What makes the spaces we envision indelible, serene, restorative—places where people and communities thrive?
Biophilia—our intrinsic human connection with the natural world—continues to guide our design thinking and process at Shepley Bulfinch. We are intrinsically linked to nature and the living world, so wouldn’t it make sense that our spaces reflect these connections in order to foster health and wellbeing?
Biophilic design is shown to reduce stress, increase cognitive performance, improve healing, and positively affect emotion, mood, and preference (Browning et al., 2014). Its integration in our spaces supports the whole person. Recognizing the importance of applying these principles and our commitment to advancing the field of biophilic design, we have recently begun leading an educational, accredited session nationally to our industry partners, clients, and consultants entitled The Great Indoors: The integration of Biophilic Design to Support Human Health and Wellness in the Built Environment. The session offers the foundation of biophilia and related research, explains its primary elements and attributes, outlines the associated requirements for green building certification programs, highlights a recommended integration process, and provides comprehensive case studies, often customized to the attendee’s area of interests, geography, project, or practice.
Here are some biophilic design applications we highlight at these sessions: