E.O. Wilson, Harvard University socio-biologist and conservationist, popularized the word Biophilia, which he defines as "the urge to affiliate with other forms of life". As occupants of buildings, we are drawn to spaces that interact with nature. Buildings throughout history and in all regions of the world have employed the healing effect of biophilia. Gardens were considered an essential part of the environment in infirmaries in Europe and are believed to support the healing process. However, in the recent years, due to rapid urbanization, people, especially children, are now becoming less likely to have direct contact with nature in their everyday lives.
Over the last couple of decades, considerable research has been carried out looking at the effects of being in nature. The examples of the studies presented in this article corroborate that adding elements of nature to living spaces can induce positive changes in cognition and emotion, and in turn, impact stress levels, health, and well-being.
A research study done in Tokyo, over a period of 5 years, looked at a connection between easy access to walkable green spaces and mortality rates in a large group of elderly inhabitants. Living in a neighborhood with relatively plentiful green space was found to correlate with lower mortality rate. The table below shows the 5 year survival percentages from the study.
Another study was done in a suburban Pennsylvania hospital between 1972 and 1981 that examined patients to determine whether assignment to a room with a window view of a natural setting might have restorative influences. The results indicated that twenty-three surgical patients assigned to rooms with windows looking out on a natural scene had shorter postoperative hospital stays, received fewer negative evaluative comments in nurses' notes, and took fewer potent analgesics than patients in similar rooms with windows facing a brick building wall.
There is strong evidence from research suggesting that being in nature or even looking at images of nature increases positive feelings. There are several studies that compare psychophysical stress recovery in natural and urban field settings and the results indicate that Positive Affect increases, and anger decreases by taking a walk in a natural space or after exposure to nature scenes rather than to urban scenes lacking nature elements. In several studies done by an environmental psychologist Roger Ulrich, even nature exposure via slides, video and sound tapes were found to increase Positive Affect — including feelings of affection friendliness, playfulness, and elation and reduced negative effect. Also, his studies found that there was a reduction in negative effects like lowered scores in anger/aggression and fear.
Companies spend 90% of their business operating costs on their employees, including salaries and benefits. So, even a modest improvement in employee health or productivity can have a huge financial implication for employers. A case study done at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s LEED Gold certified call center in California confirms the influence of visual connection to nature. It was found that all the employees had great access to daylight, but the workstations were perpendicular to the window which made it difficult for the occupants to see the views outside without moving their chairs. When the workstations were repositioned at an angle such that employees could see the trees in their peripheral vision, the $1,000 investment led to a 6% gain in call handling efficiency. (LEED v4 Practices, Certification and Accreditation Handbook)
Results of a study where 40 subjects were exposed to sounds from nature and noisy environments suggest that nature sounds facilitate 37% faster recovery from sympathetic activation after a psychological stressor. (Jesper J Alvarsson, March 2010). Participants of one study who either listened to river sounds or saw a nature movie with river sounds during a post-task restoration period reported having more energy and greater motivation after the restoration period compared to participants who only listened to office noise or silence (Helena Jahncke, 2011).
Plants help to reduce certain pollutant levels within the indoor space as well. As per a study done in a classroom space, having indoor plants had a tremendous effect in reducing the CO2 concentrations, VOC and PM10 levels. The total VOC average concentrations in the indoor air during periods of occupancy were 70% lower in the presence of plants when compared to no plants scenario. The presence of potted plants likely favored a decrease of approximately 30% in PM10 concentrations.
All the literature and case studies presented in this article substantiate the idea that nature can offer positive effects on health and well-being reasonably well. Unfortunately, too much of our modern design is oblivious to this profound knowledge. In coming decades, it is projected that 70% of the world’s population will live in cities. With this shift, the need for our designs to reconnect people to an experience of nature becomes even more important for our health and well-being.
In my next blog post, I will discuss design applications with purposefully selected examples and case studies of projects that employed biophilic elements as a way to effectively enhance health and well-being for individuals and societies.
