Biophilia the future of architecture

[Music]

i start every morning with a run

when i start it’s a slog i’m not what

you’d call

in flow my legs strain as i run uphill

working against the steep

long roadway panting for air and

focusing on every step

to not slow down and then

i reach the forest trail and after a

breezy stretch

there’s another long incline however

this one is different

this time i run along soft leafy paths

i can see moving tree canopies that make

the temporary ceiling

the fleeting sunlight that reaches the

forest floor

the naturally shaped branches and roots

that fly by

and i can hear the gentle sound of rain

that creates a deep sound space

my mind is pulled away and i am pulled

along this incline with ease

i am deep in with my thoughts running

smoothly uphill

now i am in flow somewhere in my

universe

since the beginning of time humans have

been living in

and evolving with nature in fact

being surrounded by nature is in our dna

we are wired to respond positively to

the natural environments

as an architect i design spaces that

connect

to that moment in nature

here’s one of my projects mclaren

technology center

near london the principal employed here

is called biophilic design

biophilia means the love of living

systems

and it can dramatically improve the way

we feel

and perform in our lives

scientists discovered genetic links that

illustrate

how humans have adapted their biological

response mechanisms

to natural environments several

responses

to natural systems are encoded in our

makeup

and to get positive reactions in our

physiology and psychology

that’s why today when we find ourselves

in nature

we automatically feel more relaxed

our molecules respond to biophilic

design

did you know that touching wood for 90

seconds

lowers the release of stress hormones in

our body

in a 2019 study participants performed

written tests

in furniture settings with white

surfaces

and as shown wood surfaces

they found that taking tests

in rooms constructed with a moderate

balance of wooden surfaces

can reduce our cortisol levels to 38

percent

taking tests in rooms on wood surfaces

affects our mood motivation stress

and even fear imagine

maybe all work should be done on wood

surfaces similarly in that same

furniture study

they found that heart rates drop

significantly with wood

imagine what a steady reduction of 5 to

10 beats per minute

will do to your health

in my design for residential towers in

noida

in india we incorporated sweeping

balconies

and lush plantings beyond the presence

of wood

we have observed that views of plants

lower our breathing rates and our heart

rates

higher ceilings can affect and can raise

our mood

and lower ceilings will depress it

in my design for a residential tower in

an

in south korea we employed similar

principles

in south korea residential units are

designed and laid out

to face away from the northern border

biophilic design affects the human body

in fundamental ways

it helps regulate how your body uses

carbohydrates

fats and proteins it can keep

inflammation levels

down and normalize your blood pressure

it even affects your sleep and wake

cycle

surroundings affect our physiology

our frame of mind and our physique

as a german american who grew up in west

germany

in the 70s and 80s i know this well

in west germany we had playful parks

experimental lightweight structures such

as the munich olympic stadium

by fry otto and gunter banish and

the berlin philharmonic concert hall by

hans cherun

an organic at the time futuristic

interpretation for the concert

however this free-spirited culture was

not accessible to our relatives

who lived on the other side of the wall

as a

child and when we were able to obtain

soviet-style visas

i was shocked by the difference in

feeling between the east and the west of

the same country

crossing the inner german border meant

entering an opposed life construct

an oppressed culture that manifested

itself in physical space

and architecture cities were built by

industry

for industry vast new tracts of

monotonous

industrially produced all grey block

housing

since the physical space affects us so

deeply

it was not surprising to see how the

imposed monotony even affected the way

people carried themselves

physically

research in environmental psychology

consistently suggests

that buildings support us best when they

echo the scale and

tone of the natural environment through

inspiring light

form and dimension philosophies and

world cultures

are rooted in this the concept of

biophilic design

although still new to the west is not a

new concept

five 2500 years of eastern philosophies

cherished the healing potential

of nature inspired design

for example buddhism embraces the

concept of impermanence

in philosophy and in design

life is ever-changing and its fleeting

moments are captured in architecture

this concept of impermanence is

reflected in my design for

