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