Designers Agree: Biophilic Design is Transforming the Built Environment

CHICAGO, June 11, 2018 /3BL Media/ - Biophilic design is gaining traction as workplace wellness becomes a central focus in design studios, according to a recent survey by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). Earlier this year, the ILFI polled a global audience of architects, designers and other stakeholders in the deep green building movement to assess current thinking on biophilic design as a tool and solution for projects where occupant health and wellbeing is a key component of the design process. 709 respondents replied to the email survey, with results as follows:

• 76% affirm that “occupant health and wellbeing is a conversation we are having in our design studio/about our projects.”
• 64% agree that “biophilic design is an important design tool”
• 52% agree that “we will be incorporating biophilic design in 2018 projects”

"Biophilic Design provides a relatable framework for implementing and valuing regenerative design,” said respondent Matt Piccone, who is part of the Sustainability Resource Group at SERA Architects in Portland, OR. “It helps to translate design speak into human speak.”

Biologist E.O. Wilson introduced the idea of biophilia – the innate connection we have with nature – in 1984, and since then, it has become a niche discipline in the world of architecture. ILFI believes that nature-inspired design can be transformative, impacting not just health and wellbeing, but also putting a critical dent in climate change.

As Amanda Sturgeon, FAIA, CEO of ILFI writes in Creating Biophilic Buildings (2017, Ecotone Publishing), “There’s a magic chemistry that happens between nature and architecture that can connect us to a place and ground us at the same time. Biophilic design as a discipline is really all about tapping into our primal need to be a part of nature and not apart from nature – it’s how we reconnect to ourselves, and to one another.”

In Creating Biophilic Buildings, Amanda shines contextual light on brilliant historical examples of biophilic design and shares a visual and highly curated collection of 14 case studies for buildings that illuminate both the process and the results of biophilic design, as well as practical Tools and Resources that provide a compelling starting point on the pathway to creating truly biophilic buildings.

Amanda will be signing copies of Creating Biophilic Buildings during Neocon at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 12, at the Teknion showroom in the Merchandise Mart, #1048, and is available for interviews by appointment.

About International Living Future Institute

The International Living Future Institute is a hub for visionary programs. The Institute offers global strategies for lasting sustainability, partnering with local communities to create grounded and relevant solutions, including green building and infrastructure solutions on scales ranging from single room renovations to neighborhoods or whole cities.  The Institute administers the Living Building Challenge, the environment’s most rigorous and ambitious performance standard. It is the parent organization for Cascadia Green Building Council, a chapter of both the United States and Canada Green Building Councils that serves Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon. It is also home to Ecotone Publishing, a unique publishing house dedicated to telling the story of the green building movement's pioneering thinkers and practitioners.