Biophilic Architecture: 6 Ways to Connect Your Home with Nature

Throughout the majority of human evolution, our species has relied heavily on the processes found within the natural world. From relying on daylight to keep our body clock on track to utilising vitamin D to strengthen our immune system, the connection between the human body and nature can be found deep within our biology. 

Today, however, we typically spend around 90 percent of our time in a built environment such as our homes and offices. As a result, our bodies are becoming increasingly detached from the natural processes they’ve come to rely on. Meaning that our body’s circadian timing is being altered, we’re experiencing greater levels of anxiety, and much more. 

Biophilic architecture aims to incorporate the elements of nature that aid our wellbeing with the built environments that we spend most of our time within. Whilst the exact definition of biophilic architecture is a hot debate, throughout this article we aim to give you a few examples that will inspire your home or office design.

Using natural light to control our biological rhythm

The human body runs on a 24 hour cycle dubbed the circadian rhythm. Throughout this cycle a number of physical, mental, and behavioural changes occur. Although largely subconscious, these changes play a crucial role in our daily lives by influencing our sleep pattern, body temperature, hormonal releases, and more. 

It is, therefore, advantageous to expose ourselves to natural light as much as possible throughout the day. Doing so has been shown to reduce the occurrence of mental disorders such as insomnia as well as physical conditions such as obesity in some studies. But putting the health benefits aside, it provides you with an excuse to transform your home or office!

There are a variety of ways to welcome natural light into the built environment through architecture. Those outlined below won’t necessarily suit all properties or tastes, but they provide you with a glimpse of the relatively easy ways to flood your home or office with natural daylight.

Skylights

There are few easier ways to welcome in daylight than through the introduction of skylights, sun tunnels, or roof lanterns. Manufacturers such as VELUX have innovated rapidly to make them easy to install, convenient to maintain, and suitable for most properties. 

However, to maximise the impact of these features you should carefully consider their positioning. This is as the way in which light passes through your property, when you use the various rooms, or the direction your property faces all play a role in reaping the benefits of your new windows. 

As outlined in VELUX’s useful guide, you should maximise the level of natural daylight in rooms where you spend the earlier hours of the day or where you need to be most productive. This is as natural daylight sends a clear signal to your brain that it is ‘time for action’, helping to ditch any morning fog and keep you focused. 

Glass Partitions

If you want light to fill your rooms, then you’ll need to look beyond traditional ‘brick and mortar’ walls. As convenient as they are for blocking sound or giving everybody a little personal space, they stop light from passing through your property and create an enclosed environment. 

Partitions crafted from glass panels or blocks allow a single source of light to fill multiple rooms. They also provide the sense of an open plan space whilst still providing a touch of separation from room-to-room. This is ideal for offices that require a balance of collaboration and privacy, or homes that feel restrained and gloomy. 

Of course, you can’t simply replace any wall with a transparent partition. You’ll need to consider the structural role the existing wall plays as well as the impact it may have on how sound travels. So, have a discussion with your architect and take a glimpse at Home and Gardens’ advice.

Welcome the outside in to relieve anxiety 

Whilst many of us will feel calmest at home, the modern built environment is without doubt more enclosed than ever before. This can result in us becoming increasingly anxious and frustrated, particularly when a greater number of us are struggling to separate work and home. 

In recent decades, architecture has made little progress in better uniting the indoors with the outdoors. That’s despite the average British garden shrinking by almost 5m2 and over 10% of homes not having a garden at all. Put simply, a greater proportion of us don’t have much outside space of our own! 

By reimagining what’s possible at the onset of a project, we can ensure that outside space doesn’t remain in the periphery. Of course, the ideas below may not be possible in all homes or offices. But they are certain to get the ‘creative juices’ flowing when planning your renovation or build. 

Internal Courtyards

Having a courtyard at the heart of your property isn’t anything new. In fact, it’s an age-old practice that was common when designing Japanese palaces and remains popular to this date. But in most western countries, internal courtyards are incredibly uncommon and often considered trivial. 

