Episodes
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Tying in with Issue 6, our Blue Mind edition of The Journal of Biophilic Design we speak with Nick Hounsfield, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer at The Wave in Bristol. The Wave is an inland Surfing destination.
After working in the healthcare sector and realizing that one of the key aspects for people was that they were lonely but also that they were missing a connection to nature, Nick wanted to help and create something at scale that would have a positive impact. Not only that, but also reach out to people who didnât necessarily have access a private healthcare system. His mindset was âhow can we democratise this? How can we make it more accessible for more people?â Nick explains the thought processes he went through to create The Wave. He had a very clear purpose and a very clear mandate. From wanting it to appeal to everyone and all seasons to understanding disability and ensuring he also addressed the barriers for access to green and blue space, and then meet them. âHow do we break down those barriers, we have to break down those barriers through design, through great landscaping and then through a really good business model, and also make sure that we're not destroying the planet and the local ecology either. How can we put something back into that space? That may improve the planet and the people who are coming to visit us.â
Roll forward 10 years, and theyâve managed to build it and deliver exactly what they wanted to deliver blue and green spaces for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.
So what is The Wave? If you could imagine a huge slice of the ocean or imagine a really amazing Cove down by the beach. It's like taking that cake slice of the ocean and lifting it up and dropping it right in the middle of the field. There are absolutely perfect surfing waves, and lighter ones just as you get at the beach, you've got sort of bigger waves that are breaking in, further out for people who are sort of more competent. And then you've got really nice whitewater waves on the inside for people who just want to splash and play around or bodyboard. And, the water is Caribbean colour so also does look perfect. People come along just to walk along the pier which stretches out across the waves to enjoy the sound of the waves.
Nick and his team have created a beautiful space where people can connect with water as observers or to enjoy an immersive and active connection. Being close to a city, Bristol, and also partnerships were important part of the vision. They also work with groups who are already struggling with not having access to green and blue space and mental and physical health issues and bring them to the wave, thereby also growing the adaptive surf community and have made sure that the whole space was designed so that that is accessible, and not just ticking boxes, but actually truly accessible. And with surfing now part of the Olympics we might see hopefully in the next couple of months announced that surfing will be part of the Paralympics. âSo we've now got the most amazing training facility for these athletes. And we have got genuine medal contenders already in our midst so hopefully that whole sport will grow which is good.â
âThat's the key thing, really, it's about that partnership because we will never profess to know everything about the challenges and issues that different sectors of society have. So, it's about partnering up with people who do really know what's going on, and we're just providing a facility and, and try to work out what those barriers can be and break them down together.â
Why is why is that nature connection important?
âIt's everything.â Nick goes on to describe how we felt that nature was taken away from us during Lockdown, and even now âthere are young families stuck in high rise apartments with no access to green or space blue space at all, they walk along a concrete road to get to school and it's a concrete playground, there's no green space there. And that is that is their life. And that just doesn't feel like it's a healthy existence.â Itâs important to democratize that open space, green space, blue space, âjust having some horizons around us to be able to lift your head, lift your mind, lift your spirits, whereas if the whole time you're surrounded by things that have been designed to encapsulate you the whole time, that just creates such a closed minded spirit as well as an attitude. And I think that's a real shame, particularly for the younger generation, that growing up in that space.â
We need to re-establish those connections that have been lost and look back historically when that connection was intrinsic. âWe are not better than nature, we are nature. And actually, nature has got so many of the cures to our ills. And we have to, we have to be mindful of that and get back to promoting it, that being natural isn't some kind of woowoo. You know, that's, that's something, something for the people.â This is where biophilic design comes in, âwe want something to be sustainable for the long term, to have real longevity, we need to go back to nature for that design brief.â
What is it about Blue Mind?
There is some really good research now that shows how Blue Mind, Blue Health really has a positive impact on physical and mental well being. From being around water to being in water and experiencing that feeling when gravity is taken away from your body, and being able to move in a space. That's why hydrotherapy is really good for people with arthritis, or got joint issues. There is also that penetration of blue, which reduces heart rate and cortisol levels it calms everything down.
What about Surfing?
âThere is a sort of ebb and flow where you're doing something incredibly focused, particularly an activity where you have to be in the moment and you can't think about anything else apart from having to catch this wave, because you don't want to wipe out, you just want to ride the wave, because itâs the best feeling ever, just riding the wave. So, you've got this locked in focused moment. Itâs quite Zen-like, all that other worries in your world, just melt away because you're so focused. Then I love the other side, that sort of ebb and flow where there is the peaceful calm when the waves passed, and maybe you're paddling back out, or when maybe you're down by the beach, and you're sat waiting for the next wave, you're just looking at the big horizon. There is that moment of calm, the sort of peacefulness with it. I love the juxtaposition of the two. And that's why surfing I think brings so much and, and I'd say more wave riding, you don't have to stand up on a wave. It could be bodyboarding it could be just splashing around in the water. But I think that's the lovely sort of ebb and flow of the emotions but also that sort of excitement then that calming back down again. â
ââŠthis is a place and a space for me to find the best version of myself.â
Nick calls for similar concepts to spring up in other cities and other countries because he thinks âeverybody should have an access to these kinds of facilities. So in terms of designing, master planning, master planning, huge developments, I think it's something that we should be mindful of going forwards, like building a future that is actually much more sustainable for our society, and actually learn from the mistakes that we've had previously, and incorporate really good design when master planning cities, towns and settlements in the future. And I think what's been great is the wave has demonstrated that actually, you can do that triple bottom line where you're doing right by the planet, youâre looking after the people along the way, and also having an economically viable model. I just would love that thinking to be replicated in other places, whether there's a Wave there or not, but that triple bottom line, philosophy really can work if it's if it's properly committed to.â
The Wave could be coming to a city near you, watch out for developments, sign up to their newsletter, go visit, enjoy the food, music, camping, and go catch a Wave at The Wave visit:
www.thewave.com
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Building on an earlier conversation we had in 2020 with a co-founder of Skogluft, we speak today with Morten Kvam, CEO of Skogluft. Not only does it sound beautiful and uplifting, in Norwegian it means âForest Airâ. We talk about how plants are essential to have in the built environment and how the main founder of Skogluft Bjorn Virumdal was a mechanical engineer and realised that biological models were needed to explain the effects of nature indoors. NASA had conducted some research on how astronauts would be affected by the lack of nature. After speaking with them to explore their findings Bjorn then conducted further scientific research to prove how different plants and different light affected people in different working environments. His research looked at three main aspects: the feeling of being awake, headaches and respiratory problems and he took readings before and after the intervention.
The results showed the positive effects of having nature indoors. Tiredness reduced by 40%, headaches reduced by 35% and concentration problems reduced by 16%. Morten says they have over 7.2kg worth of printed evidence that nature is good for us!
There is evidence that plants in a room may reduce the dust level of the air, as found by Lohr and Pearson-Mims (1996). The dust content of the indoor air is often too high and might irritate mucous membranes in eyes and respiratory organs (throat, nose). When plants are healthy and are in your workplace, home, school or healthcare space, there is an increase in air humidity which may bind more of the dust, and as a result reduce some of the health complaints associated with dust (and maybe also pollen). The large leaf surface of plants probably promotes sedimentation of dust from the air, which will reduce the dust level. Just imagine if we place plants close to the computer â where both dust level and the level of static electricity is often high, we might see a reduction in irritations in respiratory organs. This could be really useful in healthcare environments especially receptions and schools.
Feedback from users who have installed Skogluft say that one of the benefits is that acoustic levels really improve. They are also ideal in dentist waiting rooms, or anywhere you might feel stressed or anxious because the green walls create a feeling of calm. On the other side of the coin, there is a very large Skogluft wall in a library north of Oslo, who now want to implement it in all libraries in the city. We discuss how we could install green walls in university and study spaces. They have already installed many in the working spaces in Healthcare environments for the employees. If we think of all the halls, rest areas, outside treatment areas, receptions, and so on, there are many places we could implement green walls so many people receive the benefit.
Morten shared that the Skogluft Green wall is a best kept secret for one of the Norwegian football clubs who feel it gives them the advantage to compete and win games. It is important for that club to feel the vitality and life of nature, instead of the usual naked walls you get inside clubs.
The more plants you have the more positive effects you earn! For Skogluft, their plant of preference is the Golden Pothos, which research has shown that these are very positive and have a greater effect than other plants. One hypothesis is that they produce lots of chlorophyl per time unt per square inch. This is still a hypothesis, but it seems they are better than other green plants. Also they are very robust, look good, and are easy to maintain year after year. They survive even if you forget to water them for a week or two!
