Wellness Case Studies
The Impact of Biophilic Design on Health and Wellbeing of Residents Through Raising Environmental Awareness and Nature Connectedness
Yingting Chen, Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia
Mounting evidence shows that the disconnection between humans and nature due to the advances of the modern world have caused detrimental effects on human health and wellbeing. Among the current theories and research, the biophilia hypothesis is relatively new and the least well understood, though it contains with great potential.
A Meta-Analysis of Emotional Evidence for the Biophilia Hypothesis and Implications for Biophilic Design
Jason S. Gaekwad, Anahita, Sal Moslehian, Phillip B. Roös, and Arlene Walker; Frontier Psychology Environmental Psychology Section
The biophilia hypothesis posits an innate biological and genetic connection between human and nature, including an emotional dimension to this connection. Biophilic design builds on this hypothesis in an attempt to design human-nature connections into the built environment. This article builds on this theoretical framework through a meta-analysis of experimental studies on the emotional impacts of human exposure to natural and urban environments.
Architectural Neuroimmunology: A Pilot Study Examining the Impact of Biophilic Architectural Design on Neuroinflammation
Cleo Valentine, Tony Steffert, Heather Mitcheltree, and Koen Steemers; MDPI “Buildings” Journal
Recent research in architectural neuroscience has found that visual exposure to biophilic design may help reduce occupant physiological stress responses. However, there are still significant gaps in our understanding of the complex ways in which biophilic design impacts on building occupant neurophysiology. The relationship between visual exposure to biophilic design and neurophysiological responses such as neuroinflammation have yet to be directly investigated. This paper examines the results of a pilot study that was established to investigate the relationship between visual exposure to biophilic design and neuroinflammation, as mediated by physiological stress responses.
A Review of Psychological Literature on the Health and Wellbeing Benefits of Biophilic Design
Kaitlyn Gillis and Birgitta Gatersleben, MDPI “Buildings” Journal
Biophilic design has received increasing attention as a design philosophy in recent years. This review paper focused on the three Biophilic design categories as proposed by Stephen Kellert and Elizabeth Calabrese in “The Practice of Biophilic Design”. Psychological, peer reviewed literature supporting the benefits of Biophilic design was searched for through the lens of restorative environments. Results indicate that there exists much evidence supporting certain attributes of Biophilic design (such as the presence of natural elements), while empirical evidence for other attributes (such as the use of natural materials or processes) is lacking.