applying biophilic design: behind the scenes of the publication
in biophilic design
Biophilic design is a fascinating topic, but it’s when applied that it truly makes a difference and drives change in the world.
This is what inspired a publication centered on the application of biophilic design, hence its name Applying Biophilic Design.
a practice-oriented publication
Applying Biophilic Design is a practice-oriented publication. This was a guiding principle since the beginning and oriented all choices towards an actionable form: a compact written guide, an organized and easy-to-browse visual archive, a dedicated time to clear doubts and address questions.
Practice-oriented shouldn’t mean oversimplified. This is why – while being actionable – Applying Biophilic Design wants to provide a nuanced representation of biophilic thinking and design.
The desire to bring together partially diverging objectives – actionable and nuanced – is what inspired the structure of this publication, in a combination of different languages…
a combination of languages
This publication spans different languages: words, visuals, and conversation.
Words
The written guide – Applying Biophilic Design – gives a compact yet comprehensive overview of the relevant concepts and design features to achieve truly biophilic spaces: spaces that support people while at the same time celebrating and respecting nature. The guide stems from an extensive review of the existing literature and provides a digested outline of the essentials.
Visuals
Complementing the written guide is the Visual Library: a curated and regularly updated visual archive of biophilic design solutions. Carefully selected visuals provide examples for the principles outlined in the guide while capturing the variety of ways in which one same principle can translate into practice. Visuals are organized by space type and categorized according to the biophilic features they represent, making navigation easy and practical.
Conversation
Digging into the depth and width of biophilic design is likely to raise questions, doubts, and curiosities. This is why a mentoring session is included in the bundle. This is a dedicated time for us to meet 1-1, have a spontaneous conversation and address questions and curiosities that might have come up while reading the guide and browsing through the visuals.
Conceiving a mixed structure for this publication has been a deliberate choice of mine to bring together actionable and nuanced, to remain practical and to the point while capturing the richness of what a biophilic approach to design can be and achieve.
a design paradigm for the future
A biophilic approach empowers us to design better spaces: spaces that are at once healthier and more enjoyable for people, enriching and more respectful for nature, as well as more resilient in the face of future challenges. Able to merge the interests of people and nature, biophilic design carries a huge potential, but one that can be fully realized only if we embrace and apply biophilic thinking down to its deepest meaning.
That’s where this publication strives to sit, lying in between compact and comprehensive, outlining the depth and width of the subject while at the same time focusing on its practical application, so we can start designing a better world – for us and for our planet.
discover Applying Biophilic Design →
