The Biophilic Home - Part 2

In a previous post, we spoke about the biophilia hypothesis, which states that humans have a primal affinity for the natural world, and that the modern weakening of the human-nature connection, especially in urban environments, can lead to personal and societal feelings of dissatisfaction and alienation. Biophilic design encourages the use of natural, even living, materials and the mimicry of natural forms (biomimicry) to reestablish this connection.

One striking account of the benefits of even a visual connection with nature is found in Roger Ulrich's book Biophilia, Biophobia, and Natural Landscapes:

[Hospital] patients were assigned essentially randomly to rooms that were identical except for window view: one member of each pair overlooked a small stand of deciduous trees; the other had a view of a brown brick wall. Patients with the natural window view had shorter postoperative hospital stays, had fewer negative comments in nurses’ notes (“patient is upset,” “needs much encouragement”), and tended to have lower scores for minor post-surgical complications such as persistent headache or nausea requiring medication.
(Ulrich 1984: pp. 106-107)

Of course, living in New York City, we often don't have the luxury of a natural view, but that doesn't mean we need abandon biophilic design. One way that nature can be brought into our homes is through the use of design elements that mimic natural forms, and options abound. Gore Design Co.'s Signature Erosion Sink, for example, is inspired by layers of rock worn down over millennia.


The LEGEND bookcase, designed by Christophe Delcourt for Roche-Bobois, evokes the form of a tree. New York City-based Clodagh Design produced a custom concrete conference table with a C-channel groove positioned lengthwise down the center of the table and planted with wheatgrass (photo by Daniel Aubry).













Some of the most innovative fusions of nature and furniture are still in the development phase. In a project at the Lycée Jean Monnet in the French city of Vendée, industrial design students designed and built prototypes of furniture incorporating live plants. These designs were displayed at an exhibit titled Espace Inspiration at the 2005 Salon du Vegetal horticulture show in Angers. Projects included Ter'Happy, a "haven of greenery" where an arc of bamboo forms a living curtain around a seating area to facilitate relaxation and other quiet activities.