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.

The Biophilic Home - Part 1

The theory of biophilia posits that there is an innate bond between humans and nature. The term, coined by psychologist Erich Fromm and popularized by biologist Edward O. Wilson, has recently been the subject of much attention in environmental and design circles. In 2005, Yale social-ecology professor Stephen R. Kellert published a book, Building for Life: Designing and Understanding the Human-Nature Connection, in which he states that a connection with nature is "instrumental in human physical, material, emotional, intellectual, and moral well-being." Kellert attests that our fractured relationship with nature can be ameliorated through what he calls "restorative environmental design." In a recent podcast, he describes the theory and practice of biophilic design.

The benefits of biophilic design are being acknowledged by a growing number of architects, urban designers, public health officials, and experts in business productivity. Homeowners are also taking notice. A New York Times article from September 2006, which calls biophilic design the "quirky, lesser-known cousin of green design," describes several residential applications. In one home described in the article, a company called The Sky Factory installed sky-simulating panels in the bedroom ceiling, where the light is computer programmed to mimic sunrise, noon, and sunset.

The use of natural lighting and materials, such as wood, stone, and natural fabrics, can also foster an increased feeling of connection with the natural world. Even something as simple as opening a window to increase air flow can have a positive effect.

Stay tuned for more posts on the theory and practice of biophilic design in the home.

Green Clean

The New York Times reports that an increasing number of households, schools, offices, and even hospitals are switching to environmentally friendly cleaning products in which chemical ingredients such as ammonia and chlorine have been replaced with plant-based products. The article details one line of green cleaning products:

The label on Seventh Generation bathroom cleaner explains its ingredients: Hydrogen peroxide (the active stain removal agent), biodegradable surfactants (for soil removal), citrus oil (for grease removal) food-grade, nontoxic oxygen stabilizers (to help the hydrogen peroxide last longer), and water. It also lists what is not included: “Free of chlorine, petroleum based solvents, glycol ethers, phosphates, acids, caustics, dyes and perfumes.”

Other manufacturers of green products include Simple Green, Method, Snappy Solutions, IMUS Greening the Cleaning, and BabyGanics. Green Seal, a non-profit organization that promotes environmentally friendly products and services, also has an extensive list of cleaning products.

While there is no government regulatory agency that defines or regulates green cleaning products, consumers are switching to these products in increasing numbers, citing better odor, less skin irritation, and less worry about exposing their children to potentially harmful chemicals.

Greenbuild 2006

Greenbuild, the annual conference of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), was held last November in Denver. The three-day event is a gathering of green-building industry professionals featuring the latest advancements in green-building design, construction, project financing, and building management. Greenbuild 2006 was significantly larger than previous gatherings, with 13,000 attendees and 700 exhibitors, leading Metropolis Magazine to beg the question: has green gone mainstream?

USGBC president and CEO Rick Fedrizzi turned the question into a catchphrase: “immediate and measurable.” Green building needs “immediate and measurable” impacts; we need “immediate and measurable results in our efforts to reverse global warming.” It was the topic of the week...

Exhibitors included Sherwin-Williams; Roofscapes, Inc.; the American Society of Landscape Architects; and Baltix Sustainable Furniture.

Greenbuild 2007 is scheduled for November 7-9 in Chicago.

Green House at the International Builders' Show

This year's International Builders' Show features a green home built on an infill site near downtown Orlando. The house, which has been certified "green" by the Florida Green Building Coalition, features low-solar-gain windows, which reduce heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. Heat gain is further minimized by vegetated overhangs over the south- and west-facing windows. The house also has a green roof and rooftop solar panels.

Not everyone was impressed. Treehugger, commenting on the energy efficiency of the house, said, "They are off to a poor start with this--4309 square feet of air conditioned house out of concrete and stryrofoam is hardly a model of energy efficiency, even if it is covered with photovoltaics and sod." Drama!

Green Light: Energy-Efficient Bulbs and Fixtures

It's no secret that only 10 percent of the energy used by incandescent light bulbs produces light. The other 90 percent is lost as heat, which in the warm months is doubly wasteful, as more energy must be used for home cooling. Energy Star-certified compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) use at least 2/3 less energy than incandescent bulbs while providing the same amount of light over a life span up to 10 times longer than their incandescent rivals. Total energy savings can add up to $30 or more over each bulb's lifetime.

Several websites offer searches and reviews for eco-friendly lighting products. Most consumers will be familiar with Energy Star, a joint program of the U.S. EPA and Department of Energy. In addition to home-lighting standards and listings, they offer a home-energy analysis with energy-saving tips.

In response to concerns about the mercury content of fluorescent bulbs, Philips has developed a line of low-mercury fluorescents: ALTO bulbs. These bulbs, which contain about 70% less mercury than regular fluorescents, are available from Black Energy.

Eco-Friendly Furniture

A new wave of style-conscious, eco-friendly furniture lines is quickly expanding the options for those who want their couch to be green without actually being, well...


iannone:design is a Philadelphia-based firm whose eco-friendly furniture line includes this kirei-board coffee table. (Kirei is sustainably produced from sorghum stalks.)


Brooklyn-based Scrapile offers furniture, like this dining table, made from collected and repurposed wood scraps.




And the list goes on: MIO, a Philadelphia-based firm, offers wallpaper, lighting, and furniture chosen for their sustainability, both environmental and social, in design and manufacture. Uhuru, a Brooklyn-based design-and-build furniture company, is based on the same green business model. San Francisco-based Rhubarb Decor touts itself as "aesthetics with ethics." Catchy.

Upper East Side Eco-Apartment

Here's an example of the use of environmentally conscious materials in an Upper East Side apartment designed by David Bergman, Architect. The materials include glass tiles and resin panels (recycled), cork flooring and wheatboard cabinets (sustainably grown), and low-VOC paints.


The project was recently featured in Natural Home Magazine. And, according to the architect, the cost of the renovation was not increased by the use of these sustainable materials.

The Good News About Green Living

You don't need to go this extreme:

The New York Times reports that some homeowners are going well beyond the usual sphere of green building and installing dirt floors in their homes. Proponents of these "earthen floors" cite their environmental, aesthetic, and spiritual benefits, including a reduction in heating costs. Just watch out for those high heels.

"...some builders add the blood of oxen for maroon coloration."