Biophilic Architecture

Building with Nature is an excellent way to connect people with their surroundings. It starts with dissolving the barrier between the inside and the outside. We know that most of us spend 90% of our lives indoors, so we must have opportunities to see, hear, experience, explore, and connect with the natural environment wherever we are.

First, architecture as shelter responds to location- the climate, weather, and terrain . Vernacular architecture is often the most responsive to climate and context as it draws upon local materials and construction culture over time. The availability of local materials and crafts are passed along to the next generations.

The size and position of doors and windows are critical to the connection between the inside and the outside. Take a moment to walk around your house. Notice the location of the doors. Do they open to the garden? Are they open to the street? Do they open to a balcony? Which door gives the most immediate access to the outside? Which ones lead to planted areas? Which ones lead to calm areas? Which ones lead to concrete or asphalt areas? Architect Safdie’s Video about Habitat in Montreal and China that gives everyone access to a garden!

Draw or photograph a view out a window that shares the beauty of nature. Upload it to the gallery!

People, on average, spend 90% of their time indoors, but time indoors doesn’t have to be void of natural light or of views into nature. The architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed from the inside out so that the experiences of being inside our homes would always be connected with the outside landscape. He proposed that our homes should be places of prospect and refuge. Prospect is to look out of the house to the distant horizon to broaden your potential. Refuge is to come inside your abode’s safety and comfort and relish its security and sanctity. When castles were our homes as safe places to fend off attackers, the views outside of the castles were made to watch for invaders. Neuroscience reports that looking at a tree or a view of nature can reduce stress and anxiety. Architects use different shapes and window locations to connect visually inside and outside living! Ask yourself, what do my windows look like? Choose a view that you like. Draw the view looking out the window or window(s) in your house or apartment. Draw it at four different times of the day. Dawn, noon, dinnertime, and night all offer the same scene but with different lighting. Windows are the eyes of our buildings! Be aware of window shapes and placements and views of nature!

Bringing the life of the outside inside reminds us of the importance of the ecosystems of our biomes, providing us with air, water, and food. Plants grown inside help clean the air naturally. Designing interiors with living walls, bamboo gardens, and indoor plants and trees helps to connect interior life with exterior ecosystems. Plants inside of a house help to clean the interior air by taking in carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen! Nurseries and other stores offer many species of indoor plants such as ferns, Ficus, palms, pines, snake plants, and so many more! Bringing the outside inside starts a stewardship of care with your first plant! Do you have plants in your house? If not, you should! Adopt a plant and place it in a window or room with sunlight.

Take a picture of your space with sunlight and with plants! Post it to the gallery.