ITM UNIVERSITY

Seminar I
(AR-606)
Biophilic Architecture Research Paper

Submitted By:

BARN1AR15016

B.Arch. 6th Sem.

ABSTRACT
Recent studies indicate that there is a positive influence of nature and nature integrated built
environments on human health and wellness in various physical, physiological and social domains.
The need oF the eco friendly building design came out from the view that the need of the human
comfort is destroying the supporting system of our lives. Through this paper , i want to present the
recent strategies that lower the energy consumption of building . The paper also underlines the full
overall concept of biopphilia and its principle .Tthe overiew of its green components and design
attributes and background approach to biophilia on nature .

INTRODUCTION
The new trend is the increasing demand of reducing the carbon emission of buildings . Architect are
now desigining in such a way that a building must produce minimum amount of carbon emission and
thus influencing a wide range of new solutions and ideas .

The change in climate can be noted easily and thus pressure is being added to environment . To meet
up the human comfort needs buildings are solely dependent on high tech mechanical
sources .Throughout the 20th century, the dominant tendency in the western culture has been to
artificially calibrate the interior environment and control the natural swings of the external
environment. In the 21st century, to adapt to climate change, architecture design is responding in a
different way.

The present focus is on how to reduce the pressure on environment . It totally dependent on how
architect design the building by using updated methodologies .We urgently need to reduce global
emissions to avoid the most extreme impacts and “ the window for action is closing fast “ . To focus
on sustainability and to maintain the balance between health and needs . We have to control the
population first . The control on population is not only enough we have also take some steps to
balance the ecosystem .

The new approach opens a wide scope for architecture and the two dominant trends i.e biophilia and
biomimicry . These two incorporated in the design only with the understanding of both of the two .
The biophilic architecture are quite relatable to contemporary architecture and depends upon mainly
on natural context and locally availabl material . A number of building is aiming to reach the carbon
zero emission , using passive solar energy by using eco friendly design considering the loacal
environment as well .

BIOPHILIC ARCHITECTURE

BIOPHILIA
Biophilia is also described as love to life . It was first used by Erich From in 1964 to describe a
psychological orientation of being attracted to all that is alive and vital. But the term became popular
when Edward Osborne Wilson wrote the book "Biophilia" in 1984. Philias are the synonyms of the
fear which people have of certain things . Philias are the feeling and the attraction that people have
for their surroundings ,objects and activities we are performing . It is the human innate inclination to
connect with nature and that connection continues prevails from early age to modern age . It directly
effects the mental and psychological wellbeing of mankind.

The concept of biophilia implies that humans hold a biological need for connection with nature on
physical, mental, and social levels and this connection affects our personal wellbeing, productivity,
and societal relationships. And the concept of biophilia can be understand easily by thoroughly
studying the parameters covered in biophilia. Studies reveal that the contact with nature is beneficial
to all, regardless of age, gender, race, or ethnicity and it should be available to all urban dwellers, not
just those who can afford to live on the edges of parks and open spaces .

“Biophilic design recognizes that nature contribute to our wellbeing, helping our productivity and
creativity.” In average the western society individual spend about 90% of its time indoors. Cities and
indoor environments are dominated by manmade objects. Many traditional design strategies that
ignore nature can lead to negative impacts on human health.

Biophilic design is an approach to architecture that seeks to connect building occupants more closely
to nature. Biophilic designed buildings incorporate things like natural lighting and ventilation, natural
landscape features and other elements for creating a more productive and healthy built environment
for people. Dynamic glazing like SageGlass is a great example of using new building technologies to
achieve biophilic objectives.

PRINCIPLE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

1.Environmental features - characteristics and features of the natural environment such as sunlight,
fresh air, plants, animals, water, soils, landscapes, natural colors and natural materials such as wood
and stone.

2.Natural shapes and forms - simulation and mimicking of shapes and forms found in nature. These
include botanical and animal forms such as leaves, shells, trees, foliage, ferns, honeycombs, insects,
other animal species and body parts.