repositioning of intergate manhattan

city skylines ever changing

always renewing the tower sports the

dynamic

photovoltaic skin that picks up the

changing colors

of east river brooklyn bridge and lower

manhattan

a moment in time

24th city in chengdu in china is another

good example for this

momentary changes in natural lighting

weather

and landscaping conditions are captured

in my design of huawen tower

the tower ground de-materializes

and at the base at the sidewalk level

the presence of the tower dissolves in a

sheet of glass

seemingly this building becomes

weightless

in taoism nothing is ever forced

everything grows from within high value

is placed on equilibrium

and harmony

sometimes growing from within is about

recognizing the vernacular

i spent several years working on

projects in southeast asia

for lotte center hanoi and vietnam

the curvilinear form of the tower is a

reference to the aozai

the vietnamese long dress

in my design we incorporated sky garden

atria

these light filled multistory atria form

the central tower spine

and function as community spaces for the

building

this transparent central spine also then

acts

as a organizing element for the towers

mixed use program

there are 14 scientifically accepted

principles of biophilia the presence of

wood

and views of nature are two of these

another biophilic design principle is

risk and

peril volatility is a sensation that

reminds us

we are human in my tower in hanoi

visitors of the sky deck are drawn to

the risk and the unknown

when observing the city through the

glass floor

some 260 meters below

it’s the rawness of these moments that

is worth it

we feel accelerated even if there’s an

implied threat

our bodies release dopamine and strong

pleasure response

the presence of water is one more

principle of biophilia we employed at

mclaren technology center

the facility has a seamless water sheet

running across the ground plane

reflecting lighting and weather

conditions

research on response to activities in

green spaces has shown

that the presence of water prompts

greater improvements to both

self-esteem and mood than activities

conducted in green spaces without the

presence of water

the science of biophilia explains how

this works

psychology professor dr vitanian studies

several complex cognitive functions such

as decision making

impulse control empathy emotion

he found that the sight of curvilinear

shapes and spaces

activates regions in the brain that

determine what is beautiful

spaces are judged as beautiful when they

echo nature’s curved

lines therefore

we respond positively to organic forms

such as the flowing lines of a

vietnamese long dress

or the sineous experience at mclaren

soft materials help however they’re not

the only solution to biophilia

materiality is another this is my design

for a

40-story hybrid tower in seattle

all floors beams and columns are made

with wood

so called mass timber

mass timber is laminated wood that is

glued together

or mechanically bonded for strength

in my design of seattle mass timber

tower

access to natural materials is paramount

the interiors are unified by a soft war

material palette

and patterns that evoke nature

architects create alternative worlds

wish images

for what could be take the most

utilitarian project the grumbling

and now closed west seattle bridge and

we can instill

life fun and well-being into it

by challenging preconceived notions of

what natural materials such as wood can

and cannot be used for we can build

bridges

literally

here’s my concept design a replacement

of west seattle bridge

a long span crossing made from wood

this bridge has a curved steel and

carbon fiber dress below the drive deck

that s-curves into a steel

and wood composite arch above the drive

deck

in 2019 this bridge carried hundred

thousand

vehicles per day now

imagine the positive impact on these

people

when crossing this new bridge enveloped

by natural curves and wooden textures

day in and day out biophilic design

is about the value of the embodied

beauty of nature that we can bring to

our everyday lives

we can create an identity a sense of

belonging

and well-being

currently we’re facing a climate and a

health emergency

environmental degradation continues the

risks associated to future and current

pandemics remain

and an increasing world population

encroaches in our ability

to provide health and safety for all

biofuelic design is one way to

promote healing for the environment

for our city full of busy people and for

our own personal selves

everyday design choices such as

integrating interior plants

wooden surfaces outside spaces with

access to nature

the morning run through the park trigger

responses

that allow us to perform better and feel

more connected

when architects developers and city

planners

use biophilic principles they help us

create

a society with innovative spaces

that also inspire health beauty

and belonging thank you