How Buildings Can Make Us Better

[Applause]

in my 25 year career as a designer

i’ve asked the same question to

thousands of people

if you could be anywhere in the world

right now

where would you be

now if you’re like most people you would

have imagined yourself

somewhere in nature

maybe on a sunny beach yeah

maybe in a park or a beautiful garden

setting

maybe amongst the trees

being in nature makes us feel fully

alive

we can feel the sense of vitality and

inspiration

and at the same time clear

grounded and connected and science

confirms

spending time in nature helps our minds

and our bodies

to be at our best heart rates and blood

pressure regulate

our stress is reduced even our immune

systems are

activated we thrive

but here’s the problem

we are estimated in the u.s to be

spending 90

of our time inside

and most of these places the places that

we

live work learn and heal

they’re isolating us from nature they’re

not helping us to thrive

these environments have actually created

a vast divide

from who we really are

dynamic sensory rich living beings

that thrive on connection to the natural

world

and this separation is harming us

physically

mentally and emotionally these walls

that we have created around us

they’re closing us down and making us

unhealthy

but i’m here to tell you of a different

way

a way for us to thrive inside

now when i first started off as an

interior designer

i was excited about the creativity

and the stylish trends but in college

i got a project i wasn’t excited about

it was for a renovation of an older

hospital

i dreaded it and that same year

my father who i’m pictured with here

he was diagnosed with an aggressive form

of cancer

and so as i designed for this project in

school

i listened to his stories of being a

patient

within the walls of the clinics in the

hospitals

and they were disheartening

he told me about getting lost a lot

and the stress of the artificial glaring

lights you know the ones

and the lack of sunshine and these

lovely gardens that he could see

but they were off limits to patients

it was heartbreaking and it was a tough

year

but my father he fortunately got better

and it was this experience that

transformed me

it transformed me as a designer because

i could see

how the physical environment could have

supported him

when he needed it the most so i went on

to practice

as a designer focused on healthcare

for 15 years to understand how

environments can help us to heal

then i started designing beyond the

walls of the hospital because i wanted

to help people

before they got sick

my path as a designer focused on health

and well-being

it was as clear as daylight

in fact daylight was an essential part

of the answer

so this profound innate connection we

have

to the natural world it’s called

biophilia

and it translates as our passionate love

of life

and the theory of biophilia is this

having spent the majority of our

existence

immersed in nature our connection to the

natural world

is embedded genetically and biologically

encoded within us and bringing nature’s

patterns

into our spaces biophilic design

supports

and promotes this natural connection

but what do we really need to be doing

to transform

transform these harsh and cold spaces

the change is rooted in three things

and the first thing we need to do is we

need to break down these walls

and let nature in

so we need views plants

sunlight water we need

close and meaningful connection to

nature

every day

we need access to gardens and rooftop

decks

plants animals water flourishing

in and around our buildings

this exposure to nature substantially

increases our creativity

our productivity even our happiness

we need to blur the lines between inside

and out

and yes daylight we need sunshine

to nourish our circadian rhythms of our

body

which are regulating our sleep and wake

cycle our moods

even our children’s development

studies show we can increase test scores

10 percent

overall learning rates by 25 percent by

opening the blinds and letting in

the light

and we need plants we need plants and

majestic forms like dynamic living walls

and in simple ways like we can’t forget

the power of the potted plants

we need to say yes to life in our

buildings

the second way to make this

transformative change

is our buildings can’t just look good

they need to feel good

so many of these spaces have caused our

bodies to close down

for our senses to be forgotten so our

buildings need to remind us

that we’re living they need to reawaken

our senses

we do this through things like natural

materials

textures patterns sacred geometry

fractal patterns and what the research

tells us

when we experience any experience these

elements

we are able to actually process

information

faster think clear and become restored

and it doesn’t need to cost more when i

worked on this project this rich

reclaimed

conference room table was the same price

as a standard table we really can’t

afford to live

any other way

and imagine these spaces for

contemplation

and reflection with sounds of nature

nested within our cities our buildings

need to remind us we’re alive

the third way to make this

transformative change

is that our buildings need to remind us

to care

we do that through the elements of

fostering beauty in our space

and also creating a sense of awe

and when we do this places become

memorable

they also become the places that we love

they connect us to each other and they

inspire us

authentic beauty is an inspirational

language that speaks to us

beyond words you know it

when you feel it it’s it it makes you

feel

comfortable and cared for and it’s warm

and it’s inviting

and the research shows us when we find

beauty in place

we become emotionally attached to that

place

we actually become more caring

even more compassionate

and to create this sense of awe and

wonder and delight

like i learned on this project is often

expressed through art

art that is embraced and informed by

community

and culture and place

considering our local artists with

indigenous materials

these are the elements that lift the

human spirit

and finally these concepts aren’t just

for our new

buildings they can and need to be

imagined in our

many existing spaces like

who would have known this modern vibrant

office space

was once a dark and run-down adult

bookstore this is transformation

we are nature when we’re surrounded by

nature’s

patterns we thrive

and we can get this feeling in the

spaces that surround and support us

we don’t have to wait for that vacation

or that far-off destination

we need to bring these elements into our

spaces

every day and you can start today

adopt a new house plant

care for it open your windows

and plant seeds for better designs in

your community

we need this now more than ever

and when we bring in the power and

inspiration of nature

into the places that we live work learn

and heal we are happier

we are healthier we are more connected

and we are better because of it

thank you