But as demonstrated in Architizer’s inspiring article, internal courtyards are anything but trivial.  They create a void at the centre of your property that allows you to reconnect with the outside whilst enjoying the privacy of your home. Plus, they provide you with an opportunity to fill the adjoining rooms with much needed natural daylight.

Whilst internal courtyards can be added when renovating an existing property, this can prove challenging if the existing layout is limiting. But if building a home or office from the ground up, there are few reasons not to explore the potential role of an internal courtyard with your architect.

Natural Materials

Whilst there is a fine line between biophilic architecture and biophilic design, we believe that your architectural style and interior design should go glove in hand. This is as the choice of materials, tones, and colours each play a crucial role in delivering a space that works for you. 

Few materials are as versatile as wood due to each type offering a variety of tones. From the ruggedness of reclaimed panels to the minimalism of oak slats, you’re certain to find a natural cladding to suit your taste. Plus, the unique cracks and knots found throughout are a gentle reminder of the materials natural origin. 

Choosing the right panelling for your home isn’t easy. You must consider how the material handles moisture, whether it’s good at absorbing sound, and much more besides. Thankfully, This Old House touches upon the most important consideration in their handy guide.

Add a breath of fresh air for a healthier life 

With 30% of us expected to live in urban areas by 2030 according to the UN, we’re more conscious than ever before about air quality. But poor air quality isn’t an issue that’s isolated to the streets surrounding our homes and offices. This is as various pollutants and compounds can be found in harmful levels throughout built environments. 

These pollutants and compounds are not simply a result of busy cities. In fact, many of the nasty compounds found within buildings come from chemicals used to treat materials such as timber, protect walls from damp build-up, and much more. As many of these are largely unavoidable in a modern home or office, it’s essential that we control the level of pollutants and compounds within the built environment. 

There are a variety of surprisingly simple and more involved ways to add a breath of fresh air to your home or office. What’s possible in your circumstance will be dependent upon the stage of your development and budget that’s available. But here are a couple of ideas to get you thinking about how you can maximise the quality of air in your space.

Plants

You may be surprised that you’re almost at the end of this article and we’ve not yet mentioned plants. Well, you’re not going to be disappointed because the use of plants is pivotal within biophilic design due to their aesthetic appeal and air purifying abilities. 

Whilst you can’t beat great ventilation (which we’ll touch upon shortly), plants are a great middle ground for homes and offices. English Ivy, Snake Plants, and Chrysanthemums are just a few of the plants able to absorb the nasty pollutants found in some enclosed environments.

It’s great to look beyond the typical potted plants and consider more adventurous ways to integrate plants into your home. This could include so-called ‘living architecture’, such as living walls packed with a variety of species or overhead planters that add life to otherwise mundane light fixtures.

Ventilation

Ventilation is one of the most challenging elements of any built environment. This is as you must achieve the perfect balance of flexibility and control, allowing you to create a comfortable yet invigorating space. But the reality is that this can’t be achieved with standard windows alone, with them offering a simple ‘on or off’ approach to ventilation that isn’t suited for the heavily partitioned properties we find ourselves in today. 

Of course, air conditioning or larger HVAC systems are great at exchanging the air within a built environment. But due to the poor efficiency of such systems, most people with a love for the natural world may wish to avoid them. Thankfully, there are a handful of less energy hungry ways to improve the ventilation in a property. 

An age-old method of ventilation that’s making a comeback are solar chimneys. These tall and wide stacks are ideally positioned to face the sun and use a dark-coloured outer surface to maximise the absorption of solar radiation. This results in the air within warming which then draws air from the building it’s joined to as it rises.

Conclusion

The examples of biophilic architecture and design contained within this article are just the start. This is as we’re always discovering innovative ways to reimagine age-old ways to create more natural built environments. As well as create a home or office that’s more attuned with the world outside, they often result in more sustainable properties too. 

At Pinchin Architects, we’re passionate about creating homes that are loved by you and conscious of the environment. That’s why we’ve made a commitment to building sustainable properties that support biodiversity. So, whichever of our architectural services you require you can be assured that we’ll aim to minimise your properties carbon footprint throughout.