BIOPHILIC DESIGN
Biophilic design: designing for health
The benefits of biophilic design in the creation of a variety of both acute and mental healthcare settings are now well-recognised, and documented in numerous studies. Here, South African interior designer, Antoinette Greeff, discusses some of the fundamentals of the ‘art’, and explains how biophilic design principles were deployed in an impactful way within a new assisted ward at Life Hunterscraig Private Hospital – a short-term psychiatric facility in Gqeberha in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province.
The term ‘biophilia’ was first used by social psychologist Eric Fromm (The Heart of Man, 1964), and later became popularised by Edward Wilson (Biophilia, 1984).1 The question arises - what is biophilia exactly? In short, biophilia is the innate connection between humans and nature. This connection is the reason why certain feelings are evoked within us through the exposure to natural elements, for example the comforting feeling evoked from the sound of crackling fires, the turmoil we experience when we see waves crashing, and the comfort we feel when interacting with an animal companion. Over the past decade, biophilic design principles have been developing to such an extent that it is deemed a necessary complementary study in addressing workplace stress, student performance, patient recovery, community cohesiveness, and other challenges associated with health and overall wellbeing. Biophilic design is the relationship
between the built environment, science, and nature, to create nature-health relationships that enhance our daily lives. This is ultimately achieved through the introduction of nature and the characteristics of nature within the built environment. Health, in this context, can be psychological and/or physiological. Psychological health and wellbeing
refer to our emotions and moods, and how experiences of natural environments provide emotional restoration, while physiological health and wellbeing refer to overall physical comfort, and how connections with nature can alter physiological responses.
Assisted ward, Life Hunterscraig Private Hospital, Gqeberha, SA Life Hunterscraig Private Hospital is in Gqeberha (previously Port Elizabeth) in South Africa. The hospital is a short-term psychiatric facility treating predominantly anxiety disorders, depression, and substance dependence.2 The hospital is located on a narrow plot of land, which stretches from Park Drive in
Figure 1. Floorplan of the assisted ward at Life Hunterscraig Private Hospital.
the front, down into the Baakens Valley at the back. In 2019, b4 Architects completed the design and construction of the new assisted ward at the rear of the hospital. The project was both an alteration and addition to the existing building (Fig 1). The accommodation schedule called
for a ten-bed ward, consisting of two four-bed wards and a single two-bed special care ward, together with two assisted showers with WC facilities. Included in the ward is a dedicated seclusion room (with own ablution facilities), a lounge/dining area leading onto an enclosed courtyard, a treatment room, consultation room, and group room. In addition, there are a nurses’ station, staff room/kitchenette, and staff WC.
Three biophilic design categories In the paper, 14 Patterns of Biophilic
Design – Improving Health & Wellbeing in the Built Environment, the authors indicate that biophilic design can be categorised into three categories of patterns that provide a framework for designers to incorporate biophilic design principles into their works. The three biophilic design categories are: nature in space; natural analogues, and nature of the space. Within the design resolution, the
following patterns of biophilic design were utilised: n Nature in space – visual connection with nature, non-rhythmic sensory stimuli, thermal and airflow variability, and dynamic and diffused light.
n Natural analogues – material connection with nature.
n Nature of the space – prospect, refuge, and mystery.
May 2022 Health Estate Journal 21
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