3.Natural patterns and processes - functions, structures and principles characteristic of the natural
world, especially those that have been instrumental in human evolution and development.

4.Light and space - spatial and lighting features can evoke the sense of being in a natural setting.
These include natural lighting, a feeling of spaciousness and more subtle expressions such as
sculptural qualities of light and space, and the integration of light, space, and mass .
5.Place-based –relationship -connections between buildings and the distinctive geographical,
ecological and cultural characteristics of particular places and localities. This can be achieved through
incorporating geological and landscape features, the use of local and indigenous materials and
connections to particular historic and cultural traditions.

6.Evolved human relationships to nature - basic inborn inclinations to affiliate with nature such as
the feeling of being in a coherent and legible environment, the sense of prospect and refuge, the
simulation of living growth and development, and evoking various biophilic values.

GREEN COMPONENTS IN BIOPHILIC ARCHITECTURE

The term of green building elements, as vegetated or eco-system refers to an external elements
covering that consists of a thin layer of living vegetation . Vegetation protects the external elements
from direct solar radiation and enhances its thermal performance. The green component surrounded
by the architectural composition usually appears in the form of a green roof and less often in that of a
green façade outside layer. The latter may especially be found in vernacular architecture. The green
components of architectural elements coating is typical of old vernacular architecture in rural areas,
although it may also be found within city areas. Contemporary dry green areas are not heavy, difficult
to maintain collections of pots and planters high on top of the city. Instead, they are lightweight,
durable systems that are not only beautiful but also provide insulation and help solve vital urban
environmental problems.

Nowadays, plants are rarely used as a finishing façade stroke. The green roofs or façade coating does
not indicate that we are dealing with a neglected house as it might seem at a first look. On the
dissimilar, it produces many positive effects in terms of design, construction, health and ecology. Its
function is not limited to the mere protection of the façade. The green roofs and façade coating
indirectly affects the inhabitants feeling of comfort, and has a significant aesthetic function within the
building’s vicinity. The biophilic architecture coating significantly contributes to the formation of
balance between human and environment.

GREEN ADVANTAGE ON BIOPHILIC ARCHITECTURE - ENERGY

SAVING CONCEPT

Heat management on different building components is the most effective assess for energy efficiency.
Passive biophilic architecture has need of a compact system of insulations, which guarantees for both
low heat losses and a high level of thermal comfort. Every building needs a building envelope with a
ground floor, exterior walls and roofs; the passive biophilic architecture focuses on extreme
improvements to these building components high quality heat insulation is thus supplementary.
Green building elements provide important environmental and human health benefits which cover a
large area of advantage and benefits that can be for example in ameliorate the urban island effect and
relieving the damage on the ecology of the city, principally concerning microclimate, rainwater
retention and filtering of airborne pollutant lowering energy expenditures, purifying the air, reducing
storm-water runoff, longer durability of the roof skin, due to lower surface temperatures and better
protection against UV-radiation, creation of recreation areas in parts of the city, aesthetical
improvements in denaturalized urban centers and many others.

Background—the emergence of biophilic design

Biophilia was a term first brought to life by the psychoanalyst Fromm in his exploration of the
“Essence of Man”, that which defines humanity . He saw that humans’ awareness of their
“beingness,” their mortality, separates them from nature, instilling a deep anxiety and conflict. In the
quest to overcome this anxiety two paths can be taken, a regressive path of narcissm, incestuous
symbiosis, violence and necrophilia or a progressive path of altruism, freedom, and biophilia.
“Biophilia” was defined as a love of life and living processes . The concept of the biophilic human
being was then examined and popularized in 1984 by the sociobiologist, Wilson in his book Biophilia.
Wilson defined biophilia as “the innate tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes” . He utilized
the term “biophilia” to describe his deep feelings of connection to nature during a period of
exploration and immersion in the natural world. Wilson’s unique insight was that this biophilic
propensity developed as part of evolutionary survival and, thus, encompasses certain characteristics
that remain with humans even in modern cities. He posited that a love of life is an innate human
tendency and to “explore and affiliate with life is a deep and complicated process in mental
development” . Scholars from diverse fields collected together a decade later to collaborate their
thinking and debate the concepts presented by Wilson. From this assemblage of intellectuals, emerged
the book The Biophilia Hypothesis. Together, Wilson and a fellow ecologist, Kellert, hypothesized
that nourishment of this innate love and connection to nature is essential for modern urban human
wellbeing, going far beyond a basic provision of sustenance. They suggested that humans are
biologically designed to respond positively to contact with nature, and, as Fromm first postulated, this
affiliation can assist in humans’ intellectual, emotional, and spiritual fulfilment . In 2006, a
conference at Rhode Island in the US drew together interested participants from academia, industry,
government, finance, and civil areas to further discuss The Biophilia Hypothesis. The focus was on
practical implementation of the benefits of biophilia into urban design and architecture. From this
conference emerged another book Biophilic Design: The Theory, Science, and Practice of Bringing
Buildings to Life , which established cross-disciplinary foundations for a biophilic design approach to
the built environment.

