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  • How do we make our increasingly dense cities healthier, greener and more resilient?

    How do we make our increasingly dense cities healthier, greener and more resilient?
    2026/09/02
    As our cities grow, access to clean air, clean water, biodiversity and meaningful connections with nature will become ever more important. In this conversation, we explore living architecture, green infrastructure, urban density, clean air and water — and how we can design cities that work better for both people and the planet. In this episode, we’re joined by James Worth, a landscape architect whose work is focused on finding practical, sustainable solutions for the future of our built environment.James is particularly passionate about Green Infrastructure and living architecture.James has also launched a very exciting series of roundtable online discussions: International Design Conversations. They started on Thursday 13 August and continue all year, I am joining one in October Biophilic Hospitality, Wellness & Regenerative Tourism 22 October 2026 What happens when we stop thinking of nature as something we add to a building and start thinking about it as part of the infrastructure of the city itself? For landscape architect James Worth, the answer lies in bringing disciplines, ideas and people together — and fundamentally rethinking how we design our urban environments.James has loads of experience spanning parks and gardens, civic spaces, urban design, ecology and biodiversity. James believes landscape architecture has a critical role to play in creating healthier, more resilient cities. As urban populations grow, access to clean air, clean water, biodiversity, shade and meaningful connections with nature cannot remain an afterthought. “There is the risk of green for aesthetic only,” he says, warning against greenwashing that makes a development look sustainable without delivering genuine environmental function. The answer is to go beyond the appearance of greenery and consider how landscape systems actually work, managing water, reducing heat, supporting biodiversity and reconnecting people with nature. “It’s very hard to retrofit trees and walls and roofs,” he points out. This is why landscape architects need to be part of the conversation from the beginning. Trees, rain gardens, green roofs, green walls, water systems and communal spaces cannot simply be retrofitted once the buildings have been designed. That philosophy is also behind James’ International Design Conversations, a series of online round-table discussions bringing together voices from different disciplines, cultures and areas of expertise. His motivation came partly from seeing how professional and governmental departments can operate in silos. “The best decisions come around the round table,” he says. The conversations deliberately bring academia together with private industry, alongside architects, town planners, engineers, ecologists, water specialists and biologists. “We can all advance sustainability together at a micro and macro planning level.”For biophilic designers, this interdisciplinary approach is crucial. Biophilic design helps practitioners understand the complex relationships between people, place, ecology, materials, water, climate and biodiversity. James describes this as a form of professional “symbiosis, one helping the other rather than not being mutually beneficial.” His vision for the future is not necessarily about building less densely, but about building more intelligently. Mid-rise development, green roofs, rain gardens, communal spaces, tree canopy and nature-based infrastructure can help us achieve density without creating ever more hostile concrete environments.Asked what he would create if he could paint the world with a magic brush of biophilia, James answered: “I would ensure that the places we inhabit don't take up so much space and give a lot more back to the greenery of the nature in the environment that we're living in.” That feels like a very good place to begin rethinking the city.Visit our events page to find out more: https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/events-1Or go straight to the International Design Conversations website: https://www.worthdesign.com.au/idcOur conversation on 22 October: https://www.worthdesign.com.au/idc005Find out more about Landscape Architecture and Biophilic Design start here: https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/shop/journal-of-biophilic-design-issue-20-landscape-architecture-ebookWhat is Biophilic Design? https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/what-is-biophilic-designWin one of 50 FREE digital subscriptions to the Journal of Biophilic Design memberships worth £89.99! https://mailchi.mp/journalofbiophilicdesign.com/50-free-subscription-promotion Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all of our podcasts. Listen to our podcast on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube and all the RSS feeds.https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/https://www.linkedin.com/company/journalofbiophilicdesign/https://...
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    41 分
  • Living Architecture: Bioreceptive Design for People and Planet