We also talk about the importance of light. The positive effect of light reflecting on nature. âWe are programmed to stay in nature, we have always been surrounded by plants and light together,â Morten says. âIt makes people react more positively when we see light reflected on plants.â
In his magic brush of biophilia, he says we should be looking to install nature everywhere, and âjust like toilets are compulsory in buildings so should nature be compulsory nature indoors everywhere.â I think Iâll be sharing that last thought many many times. Itâs straightforward and simple to grasp - nature should indeed be compulsory in every building.
Skogluft creates living walls which are super simple to install and even has an app do you donât kill the plants! We all have a choice when it comes to who we work with and the companies we represent. Morten tells us that while his background was not nature-based, he chose Skogluft because as a company they are making a difference to peopleâs wellbeing.
To find out more about Skogluft: https://www.skogluft.com
Have a listen to our the podcast we did with Stine Wettergreen way back in 2020 which this one today builds on that initial conversation! https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/podcast-journal-of-biophilic-design/skogluft-forest-air
To buy a copy of The Journal of Biophilic Design visit our website www.journalofbiophilicdesign.com or from Amazon. If you like our podcast and would like to support us in some way, you can buy us a coffee if you would like to support us, thank you x
Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts.
Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds?
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To register your interest in attending our Biophilic Design Conference visit www.biophilicdesignconference.com
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Change is about people and when it comes to people, there is no formula and there is no one way, this is challenging and hard. For designers, architects, planners who are trying to convince people to do something different, to do something maybe that business has never done before, what tools do we need to help take our clients on that âchangeâ journey with us?
I was lucky to catch up with the Change Master, Jennifer Bryan, who will also be speaking at Workplace Trends in London on 18th October 2023. Jennifer shares with us some tips to help you lead that change, for her there is âno change without learning and no learning without change,â and it has to come from a âpeople centric perspective.â
Jennifer, gives us some sound advice. She describes what she calls the âend person in mind approach.â If you think about the person who is the furthest away from the decision making room, when they first hear about the change (whether that the watercooler gossip or a town hall) if you can make that initial moment for that positive then you will have a positive initial moment for everyone else in between.
There are 8 different reasons why people resist change. Jennifer outlines some with us here. Sometimes itâs because they donât understand the change, or it could be how they perceive it, it could be fear or emotional, or historical. If you want to fine tune your potential to lead change, get your hands on her book: âLeading People in Changeâ. Understand where that âresistanceâ might be coming from. Ask the questions so you might understand why they might be resisting. Take them on a bit of a journey. Help people understand the âso whatâ.
We forget that other people arenât in that same space, and we need to be able to articulate that âso whatâ but it has to be that âso whatâ for them.
Think of this podcast as the essential spanners in your âToolbox of Persuasion.â Thereâs a lot of good advice in this podcast for those involved in bringing Biophilic Design into the mainstream. We can help leaders and managers understand that Biophilia is not just fluff, help them to visualise a positive outcome and from a different angle.
Jennifer says there are three key questions you need to consider, and when you know the answers you have to articulate the solutions from the heart. Firstly, what is it youâre trying to do, secondly why now, and finally how are people going to think and feel about it?
Remember we all have the passion within us to bring about change, learning how to lead that change is a skill, which is why advice from consultants like Jennifer are helpful in encouraging your clients build that change muscle internally.
Why not come and meet Jennifer in person on 18th October 2023 in London, where she will be speaking about âAdopting Foresightâ at Workplace Trends event, and presenting results from a research project with Henley Business School. To register your place at the event visit:
https://workplacetrends.co/events/wt23-programme/
USE CODE JBD20 for 20% off the published delegate rate at https://workplacetrends.co/events/wt23/
To find out more about Jennifer, visit
linkedin.com/in/jennifer-l-bryan abchangeconsultancy.com
JenniferLBryan.com (Portfolio)
inspirationalspeakers.co.uk/speaker/jennifer-bryan/ (Portfolio)
And donât forget to buy her book âLeading People in Changeâ
To buy a copy of The Journal of Biophilic Design visit our website www.journalofbiophilicdesign.com or from Amazon. If you like our podcast and would like to support us in some way, you can buy us a coffee if you would like to support us, thank you x
Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts.
Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds?
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/
Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsn
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Instagram https://www.instagram.com/journalofbiophilicdesignï»ż
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Are you an agent for change? What is the barrier to designing better? Sometimes it is the apparent complexity of legislation governing ecology, planning and design that prevents people from discovering the best way of doing something. Fortunately, there is a simple award scheme that helps developers, builders, planners and designers navigate the myriad of paperwork and advisory bodies.
We speak with Dr Gemma Jerome, Director of Building with Nature, which helps define what good looks like in terms of green infrastructure (the way planners talk about nature). What I particularly love about Building with Nature is that it also helps give nature a seat around the table, especially at the beginning of the planning process and helps nature become a specification driver in planning and development. Building with Nature has an open-source Standards Framework, a one-stop-shop for all sectorial knowledge and expertise including Nature recovery, Sustainable water management through nature-based solutions, wellbeing, access and inclusivity to open and green spaces.
Gemma is also an environmental planner with a specialism in the design, delivery, and stewardship of green infrastructure. She is a Fellow of the Landscape Institute and co-chaired the British Standards Institute panel for the BS8683:2021 Process for designing and implementing Biodiversity Net Gain, and recently supported the RTPI/RSPB design code. In addition, Gemma has sat on various government roundtables and advisory panels offering expertise on design quality and is currently supporting the development of the Natural England Green Infrastructure Standards Framework.
We talk about how planners and designers can use the Building with Nature Award Scheme as an external verification to tell the story of what theyâve done, to share learning, and to reassure key stakeholders who want better outcomes for people and wildlife. For instance, if you need to reassure communities that the developer has thought about all these things, or the local authority needs external verification, or investors need assurance. The Award Scheme is measurable and so offers this metric-based assurance to help you demonstrate to stakeholders you are planning and designing with the goal of reaching net zero, supporting nature recovery, as well as supporting peopleâs health and wellbeing.
In an ideal world, before we build, we would watch a space for a year. This would be best practice to understand constraints. But we rarely do that with development, there is always a real rush to approve the master plan, to construct and implement. But then when itâs all done, most of the stakeholders leave, and other people (mainly the residents) have to develop a relationship with it and steward it over time. Gemma encourages us to focus on the front end, letâs start with nature rather than trying to consider it at the end of the process, where it can often cost more money to rectify should issues arise.
In the podcast we also look at retrofitting and how it can be done incredibly well. Gemma shares with us as a case study, the Queensland Court in Glasgow https://www.buildingwithnature.org.uk/project-list-blog/2022/9/29/queensland-court-amp-gardens-cardonald
There are many more more case studies on their website which showcase best practice and the successs of the Building with Nature Award scheme; visit âprojectsâ and you can filter them by region www.Buildingwithnature.org.uk
To buy a copy of The Journal of Biophilic Design visit our website www.journalofbiophilicdesign.com or from Amazon. If you like our podcast and would like to support us in some way, you can buy us a coffee if you would like to support us, thank you x
Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts.
Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds?
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/
Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsn
LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/journalofbiophilicdesign/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/journalofbiophilicdesignï»ż
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When we design spaces, we need to consider how beautiful a place looks, how useful it is, is it fit for function and so on. We should also consider how the sensory elements of the space also stack up. In other podcasts and also in the Journal itself, we look at how our senses are impacted by sound, light, smell, even the haptic elements (those things we touch), smell (is the air fresh and clear) and many other things. All of us are affected by the impact our environment has on our senses, some of us more than others.
In this episode, we speak with Dr Keren MacLennan, Assistant Professor in Neurodiversity in the Department of Psychology, Durham University. Her research focusses on understanding how autistic peopleâs sensory processing differences relate to their mental health and experiences of different environments. She is co-producing research to support mental wellbeing to make environments more enabling for autistic individuals.
We walk about how we all process sensory experience slightly differently, and how those of us who are neurodiverse might find certain sensory environments really challenging.
So what is Sensory Reactivity? Where âSensory Processingâ looks at whatâs happening actually inside the brain, âSensory Reactivityâ looks at peopleâs reactions to the space, and therefore we can then make inferences about whatâs going on in the brain itself.
