Biophilic design: Intentionally designing closer to nature

Construction has begun for Africa’s first biophilic high-rise Fynbos. Located in Bree Street, Cape Town, the design incorporates 1200m2 of vertical gardens with 50 different species of indigenous trees and plants.

Not to be confused with ‘living’ or ‘green’ walls, biophilic design is about a true 360-degree sustainable incorporation of nature into the urban human habitat. The design is anchored in the human need to interact with or be close to nature. Its blueprint includes natural lighting, plants, water and the use of natural materials such as wood.

The World Wildlife Fund’s 2022 Living Planet Report indicates severe biodiversity loss since the 1970s. The globe’s human population is growing at around 70 million people per annum with the urban population projected to increase by 50% to 6 billion by 2045.

Urbanisation is one of the biggest threats to biodiversity. Not a keystone solution, the biophilic trend does seem to offer a potential stepwise approach to holistically improve the world.

A total of 30 cities globally have partnered in their resolve to move closer to nature, and additionally accept the responsibility to help protect biodiversity with the added advantages of an increase in tourism and property prices.

Although possible unintended consequences of biophilic areas could include pest infestations, high water use, and overall project failure, there are numerous successful designs: Apple Park (2017) in California with natural lighting and thousands of trees; the Bosco Verticale (2014), a residential building in Milan, called the ‘most beautiful and innovative skyscraper in the world’ in 2015 and Rolls Royce’s head office in England (2019) with one of the world’s largest roof lawns and more than 8 000 trees and plants.

Where did it all start?

People likely have an inherent awareness of the goodness of being close to nature. Covid-19 and lockdown could have been partially responsible for the movement gaining traction.

The advantages of biophilia for humans are supported by science improving physical and mental health, productivity and creativity.

Improved physical health:

• Plants absorb harmful toxins, cleaning the air
• Hospitalised patients with a view of green trees require less pain medication, and recover faster than those staring at a brick wall.
• Being closer to nature can lower heart rate, blood pressure and stress hormones with the long-term potential to reduce cardiovascular disease.
• Green spaces can motivate people to become more active.

Improved mental health:

• Reduced stress, anxiety, and depression
• Improved dopamine secretion, inducing feelings of pleasure and comfort, and leading to a general feeling of well-being

Improved creativity and productivity:

• Improved cognitive abilities and lower mental fatigue

A Biodiversity Case Study

The University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom uprooted a 0.3-hectare portion of a lawn first planted in 1772 and replaced it with a wildflower meadow to study the results.

Compared to the lawn, the biomass of bugs, spiders and bats increased by 25%, the number of species of plants and invertebrates increased threefold, and the prevalence of species with conservation status doubled.

The overall negative impact on the environment was significantly reduced, and the meadow was deemed to be of higher value to its direct community at a lower cost than that of the lawn.

Imagine a world where cities are havens for both people and nature, calling a halt to the decline of biodiversity. Where cities have clean air inhabited by healthy, happy people instead of polluted skies and stressed-out individuals and a growing list of endangered species.  Careful planning and continued learning, scaled over time, means both humans and Mother Nature could triumph.