Biophilic design attributes

The ability of architectural design to influence individuals’ physiological and psychological states is
an extension of the biophilic connection to nature. Expression of this connection through biophilic
design in architecture has occurred throughout history, not always consciously, or even
acknowledged, conveying a subjectiveness that testifies to its inherent quality in humans. Nature can
be mimicked by using the patterning, forms, materials, symbols and spaces that represent nature and
evoke similar responses. Alexander recognized this in his seminal book Pattern Language, although
not using the term biophilia, he expressed similar insights: “Many of the patterns here are archetypal
—so deep, so deeply rooted in the nature of things, that it seems likely that they will be a part of
human nature, and human action, as much in 500 years as they are today]. As with biophilic design
theory, Alexander believed that the pattern language of the nature of things in the environment “can
make people feel alive and human. When people cannot surround themselves with nature, then
architecture and landscapes that contain some archetypal natural elements have found expression in
urban design. Similar to Wilson , Appleton considered that human’s aesthetic reactions to landscape
and architecture “are in part inborn” and, therefore, people cannot stray too far from the natural
patterning before destroying their “aesthetic experience. He posited that humans must seek to recreate
something of the primitive connection with nature to maintain an experience of wellbeing. The
prospect-refuge theory conceived by Appleton suggests that individuals feel good when safe in a
place of refuge, a feeling enhanced when they have a window overlooking life and the happenings
around them. This reflects the innate protective need to survey for hazards from a place of safety .
Either refuge or prospect on their own can still contribute to a sense of wellbeing, but Appleton
suggested that the two together are most appealing. Wilson also considered prospect (vantage points)
and refuge attributes that contribute to positive human feelings. In addition, he theorized that humans’
evolutionary beginnings in the African savannah similarly led to a positive psychological response to
environments with shade trees, waving grasses, and far vistas. This is now commonly known as the
“savannah effect” and is demonstrated in a design example by Lloyd Wright with his iconic Johnson-
Wax building.
Proponents of biophilic design have elaborated these design concepts, finding validity through
experience, intuitive knowing, and historical examples. Contributors to the book, Biophilic Design:
The Theory, Science, and Practice of Bringing Buildings to Life, recognized the need to define the
dimensions of biophilic architecture as the beginning of a toolkit for architects and developers].
Heerwagen and Gregory categorized seven major attributes, whereas Kellert listed six elements with
seventy design attributes.

CONCLUSION
“The major problems in the world are the result of the difference between how nature works and the
way people think” Gregory Bateson Practitioners of biophilia and regenerative design integrate
sustainable design concepts of efficiency and the will be neutral in everyway. Both concepts accept
that any intervention should be a result from the understanding of the place and culture that is unique
in several ways. Biophilia introduce the importance of human health and well-being to be in
contact with natural elements and Kellert emphasizes the need to engage nature restoration, discarding
the idea of using natural elements for human benefits only. Regenerative concept brings a holistic
view, follows the idea that we are nature and we can have a positive impact by co-evolving human
and nature needs, conceiving buildings that are part of the ecosystem where they’re located .