Keren talks about âSensory hyper-reactivityâ where people might react more strongly to sounds, taste, touch, who might find some as overwhelming or painful. From this negative response we can infer that something is processing differently in the brain than others might process it.
In her research autistic people shared that a lot of environments are disabling because of the sensory input. If you think about public transport, healthcare, restaurants, supermarkets, these can be heavy sensory burdensome environments. The Sensory landscapes in those places are challenging, lots of sounds, people, smells, lights, colours. It is important to design with the people who are using it in mind. In cities we can reduce sound and cacophony, creating zones and spaces for people to take a moment, to take a break and recover. If we look at the spatial design avoiding having just enclosed spaces, include also open spaces so people arenât going to get funnelled through.
There is a high prevalence of sensory sensitivity among autistic people, but it also prevalent among people with ADHD as well as PTSD, OCD or who are experiencing anxiety. For instance someone who is anxious is in a state of fight or flight all the time, and therefore might over process their environment, and so might react to the various stimuli in a similar way.
How can we bring in Biophilic Design to support neurodiversity and autistic people? 22 mins
From her research we know that the top enabling spaces, are outdoors places like parks, beach, woodlands. The effects of nature on autistic people are positive, and especially for children they help support sensory, motor and social developments.
If we also bring in natural elements in design, we are making the spaces more enjoyable. Biophilic colour schemes and patterns tend to be more aligned to our innate processing, for instance, we process nature and natural patterns easier.
There is a new BSI Design guide for neurodiversity, which outlines advice on how to make spaces sensory inclusive, and it mentions biophilic design on a number of occasions, suggesting more greenery in spaces, which of course absorbs sound, and our brain enjoys processing nature information. Also in a pilot study she did, videos and sounds from nature were rated as being very enjoyable for autistic people.
As always, when designing, donât just go in with theory, which of course is a good starting point, make sure you also consult the people who are going to engage in that space. Is this going to be a beneficial space for them? Make sure engage with the stakeholders to make sure it is going to work for everyone. There are always different skill sets in a business, and of course these also can be quite varied in personality types, and everybody has expertise. Co-design, collaborate, everyone who shares that spaces, everyone should have that input.
To connect with Dr MacLennan,
https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/keren-maclennan/
To read her research:
âIt Is a Big Spider Web of Thingsâ: Sensory Experiences of Autistic Adults in Public Spaces
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/aut.2022.0024?journalCode=aut
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Watch our other podcasts
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To buy a copy of The Journal of Biophilic Design visit our website www.journalofbiophilicdesign.com or from Amazon. If you like our podcast and would like to support us in some way, you can buy us a coffee if youâd like to, thank you x
Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts.
Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds?
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/
Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsn
LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/journalofbiophilicdesign/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/journalofbiophilicdesignï»ż
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Plants to the Rescue #PlantsatWorkWeek2023 An ambulance makes an appearance at the Oxford Business Park. Everyone is keen to know whoâs in need of medical help without appearing too nosey. Watching from afar one person noted something wasnât quite right â plants kept appearing, peeping out of the back of the ambulance and round the corners of the doors. Where was the patient? And what had happened? Searching for the bed and the patient in the ambulance was difficult as the back was full of plants not patients! Proving that visible signage #plantstotherescue is very apt. NPWW Ambulance LR An ambulance brings #plantstotherescue for National Plants at Work Week 2023 This is how National Plants at Work Week opened in 2023. The brainchild of plants@work ambassador Ian Drummond confirmed, âThe ambulance felt like the perfect tool to confirm the importance of plants to our health and wellbeing. Ian at the ambulance lr Ian Drummond of Ian Drummond Botancia Designs who dressed the Ambulance âResearch over many years has shown that plants improve our moods and reduce stress levels and generally help our work flow. They can stimulate and improve our performance and concentration plus they lessen noise around us by deflecting and diffracting sound.â Shirley Smith of Botanica Nurseries who has several clients in the business park and looks after their plant installations with the same care as doctors and their patients, commented, âPlants make us more productive and help our creativity as well as reduce our stress levels.â James and Shirley 2 LR James and Shirley Smith of Botanica Nurseries who supplied the plants and helped dress the ambulance Ian added, âThe ambulance is a great symbol to show how we should respect the work that plants do for us in the same way as we respect the National Health Service including ambulance crews.â Inside the ambulance LR From 10 â 14 July we will be celebrating the positive benefits of having plants in the workplace. Plants@work members will support this event with stories on the web using the hashtags #plantsatworkweek and #plantstotherescue. Find more information on our website and our social media sites. We hope youâll join us to celebrate this special week. ends Editor's notes Ian Drummond is a renowned award-winning botanical designer and author of At Home With Plants. A regular contributor to many publications, such as Living Etc magazine, Ian has won multiple awards at Chelsea Flower Show and trade awards. With a client list that includes The Elton John Aids Foundation, London Fashion Week, Bafta, Harrods and Warner Bros., Ian Drummond Botanical Design is in hot demand for design work, planting schemes and events. Botanica Nurseries has been installing and maintaining interior and exterior plant displays for over 35 years. They have worked on the last two National Plants at Work Week installations, supplying space, plants and containers as well as helping with the set up. This year their contact with the Oxford Business Park enabled us to use their space for our Ambulance display. So itâs literally Botanica Nurseries to the rescue!If you like this, please subscribe! Please register for our newsletter on our website https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/podcasts-journal-of-biophilic-design Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts. Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds? Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/ Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsn LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/journalofbiophilicdesign/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/journalofbiophilicdesign
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A new pioneering research study proves that there is definitely a business case for introducing Biophilic Design into a Workplace. The findings of this study shows an incredible 200% increase in well-being and environmental value compared to a normal workspace! The research was carried out at PLP Offices over the course of 8 weeks. The researchers monitored the participants daily work during three distinct environment scenarios: a controlled space (with no plants), a second space with some planting, and a third space with lots of plants. They monitored participants through qualitative (questionnaires, interviews, journaling with diaries) and quantitative means (air quality, VOC, CO2, temperature, humidity, light, heart rate, steps, sleep quality, noise level, brainwaves). The results are further proof that introducing plants into an office space really makes a difference to employee wellbeing, healthy, productivity, and a businessâ bottom line.
In this podcast, we speak with Adrian Byne, MD of Benholm Group who supported the research, providing plants and also who will be hosting an event on 28th September 2023 in their Falkirk offices for designers to explore the results with the researchers and network and discuss what makes a good biophilically designed workplace. The link to the research here: https://www.benholm.com/research-study-the-value-of-biophilic-design-follow-up-interview/
EVENT - Reap what you Sow 28th September 023
At the in person event in Scotland later in the year, we will be sitting down with PLP, Benholm and the researchers Professor Derek Clements-Croome and Joyce Chan-Schoof with a live audience drilling down into the process and the further application of the research. If you are a designer or specifier and would like to come along let us know, register your interest here: https://www.benholm.com/reap-what-you-sow-live-event-form/ đđ©đȘđŽ đ§đąđŽđ€đȘđŻđąđ”đȘđŻđš đłđŠđŽđŠđąđłđ€đ© đ±đłđ°đ«đŠđ€đ” đ„đŠđ”đąđȘđđŽ đ”đ©đŠ đ±đłđ°đ€đŠđŽđŽ đ°đ§ đźđŠđąđŽđ¶đłđȘđŻđš đąđŻđ„ đźđ°đŻđŠđ”đȘđŽđȘđŻđš đ”đ©đŠ đžđŠđđđŁđŠđȘđŻđš đąđŻđ„ đŠđŻđ·đȘđłđ°đŻđźđŠđŻđ”đąđ đ·đąđđŠ đ°đ§ đŁđȘđ°đ±đ©đȘđđȘđą đȘđŻ đąđłđ€đ©đȘđ”đŠđ€đ”đ¶đłđąđ đ„đŠđŽđȘđšđŻ. đđ” đŠđčđ±đđ°đłđŠđŽ đ©đ°đž đ„đŠđŽđȘđšđŻ đ„đŠđ€đȘđŽđȘđ°đŻđŽ đ€đąđŻ đŁđŠ đšđȘđ·đŠđŻ đą đźđ°đŻđŠđ”đąđłđș đ·đąđđ¶đŠ đ”đ° đŠđŻđąđŁđđŠ đłđŠđąđ đŠđŽđ”đąđ”đŠ đ€đđȘđŠđŻđ”đŽ đ”đ° đ§đąđȘđłđđș đŠđ·đąđđ¶đąđ”đŠ đ”đ©đŠ đžđ°đłđ”đ© đ°đ§ đ”đ©đŠđŽđŠ đȘđŻđ”đŠđłđ·đŠđŻđ”đȘđ°đŻđŽ đąđđ°đŻđšđŽđȘđ„đŠ đ°đ”đ©đŠđł đ±đłđ°đ«đŠđ€đ” đ€đ°đŽđ”đŽ.
