Page 5 - Nature at work

FACTS AND FIGURES
NATURE AT WORK
In spite of all the time we spend indoors each day, our instinct links us to Nature in a way that means we need to feel a strong connection with it. Biophilic office design offers a new way of drawing Nature into human-made spaces, with proven benefits in terms of psychological wellbeing, physical health, productivity and employee retention.
Getting lost in the woods without mobile phones and other distractions, just spending mindful time in the greenery. For those in Europe who love Nature, this is an important new wellbeing trend1, which derives from the Japanese practice of “shirin-yoku”2. A literal translation would be “forest bathing”3, an idea developed in the 80’s by Dr. Qing Li.
Based on the perceived benefits we feel when immersed in Nature, it has been shown to reduce people’s stress and improve mental health, increase serotonin levels and boost the immune system. As preventative medicine, it is so effective that the Japanese government has incorporated it as a practice into the country’s health system.
Forest bathing is a perfect example of how people find new ways to connect with Nature, driven by an instinctive and genetically determined affinity with all living systems.
It is a physical and psychological connection that the biologist E. O. Wilson called “biophilia” and defined as “the innate urge of humans to affiliate with (...) life and life-like processes”4.
In other words, biophilia is the reason why we love crackling fires, staring out to sea, enjoying the companionship of animals and the invisible force that means we prefer one landscape to another.
“The idea of biophilia originates in an understanding of human evolution, where for more than 99% of our species' history we biologically developed in adaptive response in natural, not artificial or human-created forces”5.
It is a trait of ours that often seems neglected in our materialistic society, one in which people can consume more than the Earth offers and in which we find ourselves in literally unnatural surroundings a lot of the time.
Originally coined by Eric Fromm and applied in the fields of psychology and biology, the concept of biophilia soon spread to many other disciplines, in particular those related to the creation of spaces and experiences, such as architecture and interior design.
BIOPHILIA
Eric Fromm, 1964
Humankind’s innate biological connection with nature.
FROM THEORY
TO PRACTICE
FACTS AND FIGURES 5
NATURE HUMAN
BIOLOGY
DESIGN
OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Aims to create a habitat for people that advances their health, fitness and wellbeing.
From Biophilia to Biophilic Design
Data: elaborated from “The Practice of Biophilic Design”, Calabrese & Kellert, 2015.
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