Biophilic design reconnects people with nature through architectural elements that enhance well-being, productivity, and community. As society spends more time indoors, mental and physical health issues arise, which biophilic design can help address. This approach creates tranquil spaces by incorporating organic materials, water features, and abundant natural light, shown to lower stress and boost mood. Biophilic environments also improve cognitive function and productivity, as sunlight helps to regulate sleep and energy levels, and natural elements like wood and stone reduce noise. Large timber beams and green roofs promote social connectivity, creating open spaces that foster collaboration and community. They enhance physical health and comfort, too, by regulating indoor temperatures, with the added benefits of supporting sustainable heating and cooling and reducing energy consumption.

Embracing the Benefits of Biophilic Design

As society moves toward an increasingly indoor existence, we’re losing our connection to the natural world — and the benefits that come with it. More time indoors leads to mental stress and physical issues for which greenery, sunshine, and fresh air provide an antidote.

But there is a solution that can help. Designing spaces with biophilia in mind can counteract this disconnect and give back what we’ve lost in health, well-being, and productivity.

What Is Biophilic Design?

Stemming from the German psychologist Erich Fromm, biophilia means “the love of life or living things.” Biophilic design combines natural materials such as stone, timber framing, and other wood elements with water features, green roofs, and plenty of opportunities for natural light.

These environmental touchpoints give a feeling of biophilia, the tranquility that comes from a calming, natural interior atmosphere, helping to shed stress. This makes an ideal space for educational facilities, offices, healthcare facilities, and places where an anxiety-free feeling is required, such as spas, behavioral health centers, and homes.

The benefits of biophilic design are many:

1. Improved Well-Being & Mental Health: Environments designed with biophilic intent create tranquil spaces that promote inner peace and serenity. According to Portland Health & Science University, exposure to nature lowers a person’s cortisol levels, a key indicator of stress. Depression symptoms can also be alleviated, as our natural inclination toward greenery and organic materials grounds us and heightens our sense of well-being.
2. Enhanced Cognitive Function & Productivity: Studies have shown that natural environments stimulate brain activity, increasing focus, boosting creativity, and enhancing problem-solving abilities. For settings such as offices and schools, this can be hugely beneficial. Stronger and longer concentration periods equate to higher productivity, easier learning, and innovative thinking.
3. Increased Physical Health: Interiors that employ biophilic design have a positive effect on physical health. According to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, natural lighting regulates our circadian rhythms, which leads to more fulfilling sleep patterns and boosted energy levels. By using the strength of timber framing to span wide distances, larger windows can be incorporated into a structure, letting more sunlight pour inside while the organic aesthetic of the beams reinforces our bond with the natural world.
4. Social Connectivity & Community Building: Large indoor spaces with timber beams stretching overhead, indoor gardens with plenty of greenery, and sunny outdoor courtyards and rooftop gardens all draw people together, fostering interaction and strengthening community. In a residential application, this can be key to linking apartment or condo dwellers; in a commercial or business situation, this common area brings customers and employees into an enjoyable space to interact calmly and casually.
5. Reduced Energy Consumption: To reduce reliance on artificial lighting, cooling, and heating, biophilic design brings in natural light, with shading systems to block the hot sun in the summer. Timber beams and wood elements hold heat in the winter, unlike poor insulators like steel beams that shed heat. Studies show a green roof on top of a structure can help maintain a steady temperature inside, as well, by blocking harsh sunlight from baking a metal or shingled roof.
6. Better Indoor Environmental Quality: Natural elements such as wood, stone, and plants create a pleasant living and working space, but also act as an acoustic dampener, making large, open spaces less noisy. This further enhances the ability to interact with others in the space, fostering a sense of collaboration and community. Additionally, some plants are known to improve indoor air quality, such as pothos, snake plant, ficus, and dracaena.

Biophilic Design: More Than a Trend

Biophilic design has become a buzzworthy architectural trend in recent years. At Mid-Atlantic Timberframes, we’ve been pushing for its adoption for all of our 20+ years in business. In a world that increasingly detaches itself from nature, biophilia is a vital bridge back to a time when we shared a healthy coexistence with the world.

To learn more about biophilia and how Mid-Atlantic Timberframes designs with it in mind, contact us through our website or call us at 717.288.2460.