Adrian in this podcast makes an impassioned plea: âPlants in an office should be for everybody. They shouldnât be seen as a luxury or optional extra.â
Adrian also gives us some advice on retrofitting plants and Biophilic Design into a workplace. For instance, natural light is really important, look at what is already in the space, can you expose the timber, can you bring in natural wood furniture? He also says that it is important to call on an expert, especially when bringing in planting, for example you need to make sure containers are big enough for the root-space, that they need to be water-tight, where to position plants in terms of lighting etc.
If you are a designer listening to this, try and introduce your client to the benefits of bringing Biophilic Design right at the beginning of a new building design, right from the ground up as it were. If you can build planting into the fabric of the building, it makes everything easier, from the water supply to aligning natural light and so on. If you are retrofitting Biophilic Design, of course, there is so much you can do too. Just looking at this research project, they created a fully immersive experience in that space as a retro-fit.
We also talk about Dr Wolvertonâs report from NASA https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2019/cg_7.html , and how air cleaning takes place in the root space of the plants, toxins in the air are cleaned in the root-space of plant.
Adrian encourages designers not to go down the artificial route, but to use real plants where they can. âLive plants are the best for us. Use them if you possibly can, they have all these added benefits, if you have to use artificial, make sure they look really real, people should be wanting to water artificial plants.â
Live planting really does something for you which this research shows.
A few notes on the research: Collaborators in the study are Sustainability Lead at House of Commons and PhD Researcher, Joyce Chan-Schoof, PLP Architecture and their in-house research and development team PLP Labs, Biophilic Design Consultant Alexander Bond, and lecturer, author and expert in multisensory design, Professor Derek Clements-Croome. Together we will measure indoor environmental quality objective data throughout the testing period, and participants will complete questionnaires after each scenario change.
For more information on Benholm visit https://www.benholm.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE EVENT:
This open discussion will provide a golden opportunity put your questions to the authors and gain valuable insights on how biophilic design can enhance your projects from a wellbeing, sustainability and financial perspective.
In addition to the invaluable insights youâll gain from our experts, youâll also have the opportunity to:
đ€Expand Your Network: Connect with like-minded professionals and industry leaders who share a curiosity for biophilic design, fostering collaboration and opening doors to new opportunities.
đ±Delve into BENHOLMâS lush greenhouse: See where our remarkable biophilic creations come to life and witness the craftsmanship and artistry behind our awe-inspiring designs.
đŸEnjoy some TLC: To keep your creative energy flowing, theyâll be providing a complimentary lunch, nibbles, and drinks throughout the event, followed by a champagne reception at the end of the day.
Reap What You Sow LIVE will take place at Benholmâs picturesque headquarters on the đźđŽđđ” đŒđł đŠđČđœđđČđșđŻđČđż đłđżđŒđș đŹđ”:đŻđŹđźđș đđ»đđ¶đč đ±:đŻđŹđœđș. To ensure easy and convenient access for all attendees, they will be running a shuttle service to and from Polmont train station.
Would you like to attend? This exclusive event is free, but spaces are extremely limited. If you or a member of your team would like the chance to secure a spot on the guest list, register your interest here: https://lnkd.in/dFdgxH7sFor the research visit: https://www.benholm.com/research-study-the-value-of-biophilic-design-follow-up-interview/
Plus there is an article on the research in the 5th Issue of the Journal of Biophilic Design, Creativity.
Also before you go, do check out this case study - https://www.benholm.com/rose-street-garden-edinburgh/ which shows how you could use flowers and planting to support your business branding too.
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Have you got a copy of our Cities issue of The Journal of Biophilic Design (you can purchase a copy directly from us at the journalofbiophilicdesign.com or Amazon. To buy a copy of The Journal of Biophilic Design visit our website
www.journalofbiophilicdesign.com or from Amazon. If you like our podcast and would like to support us in some way, you can buy us a coffee if youâd like to, thank you x
Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts.
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It seems that in the 21st century we have even more challenges, from tackling climate change and biodiversity decline to an ageing population. Dr Wei Yang, influential thought-leader and a powerful advocate for climate action and nature-based solutions, advocates a people centric approach to community and environment. It is fundamental to create a balanced system for people, nature and society to exist in harmony. When we are dealing with so many different complex issues, we need to take a simple approach, with the main focus being that without nature we cannot survive. We need a mindset change when it comes to civic planning especially.
As human beings we have taken from nature and not given back to nature, and Dr Yang argues, as the Garden City Principle celebrates, we are missing a trick. There is a misunderstanding of garden cities. When we say âgarden citiesâ people think, lots of trees. But it is a sophisticated, yet simple, social economic model. Using a land value capture model. Through development the land value increases and that can be captured providing social economic support to the community.
Dr Yang discusses how state run Social welfare can be a very top down approach and not necessarily what the community needs and there is a frustration in general with the Town Planning profession. Dr Yang opens our eyes to the fact that planning is in fact multi-disciplinary, not only is it an applied science discipline but it is also an art discipline. This highly sophisticated profession cuts across so many different disciplines, but, she argues, we need to ensure we maintain compassion and selflessness when we are planning our towns and cities. In fact, town Planners should be Doctors for Mother Earth
âAs planners we can ensure we bring the beauty of nature and wildlife corridors into cities. At the moment, our approach to Cities, is almost like they are cancers, solid concrete blocks. Thatâs why we have so many troubles, mental and physical health issues, if we do bring nature in, we can treat the whole environment in a totally different way.â
She tells us about the first garden city Letchworth which used that approach, and we can see that the city is thriving. There is connectivity to local agricultural land. It is called a âGarden cityâ not referring to the âgardensâ as in our households, but the agricultural belt, and of course this relates to local food production.
Dr Yang also discusses the 15-minute walkable neighbourhood, and says in the 21st Century garden city you have that walkability from your house to work on a daily basis bedded into the very fabric of the city design. The Garden City is a social network, they are Social Cities.
Milton Keynes example uses garden principle on a larger scale with flood attenuation and wildlife corridors. The parks Trust, manage the land using the land value capture model to look after the green space. About Πof the land is green. The city generates income from the premises on the land and they use this income to look after the green space professionally. Self-sustaining. We need this long-term integrated approach when it comes to town planning.
Accessibility to green space affects our behaviour and physical and mental wellbeing. Generally expensive areas are leafy, but Green space is important to everyone. If we remember the pioneer Octavia Hill who helped protect green spaces for those from disadvantaged backgrounds to enjoy green space. It should be accessible to everyone and we should continue this in town planning. 74% of children only play outside. When you compare this to Prisoners who by law have to have at least 1 hour a day outside, children have less freedom than prisoners! If we want the next generation to protect nature we need them to understand it, otherwise they wonât. Letâs bring garden cities right to someoneâs doorstep, improve biodiversity, and also improve the porosity of the earth. Letâs have a Place-based approach, work with different professions and maintain a multidisciplinary approach
Nothing is more powerful than nature. There are no age or gender differences in planning, if we believe something we can just work on it and we can all achieve something collectivelyâŠ
Dr Yang is an influential thought leader and a powerful advocate for climate action, nature-based solutions, health and well-being, and social equality. Wei was named as a Net Zero Hero by Digital Leaders in 2022.
https://www.weiyangandpartners.co.uk/about/team/dr-wei-yang
To buy a copy of The Journal of Biophilic Design visit our website
www.journalofbiophilicdesign.com or from Amazon. If you like our podcast and would like to support us in some way, you can buy us a coffee if youâd like to, thank you x
Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts.
Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds?
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/
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Sustainability matters, it is a matter of survival. For Carlo Battisti, President at Living Future Europe this is essential. We cannot design or build without considering this.
We already know the solutions, we need to implement them.
Carlo co-founded the Biophilic Society and coordinates LFE biophilic design strategy. âThere are so many global issues to solve, our responsibility must start from the built environment, we know that 40% of emissions come from built environment and these have an impact on global issues.â
Each time we build, we start from scratch which means itâs difficult to standardise the processes, also the sector is so slow to change, but the built environment shapes the way we are living.
