January 2, 2019
“Given the pace and scale of construction today with its adversarial, dominative relationship with nature, the integration of nature with the built environment is one of the greatest challenges of our time.” – Stephen R. Kellert This challenge that has been embraced by the International Living Future Institute’s (ILFI) Stephen R. Kellert Biophilic Design Award entrants,…
August 6, 2018
Put simply, great design has a positive impact on people’s lives. The design of a space and the products that go into it should allow the people who work, live and exist there to be happier. +Positive spaces™ motivate us to be our best, but they also help us feel our best. From inspiring color…
July 30, 2018
Situated in the heart of the Forest of Dean, St. White’s Primary School wanted to draw on the surrounding landscape to create a nature-infused space that would reconnect students with the outdoors. The new building combines outdoor play areas and forest views with nature-inspired fixtures and fittings. There are proven benefits to incorporating nature-inspired –…
June 22, 2018
The Oasia Hotel Downtown, designed by Woha, a Singapore-based architectural firm, is one of the most stunning skyscrapers in Asia. There is, first, the signal-red mesh envelope, a splash of color unlike anything in its neighborhood, and then the surreptitious patches of green that seem to slowly envelop the building. Planted façades are not new…
May 9, 2018
The Paramit Factory by Design Unit Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia, challenges the industrial typology that is too often mired in questions of functionality and cost. John Bulcock, the principal architect, is best known for tropical houses, noteworthy for unfinished concrete walls and playful inventiveness with climate. Daylight, greenery and vistas were key considerations from the start.…
May 4, 2018
In 2013, the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) launched a movement to address issues regarding health and well-being within the built environment. From this, the WELL Building Standard was established with the aim to provide architects and designers with guidelines on how to make a real and measurable difference to how we function within our…
March 14, 2018
In the last few years, neuroscientists have come to a remarkable conclusion: the quantity and quality of open space around us—whether it’s rows of cubicles in a an open floor matrix, four walls in a classroom with a view of the next building, or a windowless treatment area—is responsible for increasing the cognitive load on…
March 1, 2018
To support employee engagement, architects and designers are fashioning visually identifiable collision points within office spaces. These collision points encourage employees to share ideas, collaborate and meet, mirroring the behaviors of their home neighborhoods. Recent research from Steelcase further examines the correlation between employee engagement and workplace satisfaction. The report notes that workers who are…
October 10, 2017
What if we could experience the same physical, psychological, and emotional benefits moving through an urban landscape that we experienced walking through a forest? What if we could right our relationship with nature by transforming the built environment in a way that buildings functioned in harmony with the natural world? This opportunity lies in the…
September 27, 2017
Today’s society is more urban, digital and fast-paced than ever before. The downside of this is the overall loss of our connection to nature and the outdoors. As designers, we have a role and an opportunity to positively affect the fundamental ways people interact with space. We can accomplish this by creating spaces to live,…
Interface 
Nirmal Kishnani 
Oliver Heath 
Sky Factory 
Mandy Leeming 
Amanda Sturgeon 
Lorraine Francis