Bring the outdoor in with biophilic designs!
The biophilia hypothesis suggests that humans have an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life. Edward O. Wilson introduced and popularized the hypothesis in his book, Biophilia (1984). He defines biophilia as "the urge to affiliate with other forms of life". As flooring manufacturer, Tarkett is committed to improve health and wellbeing of its flooring users. You can find some ideas here on how to include nature and biophilic elements into your interior designs!
In Healthcare, research shows that having gardens & nature incorporated into the design can positively impact staff performance and improve patient recovery. Postoperative stays are generally shorter, less pain medication is dispensed and general condition improves.
In Workplace, research shows that being connected to nature can help reduce stress, increase creativity and focus. Researchers in America looked at the connection between environment and employee sickness. They found that 10% of employee absences could be explained by office design that did not include views of nature or enough daylight.
Generally speaking for both residential and commercial spaces, its important to includes some key features in the design to ensure wellbeing.
How to design a biophilic space?
Here are some key features and ideas to design a space taking the biophilia into account:
- Access to natural light
- Large openings to nature
- Visual representations related to nature
- Presence of plants
- Materials with natural effects (wood, fibres, minerals,...)
- Neutral and natural colors
Some illustrations
See some pictures below of project with Tarkett floors showing how to design a space with biophilic elements or natural colour palettes.