Carlo tells us about his experience and also about the Living Building challenge framework which was developed in 2006. We are now at the 4th version of the standard which was published in 2019. Biophilic Design has always been a core part of this framework. If we design and build with a better connection to nature, using natural light, better airflow, etc, there will be better energy consumption, greater energy efficiency. Also of course, there are lots of studies which show that bringing sufficient daylight into enclosed spaces, for instance in schools or hospitals, patients recover quicker, students learn faster in classrooms. There is such interesting and robust data.
The Biophilic Summit is taking place on 7th June 2023. The details of the summit programme and how to register can be found here: https://lfeurope.regfox.com/biophilia-summit-2023
Our editor, Dr Vanessa Champion will be moderating the Round table at the close of the event. Also speaking at the event will be two Stephen R. Kellert award winners from 2022 and 2023. The designers of the Railway station in Japan, JR Jumamoto Railway Station (2022 winner). Also the architect who worked on the school in the Netherlands, De Verwondering which won the SKBDA 2023 both European and the Global category. Check out the SKBDA 2023 Europe finalists videos (link on the JBD website too).
Do have a look at the Biophilic Society, which, Carlo describes as a living system of passionate people all over the world, meeting once a month, looking at best practice, etc. https://www.living-future.eu/biophilic-society/
Some helpful links:
Living Future Europe https://www.living-future.eu/
Biophilia Summit 2023 https://lfeurope.regfox.com/biophilia-summit-2023
The Biophilic Society https://www.living-future.eu/biophilic-society/
Sign the Manifesto
Biophilic Design at LFE
Biophilic Design experts (filter by BD)
Biophilia Camp 2022 highlights
Biophilia Camp pre-registration list (22-25 Sep 2023, South Tyrol)
De Verwondering wins the SKBDA 2023
SKBDA 2023 Europe finalists videos
Marion Fire Station Iowa (2023 co-winner)
JR Jumamoto Railway Station (2022 winner)
To buy a copy of The Journal of Biophilic Design visit our website
www.journalofbiophilicdesign.com or from Amazon. If you like our podcast and would like to support us in some way, you can buy us a coffee if youâd like to, thank you x
Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts.
Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds?
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/
Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsn
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Instagram https://www.instagram.com/journalofbiophilicdesignï»ż
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Nature is home. Nature is where you can think, rejuvenate, it constantly gives to you. There is nothing man made that can replace the benefits of nature. Edna Odhiambo, is a Climate Change Lawyer based in Nairobi Kenya. Edna was speaking at the brilliant 8th Annual Sustainability Week conference, run by The Economist [PUT LINK IN]
As an undergraduate law student, she witnessed one of worst droughts in the Horn of East Africa, and she asked herself âwhat can the law do about this?â She realised then that one of the main keys to unlocking the solution is through a focus on policy and regulatory frameworks across different sectors.
In terms of sustainability, Kenya leads in Africa. For example, more than 85% of their electricity comes from clean energy sources like solar, wind, hydro and geo thermal. But there are many challenges. For example, there are millions of Kenyans who lack access to clean energy sources, some are still using firewood and charcoal, dirty cooking fuels, which also increase respiratory illnesses and people are cutting down forests. 87% of Kenya is arid and semi-arid. If you consider then there is very little arable land and then couple this with climate change impacts, water scarcity we should be looking at opportunities to find solutions locally while we wait for access to innovative and affordable technology. Edna explains there are many basic low-cost solutions which can be done by local communities such as water dams. We need to make a difference as fast as we can.
One of the main themes of this podcast is how we need to bring in an integrated approach to transport, we need a multi-modal approach which seamlessly connects walking, bus and public transport, dock-less bikes, cycling lanes and walking pathways. Globally transport is the cause of 15% of emissions. The time has come to stop putting highways before people, building cities around transport, we should be putting people first. Traffic is a major cause of outdoor air pollution, which causes asthma in children, and there are even studies looking at there being an increased risk of dementia event early studies,
Edna makes a call for improving our overall quality of life. We are upright creatures, when we are away from our natural set up, thatâs when we get very anxious. We also have to remember that in developing cities, more than half of the population walk, they are not using cars, they use public transport when they can afford it and half the time they cannot so they walk. Increasing walking and cycling structure is important. We need to good walk paths cycling paths. If half of the population walks, then letâs aim to make our cities equitable to ensure we are catering for our people.
Biophilia, as well as our connection with animals, birds, nature and trees, this symbiosis also extends to people, our interconnection with each other. It is the love of living entities, life..
For Edna her focus on civic environmental improvements includes walking and eco-friendly modes of transport. This closer connection to other people gets you speaking with others, community, maybe even starting friendships. Also consider the sound pollution, the auditory impact traffic noise has on us, it raises our stress levels.
Challenges are always there, the good thing is that when you know them then you can address them effectively. In finding solutions you need to ensure you allocate and understand the budgetary requirements. Transport is the responsibility of national and subnational governments, and there is need for coordination, we need to look at them as one system, we need infrastructure to make our lives better, including the deliberate allocation towards walking and cycling. We need policy and regulations, legitimising walking and cycling. Plus we need to bring in citizen awareness, allowing for a constant motion of educating masses of their rights to walking facilities, when we realise how poor environmental transport solutions affect our health, this becomes a personal concern and changes the game.
Cities are very central to climate action, by 2050 68% of the people of the world will live in cities. We need to engage more inclusively for the needs on the ground, addressing climate change in all sectors. For instance, in the built environment bringing letâs bring in biophilic solutions, for example, vertical gardens, these improve aesthetics, are air purifiers and sound absorbers.
In Kenya everybody tries to have a kitchen garden wherever they can, even growing vegetables in a sack. Itâs a culture, everyone grows a few greens in their backyard, even with more and more people in apartments, nature is so resilient Growing your own, allows us to feel closer to nature, to nurture it, giving us a greater appreciation of nature. Think about underserved communities, helping them have access greens and improve their nutrition while also mitigating climate crises, reducing food miles and the loss of nutrition along the way. Growing food can also bring communities together. Biophilia should be right at the core.
In urban and peri-urban areas, letâs bring in trees. Trees play a critical role in our cities. Letâs put in more boulevards and vertical gardens, which will help reduce our energy costs. Use local Indigenous plants as these will be resilient to the climate thatâs there. We try and force things, to make things that donât work. There is always something that works in a particular area. For instance more palm trees in a tropical climate. Always a solution, even when it comes to food. We can get all the needs dietary needs from whatâs around us, we should encourage people to use whatâs local, and build on that.
Biophilia is a great way of bringing us back to nature and helping us address climate change.
For more information and to contact Edna visit www.ednaclimate.com and more information on the Economist Impact Events visit: https://events.economist.com
To buy a copy of The Journal of Biophilic Design visit our website
www.journalofbiophilicdesign.com or from Amazon.
buy our magazine from our website www.journalofbiophilicdesign.com and if you like our podcast and would like to support us in some way, you can buy us a coffee if youâd like to, thank you xhttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/biophilicdesign
Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts.
Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail,and most if not all the RSS feeds?
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/
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Harvesting the energy of our people, is a key message in this great podcast with Jaime Blakeley-Glover, founder of Orientate.earth and a collaborator with other businesses all working towards the same goal, to make our world and our environment a better place to live and thrive. We talk about his the âSocial benefit of buildingsâ. For Jaime, we have a huge responsibility in relation to how we create our built environment, the decisions we take will have an effect for years after weâve gone. We leave a legacy, and a choice. Do we create amazing awe-inspiring connected places or create dull and lifeless ones? It is only by understanding and engaging with all the stakeholders, from the building owners to the people who work, visit, use and supply the buildings that will allow us to think about the place our buildings and places have in responding to the needs of people now and in the future. We need to broaden out how we think of things. Buildings are more than just Units and assets, these are places where people live, how we build and design affects their lives and wellbeing. Letâs look at the Social-economic indicators as well as the âwarmâ data, this collective imagination to assess this broad set of information, and then respond to it. Biophilic design and nature-inspired design does support a more sustainable way of living. It is proven, that if we care about something we do more to protect it, if we bring nature more into our sense of view, we will do more to protect it. We can also be inspired by nature and look at how buildings and cities are living systems. We are part of the living system, in terms of cities, and nature. We canât think about it in a linear way. All living systems are wonderfully adaptive, they change in response to their surroundings. Thatâs how we should be looking at how we designing materials, organisations, buildings. Nature has feedback loops, and if we genuinely listen to a place, really understand what is going on in the workplace and a make a commitment to work with what we see, we will flourish. We also talk about the Most Sustainable Workplace Index. There was a report in 2017 that stated that 98% of sustainability initiatives fail to deliver, for Jaime, most of this comes from human factors and we need to reduce that. But we canât just scatter seeds on stony ground. We need to think about the soil in an organisation which is the culture, the relationship, the purpose, our meaning. Which in turn allows things to grow, the index, helps us understand that so we can sow the seeds, and select the right ones. With a more human centric measure of sustainability based around motivation. If people are motivated, we would not be getting those stats. With the index we can understand our people and respond to what they need to step into action and help build motivation for sustainable behaviour and action. If we use Biophilic Design as a way of working, combined with a process of Adaptation (mimicking nature), we can contextualise what we do, and grow from the inside out. And things will change for the better.
