December 14, 2015
Complexity, as one of the more abstract biophilic concepts, has gained quite a bit of traction as a welcomed design challenge. We talk about the objective of the Complexity & Order pattern (#10) as a means for creating a visually nourishing environment, based on an understanding of the symmetries, fractal geometries and spatial hierarchies that…
December 3, 2015
With the success of their recent architectural and interior project – the University of Wollongong Science Teaching Facility – Graham Bell Bowman (GBB) Interior Designer, Rene Deoberitz, reflect on the science of wayfinding, and the importance of flooring within the space. What were the overall design objectives for the Science Teaching Facility at UOW? The…
November 5, 2015
The accommodation we choose when travelling is an important aspect of the whole experience and should naturally be somewhere that will aide our path to decompressing the stress of our everyday lives, whilst aiding relaxation and calm. We’ve picked out three contrasting examples of hotels that daydreams are made of; that embody biophilic principles to…
October 19, 2015
When we think of biophilic design, we think of nature. Its primary intention to reintroduce nature into our built environments. Yet much of the project and literature focus of biophilic design has been on interior environments. What about applications of biophilic design to the external built environment? There is a noticeable bias towards architecture and…
September 30, 2015
How can we design the mindful office? What would a mindful office look and feel like? An introduction to mindfulness We live and work in a world full of distracting pollution. With increased digital connectivity through access to emails, social media, the web’s encyclopedic repository of information and all the other distractions that are commonplace…
September 25, 2015
In my earlier article I outlined the benefit of biophilic design in educational settings and showed you a lovely example of St Mary’s infant school designed by Jessop & Cook imbued with biophilic principles. Further research shows that optimising exposure to daylight alone can improve school attendance by an average of 3.5 days/year and test…
September 9, 2015
In the majority of cases a workers environment, usually an office, is not catered towards maximising their potential health and well-being. This must change. The World Health Organization describes wellness as “…a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.“. Do most desk workers fall into…
August 6, 2015
The recent developments of ARTSPACE Sydney and BOOM Gallery Melbourne are two local projects exploring how design could impact on the behaviour of people within a space. Cultural buildings are some of our most important public spaces. As Ashley Dunn of Dunn & Hillam notes, “These are the spaces where we challenge who we are,…
July 24, 2015
There is so much evidence about the advantages of biophilic design elements being incorporated into office design. So, we thought we’d share some inspiring examples of office interiors that are putting theory into practice; creating spaces that are teeming with vitality where workers can feel inspired and thrive. Ljubljana Chamber of Commerce and Industry The…
June 10, 2015
According to the UN by 2050 nearly 70% of the world’s population will be living in urban areas, there will be more cities and more mega-cities. As our contact with rural landscapes decreases our alienation from greenery and living elements will increase unless we green the urban environment and the spaces in which we live.…
As a leading figure in biophilic design, Oliver is working with global modular flooring manufacturer Interface to raise the awareness of the benefits of design inspired by nature. A prominent thinker in the architecture industry and owner of Heath Design Ltd, Oliver is also a writer and TV presenter.
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Catie Ryan 
Interface 
Joe Clancy