Phobias or Philias

Everyone knows that a phobia is an aversion or fear associated with a particular thing or situation.  But who knew that the opposite of a phobia is a philia?  That’s an attraction or positive feelings towards something.

If you have read much of psychologist Erich Fromm’s or Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson’s works, you may even know the term biophilia.  This is the tendency or desire to seek connections with nature and other forms of life.

Even if we have never heard of it, most of us do feel a certain biophilia. We feel an innate desire to be in or to be surrounded by nature.  But, if you’re like most Americans, we usually are not.  There’s an oft-quoted statistic that the typical American spends about 90% of our time indoors.  And because of that, most of us are totally disconnected from nature.  Take the quiz in the side bar to see how you score.

Why should you care?

If you own or manage an office or residential building, you should care about connecting with the natural world because your customers care.  They care because of that biophilia thing that’s going on – they like exposure to nature.  It makes them feel good and it’s good for them.  And because they care, tenants and buyers are starting to look for buildings that offer what they want, and they are even willing to pay more once they find it.

In fact, in urban design and architecture, there is a whole field of expertise referred to as biophilic design, which attempts to reconnect people with the natural environment.

Biophilic design uses two basic strategies to reconnect us with nature and all the benefits that go with exposure to the natural environment:

1. By bringing nature indoors to us; and
2. By making it easier for us to get outdoors in nature.

 

The benefits of biophilic design have been well-studied, particularly the cognitive effects in children.  Daylight and windows allowing direct views of nature in schools results in a 5-14% increase in test scores, as well as a decrease in “off-task” behavior (Kats, 2006).  Nature serves as a protective environment for children and gives their neural mechanisms time to rest and recover from over stimulus.

There is every reason to believe that what’s good for kids is good for us too.  The same exposure to nature in adults can lead to increased productivity, health and feelings of well-being.

In Japanese, Shinrin-Yoku translates as “forest bathing.”  This experience of walking in or being immersed in a forest offers measurable health benefits in the participant’s cortisol levels, pulse rate, blood pressure and neural activity.

That healthy effect is recognized worldwide.  One of my favorite essays is Breathing Trees, by Jennifer Ackerman, who spent some time in Charlottesville, VA, written long before I moved to Charlottesville.

There is a particular forest odor that haunts me. In it I smell home, as if my Russian and German ancestors had passed along in my olfactory genes their roots in dark woods. A whiff of this volatile cocktail travels directly to that corner in my brain that regulates my sense of well-being. I find it calming, comforting, even — I would venture — healing. …

From Breathing Trees by Jennifer Ackerman/Wilderness Magazine, 2008

But what if you don’t have access to an old growth forest?  Does that mean that as a building designer, owner or developer, there is nothing you CAN do to capture these calming, comforting and healing impacts?

Even if you’re not a biophilic design expert or don’t have one on staff, don’t let that stop you from dipping your toe in the biophilic waters.  It’s not as intimidating as it might seem.  Especially if you use the right partners.

There are plenty of designers, vendors and experts that offer products and consultation services to help you through the process.  Vendors like Landscape Structures (playlsi.com) and professionals like Fitwel Ambassadors (fitwel.org) can provide the equipment and expertise to get the job done.

Fitwel Strategies for Biophilic Design

A great place to start the process is with Fitwel.  (For some background info, check out this previous post.)  Fitwel outlines eight different approaches you should consider if you’re thinking about making your office or residential building more nature-friendly or embarking on a new construction project.  These include both of the major biophilic design strategies of bringing nature indoors and improving access to the outdoors.

Let’s review the eight approaches included in the Fitwel certification.

1. Use natural daylight in the building as much as possible.
2. Provide views of nature from windows and doorways.
3. Create an outdoor space amenity. This can be as simple as a strategically placed bench in the sun or shade.
4. Design a restorative garden on-site. This doesn’t require extensive acreage; sometimes small plantings can be very effective in softening an unattractive hard landscape.
5. Develop onsite walking trails or bike paths; or provide easy access to those that are nearby.
6. Place fitness and/or playground equipment in outdoor spaces.
7. Arrange for on-site weekly sale of produce through a farmer’s market or CSA (community supported agriculture), or some other farm to table collaboration.
8. Provide space for fruit and vegetable gardening, whether in an outdoor garden bed or indoor or outdoor potted plants.

Any of these 8 approaches will move your office or residential building closer towards a natural environment.  And the more improvements you can make, the more the building occupants will benefit from and enjoy their time in the building.

Assess.  Implement.  Communicate.

Maybe you can’t do all eight to start.  Look around and assess what you already have in place to see how you can build on that.

And don’t forget, unless your building has not yet received its certificate of occupancy, your best chance for success is to include existing office and/or residential tenants.  Factor in what is most important to them through surveys, meetings or other engagement activities.

Choose one of the strategies that will be easy to implement within your budget, can be accomplished within any limitations of the existing building design and location, and have buy-in from building occupants.  Then, if appropriate, get building occupants to actually help with implementation.

And when the improvement is in place, don’t forget the next step.  Communicate.  Tell everyone about the improvements you have made.  Get credit for the biophilic design progress you have made, and then it will be easier to take the next step.

Make it part of your marketing materials; part of your corporate story.  Get a reputation for being that developer or management company that values and expands the natural environment, indoors and out.