To contact Jaime visit www.orientate.earth and www.mostsustainableworkplace.com
Jaime will be speaking at the Workplace Trends conference on 19th April 2023, in London https://workplacetrends.co
To buy a copy of The Journal of Biophilic Design visit our website www.journalofbiophilicdesign.com or from Amazon. If you like this, please subscribe! Please register for our newsletter on our website https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/podcasts-journal-of-biophilic-design
Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts. Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds? Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/ Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsn LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/journalofbiophilicdesign/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/journalofbiophilicdesign
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How do you design to incite a feeling? We spend five days of our week in the workplace, and it impacts our psychology massively. When we walk into a space, how do we design to excite that sense of awe. For Becky Turner, workplace psychologist for Claremont Group Interiors, they have conducted research to examine how we replicate that feeling of âooohâ in the workplace.
For many it is the sense of sense of connection that drives people to the office, what else will encourage the workforce the consider the cost of the commute whether itâs financial or time? Claremont researched office-based workers to find out what types of things invite people back to the office. With an overall low occupancy at 30% businesses are feeling the pinch when it comes to workforce presence.
That feeling of connection to other living beings, comes back to Biophilia and Frommâs expounding of being connected, that love of life, and sense of freedom. Itâs a complex thing.
How do you design to incite a feeling? Becky talks about colour theory, employee journey, brand experience, and how you drive people into the space for those spontaneous connections. Create a variety of spaces and of course the benefit of Biophilic Design is so widely researched that if we create a variety of spaces, to help increase employees mood we are going to have healthier and happier and productive workforce.
Becky describes how important it is to create choice, and freedom to explore in a workplace, so people feel a sense of control, but it is vitally important to ALSO so important, to ensure that the organisation empowers that control. Micro choices are a way forward too.
Human centric design of course, also ensure that we take into consideration, job roles, personalities, neurodiversity and physical challenges mean that people are going to use the workplace differently.
Overall, Becky is optimistic, there is a progression towards consideration to the human experience in the workplace, and that people are not just commodities. There is so much data to show, that Biophilic Design has a great impact on bottom line performance. Space can impact wellbeing, happiness and healthiness, mentally physically and socially.
We also speak about activity based workspaces, and offering prospect and refuges areas, as we would also experience and seek out in nature itself, spaces where you can gain information and also have shelter and protection. Businesses are understanding that we need different workspaces for different tasks. Looking at the Five Factor Model â OCEAN (Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism), it is important that we all design with everyone in mind. We need to put safe spaces in, defining these for refuge, so itâs important when we come back to the office, that we use those principles found within nature, to create a similar landscape to satisfy that need we have internally.
COME AND HEAR HER SPEAK AT THE WORKPLACE SHOW AT THE NEC - FREE TICKETS https://rfg.circdata.com/publish/WE23/simplereg.aspx?source=Journalofbiophilicdesignvisitor To connect with Becky visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/becky-wilkins-claremontgi/ or download a recent report click here: https://www.claremontgi.com/balanced-workplaces/
buy our magazine from our website buy our magazine from our website and if you like our podcast and would like to support us in some way, you can buy us a coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/biophilicdesign if youâd like to, thank you x
Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts.
Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds?
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/
Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsn
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Here’s a big question, how do we inspire more people to come back into the
workplace? For Steve Brewer, founding partner of the design agency,
Burtt-Jones and Brewer, we need to create a workplace EXPERIENCE which
works for you as an individual. Having worked with HM Treasury and so many
other businesses transforming their workplaces, for Steve the most
important part of the conversation is with the individual. Rather than go
through a company and blitz a design with a hammer and chisel, for Steve,
the keys are workshops. “We benchmark where that company is and where that
company wants to go in the future. It’s a very tailored response, and very
much we see ourselves as Co-designing workspaces.” The better experience at
work, the better the end-result. “The more you can run through that
process, the better the foundations you can build.” Steve sees that his
role is to pull all the “Jigsaw pieces together and try and make it the
best-looking picture that everybody agrees to”.
What about Biophilic Design? For Steve, he has always tried to bring
outside experience inside the office. Sometimes, businesses might see
biophilic design and plants as a sticky plaster solution. If you think
about it the buildings are often already there “glass sealed boxes with air
conditioning. Maybe you’ve been on tube, rushed to work, grabbed a coffee,
no breakfast, kids were screaming, then you are in the work environment. If
we can bring more biophilic design into those spaces, then that experience
is going to lift your wellbeing, calm you down by not seeing white walls,
glaring light, bad acoustics…”
Steve goes on to explore how to introduce Biophilic Design early as you can
into the design consultation process, but most importantly being sensitive
and understanding how and when to convince stake-holders who might have a
thousand other things on their mind when they are sitting around the table. -
For Paula Rowntree, Head of Workplace Design for LLOYDS BANKING GROUP, the office very much plays an important role in the workplace. For her it is the human connection, the corridor moments, saying hello, being creative, having conversations, seeing when someone is not ok. So when it comes to designing spaces, the focus is very much on the wellbeing of the people using the space, as well as the sustainability aspect, which is why Biophilic Design is such a positive element in a designerâs bag.
âBiophilic Design is incredibly important. It is that Deep-rooted connection to nature that we all have. To breathe fresh air, that emotion you get from being connected to nature.â Paula goes on to explain how years ago, the historic design trend was to take nature out of buildings, and make them a little more sterile and austere. Fortunately, that trend is shifting. Bringing in more greenery and timber elements, we feel calm and relax very quickly in a space. âPlanting, naturally makes you feel betterâ.
Paula will be speaking at the Workpace Design Show, taking place on 27 and 28 February 2023 in London. âOften, when we come to implement real planting, we might need to create a business case for it (we need watering systems, so thereâs a cost to install and maintain). But there is a whole array of plant elements we can bring into a space, from pretend plants, to preserved planting which may be simpler to deploy and gives illusion of planting.â
Fortunately, Lloyds Banking Group have a strong sustainability agenda, so for Paula, nature-inspired design is a key to helping reach net-zero targets and encourage sustainable behaviour. With our planet in crises, temperatures are rising, it is a big overwhelming problem. âWe are trying to get everyone in the bank thinking about sustainability. What can you do? Thatâs where I started from, what can I do?â In one of the flagship branches of Lloyds, notably the one on Oxford Street (near Bond Street), Paula pushed the boundaries, as well as changing heating systems, lighting, furniture and fabrics she looked at planting. She installed High-raft moss discs, Preserved planting up at ceiling level, Plant pots with ground-level plants all putting oxygen back into the air, plus a Living wall on the outside with the brand element on the fascia. As a result, the bank colleagues feel very proud to explain what itâs all about, especially the sustainability aspect.
âBiophilia and planting becomes a visible statementâ something that says that this company is committed to sustainability. âAlso by putting planting back into the environment in branches, we are helping make people feel a little bit better in the work environment.â The spaces feel good, thereâs re-oxygenation, alongside brand messaging. âThere is something so joyful, it makes you feel: wow this in an amazing space. We want to make them timeless, make them last, to be there for future generations, because planting does that right, it doesnât just stop.â
Also note Paula will be speaking at #workspacedesignshow and I'll be chairing a panel discussion. Join me at the UKâs biggest workspace event bringing you networking, thought leadership, and the latest products to transform our countryâs offices, taking place 27th & 28th February 2023 at Business Design Centre. Register FREE to attend here https://invt.io/1exbb5fmtdj #WDS23 -
With such a depletion of wildlife in the UK alone, with so many schools, cities, towns, and housing estates being built so far removed from our natural world how on earth does the next generation stand a chance to learn about the natural world and be sympathetic to it?