E.O. Wilson, Harvard University socio-biologist and conservationist, popularized the word Biophilia, which he defines as "the urge to affiliate with other forms of life". As occupants of buildings, we are drawn to spaces that interact with nature. Buildings throughout history and in all regions of the world have employed the healing effect of biophilia. Gardens were considered an essential part of the environment in infirmaries in Europe and are believed to support the healing process. However, in the recent years, due to rapid urbanization, people, especially children, are now becoming less likely to have direct contact with nature in their everyday lives.
Over the last couple of decades, considerable research has been carried out looking at the effects of being in nature. The examples of the studies presented in this article corroborate that adding elements of nature to living spaces can induce positive changes in cognition and emotion, and in turn, impact stress levels, health, and well-being.
A research study done in Tokyo, over a period of 5 years, looked at a connection between easy access to walkable green spaces and mortality rates in a large group of elderly inhabitants. Living in a neighborhood with relatively plentiful green space was found to correlate with lower mortality rate. The table below shows the 5 year survival percentages from the study.
Another study was done in a suburban Pennsylvania hospital between 1972 and 1981 that examined patients to determine whether assignment to a room with a window view of a natural setting might have restorative influences. The results indicated that twenty-three surgical patients assigned to rooms with windows looking out on a natural scene had shorter postoperative hospital stays, received fewer negative evaluative comments in nurses' notes, and took fewer potent analgesics than patients in similar rooms with windows facing a brick building wall.
There is strong evidence from research suggesting that being in nature or even looking at images of nature increases positive feelings. There are several studies that compare psychophysical stress recovery in natural and urban field settings and the results indicate that Positive Affect increases, and anger decreases by taking a walk in a natural space or after exposure to nature scenes rather than to urban scenes lacking nature elements. In several studies done by an environmental psychologist Roger Ulrich, even nature exposure via slides, video and sound tapes were found to increase Positive Affect — including feelings of affection friendliness, playfulness, and elation and reduced negative effect. Also, his studies found that there was a reduction in negative effects like lowered scores in anger/aggression and fear.
Companies spend 90% of their business operating costs on their employees, including salaries and benefits. So, even a modest improvement in employee health or productivity can have a huge financial implication for employers. A case study done at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s LEED Gold certified call center in California confirms the influence of visual connection to nature. It was found that all the employees had great access to daylight, but the workstations were perpendicular to the window which made it difficult for the occupants to see the views outside without moving their chairs. When the workstations were repositioned at an angle such that employees could see the trees in their peripheral vision, the $1,000 investment led to a 6% gain in call handling efficiency. (LEED v4 Practices, Certification and Accreditation Handbook)
Results of a study where 40 subjects were exposed to sounds from nature and noisy environments suggest that nature sounds facilitate 37% faster recovery from sympathetic activation after a psychological stressor. (Jesper J Alvarsson, March 2010). Participants of one study who either listened to river sounds or saw a nature movie with river sounds during a post-task restoration period reported having more energy and greater motivation after the restoration period compared to participants who only listened to office noise or silence (Helena Jahncke, 2011).
Plants help to reduce certain pollutant levels within the indoor space as well. As per a study done in a classroom space, having indoor plants had a tremendous effect in reducing the CO2 concentrations, VOC and PM10 levels. The total VOC average concentrations in the indoor air during periods of occupancy were 70% lower in the presence of plants when compared to no plants scenario. The presence of potted plants likely favored a decrease of approximately 30% in PM10 concentrations.
All the literature and case studies presented in this article substantiate the idea that nature can offer positive effects on health and well-being reasonably well. Unfortunately, too much of our modern design is oblivious to this profound knowledge. In coming decades, it is projected that 70% of the world’s population will live in cities. With this shift, the need for our designs to reconnect people to an experience of nature becomes even more important for our health and well-being.
In my next blog post, I will discuss design applications with purposefully selected examples and case studies of projects that employed biophilic elements as a way to effectively enhance health and well-being for individuals and societies.
399 Bradford Street
Third Floor
Redwood City, CA 94063
P: 650.364.6453