Bill opens the episode by tackling the ‘why’ of biophilic design. The case he makes – that we all feel better when we are in close proximity to natural elements and processes – is one that has been backed by research and intuition extensively.

The question of how to operationalise this approach starts with the simplest of measures: the placement of natural elements such as water and plants within a built environment. Bill refers to these components as ‘Nature in space’.

The AquaArt office in Germany illustrates the use of simple biophilic elements to enhance the user experience such as plants and art pieces.
© Bill Browning

Abstractions of Nature – ‘nature analogues’ as Bill calls them – are the second category of biophilic interventions. Analogues include statistical fractals and biomorphic forms, already found in nature, which can likewise trigger positive human responses.

The facade of the Interface Headquarters in Atlanta (US) greets visitors and passers-by with a ‘nature analogue’: a forest-inspired mural.
Courtesy of Bill Browning

A third category of biophilic measures is ‘Nature of space’ wherein spatial arrangements convey experiences such as prospect and refuge.

Bill uses the upcoming Portland International Airport to illustrate the integration of these three categories. By tapping biophilic precepts early on, the designers were able to shape form – i.e., the articulation of space, materials, landscapes, daylight, views, and structures – towards desired outcomes.

In the upcoming Portland International Airport (US), a timber roof and skylights frame views through the terminal building which is populated with plants.
© ZGF Architects

Buildings the size of airport terminals call for rigorous preliminary assessments on where biophilic design features will beget optimal impact against budget. Designers map out user journeys and expected responses by establishing where, along the pathway, one will likely feel stressed, and what can be accomplished at these intersections to mitigate the experience.

The Portland airport terminal conveys the comfort of ‘refuge’ from the outside while offering passengers inside a sense of ‘prospect’ with views of the aircraft and parking aprons.
© ZGF Architects

Bill’s publications, like the ‘14 Patterns of Biophilic Design’, help document the process of prioritising options: from articulating desired outcomes to shortlisting patterns known to trigger the intended responses.

Research into a nature-based design approach has widened in scope in recent years. Today, much effort is invested in finding how buildings can better emulate processes found in nature, how project teams might benchmark, say, a building to a forest standing in its place on the same site. Bill is one of the most prominent voices in this burgeoning and momentous discussion.