Biophilia is a term that was coined by psychoanalyst Eric Fromm and later reinvented by
E.O. Wilson an evolutionary biologist who refers to it as a universal love (-philia) of nature and life (-bio) (Rice, S, A. 2006). Nature is a part of us as humans; without it’s wild and harsh beauty, would we be where we are today? One key evolutionary adaptation is the ability to recognise patterns, not only within our environment, but also more importantly within our social and emotional interactions. “I read your intentions and I also signal my own back to you” (Corballis et al., 2000). Even when an object is not human, anything that resembles a face can induce some sort of emotional response, whether conscious or subconscious. This biological phenomenon is something the car manufacturing industry have understood and utilised for a long time (Sussman et al., 2014, p.70) (figure 1).
Our relationship to the world around us can be argued to be purely biological. Not only is our brain hardwired to see and analyse faces but also to process and evaluate structures or patterns that replicate forms found in the natural world. Taylor (2006, p.245) found that fractal patterns in particular have the ability to sustain our attention and reduce physiological stress. Fractals are repeatable sets of geometrical patterns that can often be found in various biological organisms and in nature. The golden ratio, or Fibonacci sequence is a famous example of this, and is also abundant within the natural world. Anecdotally these geometries and mathematical rules have been widely understood and utilised for thousands of years, especially in art and architecture (Figure 2).
Inversely more recent history has imbued a sense of biophobia, the underlying fear and desire to separate from nature. Mao’s ‘man must conquer nature’ is a horrific example of this (Shapiro, 2001). With the rise of industrialisation and global powers this mentality has rooted itself within the minds of western world and subliminally festered its way into the built environment.
Towards the end of the 18th century, the industrial revolution created a major change in Britain, which soon began to seep throughout the rest of the world. This new and exciting machine world helped create a societal shift towards technological advancement and economic growth. However it also acted as a withdrawal from the natural world. This disconnection manifest itself throughout the industrial hubs of the country, workers and residents entrenched in the smog of the new world were cut off from any sort of natural beauty. The world was then struck in the early 20th century, with the devastation of both world wars along with the Spanish flu pandemic in between. The population of the world was tragically depleted. In the years after these catastrophes it was deeply understood in the design community that this was a new era, and the world needed to change in every aspect of urban environment. This was the birth of brutalist architecture in Britain. A perfect example of this post war architecture is the Balfron tower in London. Built by the Hungarian architect ErnőGoldfinger in 1965. Goldfinger was a key part of the Modernist movement and he believed architecture was “not bound to false traditions” (National Trust, 2017). Inspired by La Corbusier’s utopic vision of Plan Voisen (figure 3).
Goldfinger completed this dream of a vertical city many years later. However retrospectively it appeared to be more dystopian than utopian. It was quickly nicknamed the tower of terror and soon became a hot house for vandalism and drug crime. One resident even said he felt like a “battery chicken in a box” (Burrows, 2019).
"Inborn human desires are a nuisance to those with utopian and totalitarian visions, which often amount to the same thing. ... Authoritarian High Modernism [is] the conceit that planners could redesign society from the top down using 'scientific' principles” – (Pinker, 2002, p.169)
The struggles and success of the last 400 years created a sense of anthropocentrism in the minds of the masses. This underlying principle has been the key to the success of urbanisation, however it is only now when we are beginning to see the devastating effects on the planet and ourselves. Living in cities in this day and age can hold many health benefits but they also come with an equal proportion of risks, especially when it comes down to mental health. In an epidemiological study done in Germany scientists found a substantial increase in neurological social stress (Lederbogen et al., 2011).
By 2050 68% of humans will be living in urban areas (UN, 2018). This estimation calls for another major shift. Over the last twenty years we have seen an array of studies that lead us to believe that green spaces are not only preferred but are essential to the health and wellbeing of society. Over millions of years our eyes have developed to see more shades of green than any other colour in the rainbow. It is the colour that our brains have to do the least processing in order to perceive it (Cregan-Reid, 2016). One study nicknamed ‘green altruism’ wanted to measure the likelihood of passers-by helping a stranger. Guéguen and his colleagues (2016) found that passers-by were more likely to intervene and help if they had previously been immersed in a natural environment.
Thankfully, this understanding of how important green space can be is beginning to catch on, within urban areas but especially so in suburbia. Not only has biophilic design been proven to be incredible for mental health and wellbeing but it has also proven to increase productivity in the workplace (Wiley et al., 2010), implement quicker recovery periods in hospitals (Marcus et al., 1999) and even heighten the concentration levels of children in schools (Heschong, 1999). This not only substantiates improvements in personal health and happiness but consolidates economic value, presenting the opportunity for governments and businesses to save millions of pounds a year, across all sectors.
The concept of biophilia speaks to the deeper aspects of our biology, that humans need a connection with nature. Therefore to integrate this into our modern environment isn’t just something that the world of design should consider, but instead it should be the beating heart of the design process moving forward. References
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United Nations: Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2018) 68% of the world population projected to live in urban areas by 2050, says UN. 16 May.
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