At the same time, we also are demanding literally the earth from our natural world, and the way we extract from the natural world is getting more intensive and damaging. As we move further away from it how do we fill that nature gap in society? We speak with Environmentalist, Producer and Writer Mary Colwell who has campaigned and devised a NEW Natural History GCSE designed to help bridge this chasm, helping put nature and the wonderment and fascination of nature into education.
âNature is for everyone, it is there for YOU to engage with, thatâs why putting it into the school system is important, making it open access and free to all, for everyone to engage with. We know from the COPs recently that we are looking at a very difficult time ahead, and those young people will have to live in this difficult time, and if they are going to make the right decisions for themselves, people and the planet, they need to be more knowledgeable, more engaged and more connected to this planet we live on.â
Research by Miles Richardson of the University of Derbyâs Nature Connectedness Research department has shown that by the time children reach secondary school, there is a marked drop off in connection to the natural world. It happens at around 13, it gets crowded out, school gets very academic, and nature is side-lined, squashed into Biology, and then itâs only picked up again when we are 30.
With 80% of us in the UK living in urban environments that means only 20% of us live in anything you can call countryside. We have shifted our cultural attitudes, our language, everything has shifted away from nature. All this is creating a perfect storm of disassociation and lack of emotional response and emotional intelligence when it comes to dealing with the natural world.
Up until now, through the current education system, we are handing over to the next generation a fractured view of nature. We live in this disassociation, we are just taking what we want, and itâs not even much to pay. This is what we are passing on to the next generation and it must stop.
One of the beautiful things about Biophilic Design is that it brings nature and nature-inspired design right under the noses of everyone, it reconnects us to nature. How wonderful would it be, if alongside, the next generation learns how to identify, study, record and monitor the natural world, understanding how habitats make the nature of Britain: how the animals, plants and birds that we live with thrive, that they learn what its job is, how for instance how an Oak Tree fixes the soil, provides habitats, how it interacts with us. We are all part of the same thing, the outside world, we are nature, we are one.
The Disgupta review emphasised the importance of learning about biodiversity and ecology at all levels of education. I interviewed Dom Higgins Health and Education director for the Wildlife Trusts, a few weeks back and I was really thrilled to learn that Mary has campaigned and designed this new Natural History GCSE. âWe need a nature-literate, engaged, and eco-sensitive generation, we need to start helping fill that gapâ.
Itâs showing up in our culture as well. In literature We use a lot fewer nature words in use of nature fiction poetry song lyrics since the 50s, use of personal pronouns, me, my, mine, has increased by 50% in the language we use on a day-to-day basis, we have become more inward and individualistic and a lot less community and open to the natural world.
Nature is everything hopefully it will encourage a general greening in the curriculum.
Letâs change that, through design, through education, through inspiration.
In this podcast youâll also learn some interesting facts to tell your friends:
Did you know Cabbage White butterflies, migrate over the North Sea. We also see an influx of Painted Ladies from Europe, âI think itâs wonderful to imagine a whole host of Orange butterflies come skipping their way here over the grey North Sea.â
A swift never lands unless it comes into nest to breed, drink, eats, mates on the wing, rides out the storms and tempests of the planet and only lands to have its babies.
And how about the Curlew, with their most haunting and bubbling call? Did you know it can dip its bill into soft soil, the end of which moves? It acts like a pair of pincers, it feels around. Itâs called rhinokinesis. The end of its bill opens independently, like a great pair of tweezers with a sensitive tip helping the bird find food on the water shore.
âYour Biophilic Design magazine is important, we need to be inspired by nature to help us live full and fascinating and very beautiful lives, that's really important because we mustnât give the impression that the future is all about hairshirts, and not doing anything, not eating this and not going there. Itâs not about that, itâs reorientating our desires and wonder towards what enhances all of life not just our own, thatâs why I think your magazine is really really important, and the fact that itâs beautiful is really important as well.â (thank you Mary, ed.!)
We also discuss how schools should be designed. Full of flowers, and moth traps, when children go outside, letâs not have them just sit on concrete, but why not help them experience seasons and nature? Letâs reignite that childlike wonder and help them enjoy and learn that sitting on the grass has something beautiful to show them, something intriguing in it. The earth has so many menageries of wonder. Why not on a city level, as they walk to school, how about nature following them right up to the school door? It is essential that we are linked emotionally to nature as well as data collectors.
Mary calls on the best designers to think about school settings. That all that grey and concrete and hardness we often see in schools changes our state of mind, and this must affect kids at school.
So, this podcast is a call for designers to bring opportunities for biodiversity and also a spark of inspiration that everybody can do something⊠âevery single person on this planet can do something, through what you buy, getting a bit more educated about things, or supporting organisations. On a personal level, just pick one thing and love it⊠because everything is connected to everything else⊠give it your all, care of it, campaign it, promote it, draw it, raise awareness, get engaged on an emotional level and you will be amazed at who comes to stand by your side.â
To find out more about Mary visit www.curlewmedia.com
https://www.curlewaction.org/natural-history-gcse/
Buy her new book, The Gathering Place, Bloomsbury Publishing, April 2023
https://uk.bookshop.org/a/6777/9781399400541
Other books by Mary
John Muir (fabulous book!) https://uk.bookshop.org/a/6777/9780745956664
Curlew Moon (just love the title) https://uk.bookshop.org/a/6777/9780008241070
Tooth, Beak and Claw (a must read for all nature lovers) https://uk.bookshop.org/a/6777/9780008354794
Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts.
Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds?
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/
Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsn
LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/journalofbiophilicdesign/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/journalofbiophilicdesignï»ż
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Tying in with the second issue of our magazine, our theme for this podcast is HOME. We speak with Award-winning Interior Designer Nuria Muñoz who tells us about her journey into Biophilic Design and why she decided to follow her dream path start her own company and do something good for the planet.
Nuria is a Wellbeing Interior Designer, Consultant, Speaker and Educator based in Valencia Spain and works all over the world. She founded Habitarmonia, a consulting and design studio that offers both B2B and B2C services, has won awards and is passionate about our beautiful planet, and designs interiors that respect our world and brings harmony and happiness to the families who live in them.
"We heal people by using Biophilic Design." Giving us an example where she transformed a home of a couple who had stressful jobs and children who were struggling on different levels, she explains the importance of co-creation, working with the family, asking them lifestyle questions, finding out their challenges, listening and also, and this is important, explaining HOW the design changes will help them.
"It's important to make people aware of the benefits of biophilic design. We create room and space, but our challenge as interior designers, it's not just about looking saying and showing it looks nice, it is important also to communicate that the Biophilic Design solution helps you with well-being and happiness."
Finalist in the Golden Trezzini Awards 2022 for Best Implemented Private House Interior Design Project, Nuria was Award Winner of Wintrade Global and won the Best Service Award in Houzz 2022. For Nuria, Biophilic Design is NECESSARY, to help mitigate climate change by implementing Biophilic Design, helping us reconnect with nature as well as helping the health of people, of families.
It is understanding we are nature, and that we can make something. Just like bees help the ecosystem, we too should be a positive cog in the environmental wheel, our biology needs to connect to nature and sustain life. Continuing the connectivity theme, Nuria explains how important this is for her.
If people could understand this language of Biophilia, get connected to nature, and go to nature, if they would feel it themselves, then Biophilia could be this common language. Yes, we can create beautiful cities but we also need to understand what we are doing.
To find out more about Nuria visit her site https://www.habitarmonia.com/ Why not also visit the link where you can download a free checklist to create a well-being interior (this brings you to the ebook - 144 pages of examples, pictures and worksheets to create your own well-being space): https://www.habitarmonia-academy.com/wellbeing-checklist
Did you know our NEW printed and eBook journal is out now https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/journal-of-biophilic-design-1
Please register for our newsletter https://mailchi.mp/4001fc945c4f/untitled-page and view previous podcasts with images here too: https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/podcasts-journal-of-biophilic-design.
Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts.
Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds?
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/
Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsn
LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/journalofbiophilicdesign/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/journalofbiophilicdesignï»ż
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Biophilia is more than plants, light and air, itâs also about surrounding ourselves with living beings and our living natural world. If we think about it, E.O.Wilsonâs seminal book, Biophilia celebrates all aspects of our living planet and is a call for that direct connection with nature. Wilsonâs book examines our inherent connection to living species, the fascination of life, and how other living societal systems can inform our own. In fact, his lifelong interest in ant colonies emphasises this. Creating those moments of intimacy with nature has a really important place in our modern world where there is a disconnect with getting out there.
