Biophilia

June 4, 2018

Better Products Make for +Positive Spaces

People’s expectations of interior spaces are becoming increasingly complicated. To keep pace (and even outpace) our complex lives, today’s built environments must offer more than ever before. It’s not enough for the spaces we live and work in to simply exist – they need to contribute to our lives, offering something positive.

May 9, 2018

Paramit Factory: A Case Study in Industrial Biophilic Design

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.…

March 14, 2018

How Perceived Open Space Can Benefit Our Well-being

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

Neighborhoods: The New Workspace

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…

February 9, 2018

Why Do We Rely So Much on Geometry in Our Designs?

Geometry is an integral part of design from start to finish. Just think about it. Architects use geometry to study and divide space as well as draft detailed building plans. Builders and engineers rely on geometric principles to create structures safely. Designers apply geometry (along with color and scale) to make the aesthetically pleasing spaces…

June 18, 2017

Biophilic Design: A Pathway to WELL Certification at ASID Headquarters

I had the pleasure to visit ASID’s new HQ, the first space to receive both the WELL Platinum and LEED Platinum certifications. Becoming the first space to receive both the WELL Platinum and LEED Platinum certifications makes it truly one of a kind. ASID and Perkins+Will partnered to create an exceptional space that speaks to…

February 24, 2017

Remembering Stephen Kellert

Known by many as the “Godfather of Biophilia”, Dr Stephen Kellert’s extensive works on implementing nature in design have had a profound influence on the way we create spaces. In a previous article, Dr Kellert discussed the possibility of using biophilic design as a framework for the built environment, recognising that buildings can advance the…

February 13, 2017

Interface moves in to Mies van der Rohe Business Park

In October 2016, Interface moved its German headquarters to the Mies van der Rohe campus in Krefeld, a textile city on the Lower Rhine. Formerly occupied by the textile company VerSeidAG, it’s the only textile industrial campus that THE famous architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe planned and built. After Mies van der Rohe’s emigration…

January 23, 2017

Biophilic Design at Cranfield University

When refurbishing the Water Sciences Department at Cranfield University, Tracy Flynn, Development Project Manager, wanted to create a flexible space that would provide staff and students with areas to work independently, as well as places where they could work collaboratively to discuss ideas. Tracy was keen to use the principles of biophilic design – which…