs, don’t like to clean, usually have dirt under our nails at least part of the day, and let our cats eat off the kitchen counter. If any of that totally grosses you out, that’s completely understandable. Honestly, the cats on the kitchen counter thing took some time to get used to for me. I’m still not eating off those countertops unless they’ve just been cleaned!