In this wonderful podcast, we speak with Michael Potts, who has spent more than 30 years as a wildlife cameraman, mostly for the BBC in more than 50 countries worldwide on major series including working alongside David Attenborough filming Life of Birds, The Life of Mammals and many programmes in the Natural World series. We discuss the importance of nature connection, why we need to introduce and educate the next generation, and also how audio-visual connection to nature through our TVs and devices is a positive thing and how we could take this one step further and introduce it into our built environment. âIf you see something and understand it, then you care about it, then you might do something to protect it and encourage other people to do the same.â The messaging, inspiration and education you experience through wildlife films inspire people, and footage of birds in flight for instance has a calming effect as well.
Michael regales us with tales of animals, where he has filmed birds of paradise in New Guinea, Grizzly bears in Alaska, Termites in Namibia, Caribou migration, Polar Bears and more. He has spent many hours, up close and personal, feeling the heartbeat of a bird as it sits in his hand, feeling the strength of it, studying the intricacies of plumage which adapted to that way of life, their piercing eyes, incisive bills which continue to fascinate him: âevery species is so special, they are all so different, so supremely adapted to where they live.â
He has also seen so many changes, reduced habitats for farming birds for instance where prairie-style farming is destroying land and habitats. We can do more to improve the habitats of birds and animals, and the built environment, cities, towns and communities can do much to change how we build and design our communities.
Biomimicry is one aspect of nature understanding that has a positive impact on our built environment, he mentions filming Termite mounds, huge, 12-15 feet high, made from mud, clay and sand. âThey have incredible internal temperature control systems. It is +40 centigrade during the day, but to near freezing at night, but with a system of chambers and ducts, the termites maintain constant temperatures inside the mound to within 2 degrees.â This was for a study by Loughborough University which were using the knowledge garnered from the filming to use the design as an example for cooling systems in modern buildings. Nature provides us with so many answers, if we have eyes to see.
Michael has a fascinating book out âUntangling the Knot, Belugas and Bears: My Natural World on Filmâ which you can buy directly from all good booksellers, and also directly through Michael, contact him via his website:
http://michaelpottsphotography.com
He will also be at The Global Bird Fair in July 2023
https://globalbirdfair.org
Did you know our NEW printed and eBook journal is out now https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/journal-of-biophilic-design-1
Please register for our newsletter https://mailchi.mp/4001fc945c4f/untitled-page and view previous podcasts with images here too: https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/podcasts-journal-of-biophilic-design.
Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts.
Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds?
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/
Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsn
LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/journalofbiophilicdesign/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/journalofbiophilicdesignï»ż
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As many of our listeners know, the concept of Biophilic Design brings our contact with nature closer into our lives in the built environment, whether thatâs at home, work, hospitals, schools or our cities. In our podcasts we speak to people whose lifeâs work has been to design and work with nature and also to understand more deeply how and why our connection with nature is so profound and why it has the positive impact it has on us. The underlying factor is our inheritance from our ancestors, how for hundreds of thousands of years we lived outside, close to nature. We are still dependent on nature for our food, air, water, life.
In this podcast we speak with Mary Reynolds Thompson, founder of Live Your Wild Soul Story, and who is an award-winning author, internationally recognized speaker, and a pioneer in the spiritual ecology movement, her focus is on the transformative power of landscape archetypes and nature metaphors to reveal our true purpose and right relationship with the planet. We discuss how the way we are living now alienates us from real life, from the living planet, from each other, and from our own authenticity. Itâs not just a philosophy, it's proven that time in nature really heals you emotionally, psychologically, and physically, the effects are lasting â it has an accumulative benefit, extending into the stresses of the week. Therefore, simply put, the more connected we are to nature the happier we are.
âItâs an unfolding comfort, we feel the warmth or cold of the earth, almost like the heartbeat of the mother, security and happiness. For all human history we lived outside, itâs part of our lineage, and we donât just cut it off. We donât lose that desire.â Mary goes on to describe a concept, Shadow wild â this disconnection which leaves such a gaping chasm that we tend to want to fill it with whatever is at hand because we want to feel alive (Joseph Campbell, the mythologist said â more than anything humans want to feel alive, and most of us feel alive when we are outside in the natural world.
We are part of the earth's 4.5-billion-year history, everything that comprises us was there even before the big bang. There is a deep knowing that changes how we feel about ourselves, we are not inconsequential, we matter, we are matter, we have meaning. Mary takes this one step further in her practice, she helps people reconnect with themselves and this realisation is part of the beginning of this return to our passion for what we want to do. For her landscapes are archetypes, and they are inside us, we emerged out of these places.
Have a listen to the different archetypes which Mary describes. For instance if we are constantly mountain woman or man, there are times in our life when we need water, or desert. As Designers, I imagine some would find this interesting, as we go on to discuss how we could take an office and create zones, creating spaces that resonate with different elements to help users of a space work through a project. The desert is calm and allows thinking time, the forest is an imagining space where we follow threads, we allow our passion to come into its own with the ocean, we manifest on mountains and then we take to the grasslands to share and serve the community, our purpose.
Finally, we talk about the environment. Nature and what weâre doing to nature mirrors what we are doing to our own psyche and souls. Razed forest is devastating, in many ways we are felling the most fecund creative aspects within ourselves as we do it, we are cutting down diversity, creativity, and rootedness. What we are doing to the earth is not unrelated to what we are doing to our psyches and souls. We as humans have a deep kinship with all of life. We are not just hurting the planet we are hurting ourselves in very profound ways.
Did you know our NEW printed and eBook journal is out now https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/journal-of-biophilic-design-1
Please register for our newsletter https://mailchi.mp/4001fc945c4f/untitled-page and view previous podcasts with images here too: https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/podcasts-journal-of-biophilic-design.
Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts.
Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds?
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/
Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsn
LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/journalofbiophilicdesign/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/journalofbiophilicdesignï»ż
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Dom Higgins, head of Health and Education for the Wildlife Trusts. We speak about Nature connectedness, biodiversity, purpose, people, place, Cone Snails and the new Natural History GCSE⊠among other things.
We talk about how we need active environments, and how it goes back to when we were hunter-gatherers. If you remove people inside and then we remain stationary, then we stress. We should be outside, away from artificial lights and all the accoutrements of the modern-day office (unless it has biophilic design woven into its very fabric). Take anyone away from connecting with nature and we get chronic stress. The disconnection detrimentally affects us physically and mentally.
We discuss this nature-connectedness, that feeling of understanding what is going on in the world, that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. We need that daily thought, that sense of knowing that everything has a place, and is connected back to everything else. This is our life-support system essentially. If we donât design with that sense at our core, then our planet and our health are doomed. If you donât have that feeling, that sense of connectedness with nature innate within you, then the decisions being made around the world are skewed, everything from creating fair and sustainable employment to the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. It has consequences. And not good ones.
Nature is our key to solving the climate crisis, if we reconnect people with nature, bring nature and natural elements closer to people then everything is more joined up. Better decisions will be made. We need to give nature a chance, we might be too late to prevent climate change, but we can mitigate against the challenges such as cooling cities, carbon sinks, cleaning our air, and ecosystems that can mitigate the issues. We need people to take action, so we need to hear it on the Stock Exchange, Factories, taxis, it should be the business of everybody.
Dom tells us about the 3 strategic goals of The Wildlife Trusts, the first one is the aim to see 30% recovery in land and sea by 2030, second is to see 1 in 4 people taking action in nature or climate change âwe canât do it alone, we need partnerships, new communities and voicesâ and finally demonstrating the societal value that nature has, for instance, nature-based solutions to the healthcare social care challenges, and we could add Biophilic Design falls into that last goal.
Change has to be mandatory, we need legislation, there is always a cheaper way of doing something, we need to âweave in nature to design resilience to climate change. Nature is there for you.â
To find out more about Dom and The Wildlife Trusts
Get involved: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/get-involved
Find a Wildlife Trust near you: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-trusts
Did you know our NEW printed and eBook journal is out now https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/journal-of-biophilic-design-1
Please register for our newsletter https://mailchi.mp/4001fc945c4f/untitled-page and view previous podcasts with images here too: https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/podcasts-journal-of-biophilic-design.
Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts.
Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds?
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/
Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsn
LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/journalofbiophilicdesign/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/journalofbiophilicdesignï»ż
Follow Dom: https://twitter.com/DomCHiggins
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