    Living Architecture: Bioreceptive Design for People and Planet
    2026/08/20
    What if the buildings that help us tackle climate change were also the buildings that lift our spirits?We talk a great deal about the performance of buildings: how to reduce carbon, manage heat, conserve energy, deal with water and increase biodiversity. But perhaps we need to ask another question. What should these buildings look and feel like?Download a copy of the Monograph for free here: https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/shop/living-architecture-monograph-journal-of-biophilic-design For architect and Alive Labs founder Nicky Naidu, the answer is not to choose between performance and beauty. We should expect both.Nicky has spent 20 years working in architecture, including with Foster + Partners, Arup and Wilkinson Eyre, before stepping away from conventional practice to explore different ways of living and building. His journey ultimately led to Alive Labs, where he is developing bioreceptive materials designed to allow nature to become part of architecture itself.His starting point is philosophical.“We build what we are.”For Nicky, buildings are a reflection of the societies that create them. If we want a society that values nature, connection and care, perhaps our architecture should express those values too.That thinking has led Alive Labs to develop Terranite, a bioreceptive, carbon-negative construction material designed to support biological colonisation. Rather than simply attaching vegetation to a building, the material creates a substrate in which nature can participate.Moss is central to the approach. An ancient and remarkably resilient organism, it can absorb atmospheric pollutants, retain water, contribute to water filtration and provide thermal benefits. Alive Labs' system is designed to help reduce surface temperatures, while moss can contribute to cooling through evaporative processes and insulation in colder conditions.The implications for cities are considerable. Our buildings could become part of the infrastructure that helps address urban heat, stormwater and biodiversity loss rather than simply contributing to those pressures.But there is another opportunity here – and it is one we don't discuss enough.Beauty.Naidu questions the contemporary obsession with architecture as a diagram or a highly efficient box.“No one wants to live in a diagram, right?”He points instead towards the great architectural traditions of the past: Gothic cathedrals, Renaissance buildings and ancient temples, where proportion, geometry, ornament and symbolism were connected to ideas about nature, mathematics, spirituality and the cosmos.This is particularly relevant to Biophilic Design.Why shouldn't climate-responsive buildings be beautiful? Why shouldn't cladding become an opportunity for pattern, texture, shadow, planting and delight? Why should a building envelope have to be a flat, anonymous surface?Think about Palladian architecture and its extraordinary attention to proportion and rhythm. Think about the awe created by Gothic architecture. Think about the tactile qualities of natural materials. Now imagine bringing that same ambition into the buildings of the future – using contemporary materials and living systems that also cool, insulate, capture water and support biodiversity.As Nicky puts it, “net zero alone” is not enough. The ambition should be to do more.This could change how we think about the facade. It is no longer simply a protective skin between inside and outside. It can become infrastructure: environmental, ecological, sensory and cultural.And this applies inside as well as out. Alive Labs is developing living interior systems that can bring nature into schools, hospitals, workplaces and other buildings, creating spaces that people can see, touch and experience.Perhaps this is where the next chapter of Biophilic Design lies: not simply putting nature into buildings, but designing buildings that work with nature.Because, ultimately, architecture is about more than solving today's problems.“Buildings and our expressions in them are an expression of hope.”That feels like a good place to start imagining our cities of the future.The Journal of Biophilic Design has produced a Monograph with Nicky Naidu and Alive Labs, exploring the ideas, materials and thinking behind this pioneering approach to living architecture. The Monograph is available to explore alongside our interview with Nicky. https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/biophilic-design-monographsFind out more about Alive LabsAlive Labs: www.alivelabs.co.ukAbout the Journal of Biophilic DesignThe Journal of Biophilic Design explores the intersection of nature, science, architecture, interiors, landscape, environmental psychology, health and wellbeing – bridging the gap between research and practice.Subscribe, explore our latest issues and discover more conversations with the people shaping the future of Biophilic Design.#BiophilicDesign #AliveLabs #NickyNaidu #LivingArchitecture #BioreceptiveDesign #...
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    44 分
  • Eye of the Beholder: Frank Lloyd Wright, Photography, Biophilia and Awe

    Eye of the Beholder: Frank Lloyd Wright, Photography, Biophilia and Awe
    2026/08/13
    What happens when we stop looking at a building simply as a building?For Lincoln Stoller, physicist, psychotherapist and son of celebrated architectural photographer Ezra Stoller, the answer lies somewhere between architecture, psychology, nature, photography and the human capacity to experience something beyond the immediately visible.Ezra Stoller was regarded as one of the pre-eminent architectural photographers of his generation. His extraordinary archive includes some of the most significant buildings of twentieth-century modernism, photographed not simply as objects, but as experiences. His approach was distinctive: rather than producing straightforward images designed to showcase a building, he sought something beyond it – what Lincoln describes as the “essential and ethereal.”This is particularly fascinating when we consider Frank Lloyd Wright, whose architecture is now frequently discussed through the lens of Biophilic Design, despite Wright never using the term. Wright trusted Ezra to understand what he was trying to achieve without needing to explain it. Lincoln describes their relationship as almost a meeting of opposites: Wright the forceful creator, Ezra the sensitive and receptive observer. Together, they understood something difficult to put into words – the ineffable quality of space.And perhaps this is where photography and Biophilic Design meet.We talk increasingly about awe: the experience of encountering something larger, more complex or more powerful than ourselves. In Biophilic Design, awe can be created through views, scale, natural processes, unexpected vistas, light, movement and encounters with the living world. Wright intuitively understood the power of these experiences. At Fallingwater, for example, architecture, water, landscape, movement and changing views combine to create something that is far more than a collection of rooms.Ezra's photographs similarly invite us to pause. They create vistas within vistas, playing with light, scale, confinement, openness and perspective. They ask us not simply to look, but to notice, associate, feel and imagine. As Lincoln puts it, the best photographs can call into our minds things we have not previously seen, felt or thought.That makes Eye of the Beholder more than an architectural photography book. It is an invitation to reconsider how we see the built environment – and what it might reveal about ourselves.Lincoln is currently raising support through Kickstarter to preserve Ezra Stoller's remarkable photographic archive and bring these images and their stories together in a new book. For architects, designers, photographers, students and anyone interested in the relationship between people, place and perception, it is an opportunity to encounter some familiar buildings through very different eyes.Because sometimes the most important thing a photograph can show us is not the building itself, but what the building makes us feel.** Win one of 50 digital subscriptions to the Journal of Biophilic Design, just sign up to our free newsletter throughout August 2026 sign up for the chance of winning: https://mailchi.mp/journalofbiophilicdesign.com/50-free-subscription-promotion Links mentioned in the Podcast: https://www.mindstrengthbalance.com‍ ‍https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mindstrengthbalance/from-the-eye-of-the-beholderLincoln’s Substack article “Is Architecture History or Prophecy?”, https://mindstrengthbalance.substack.com/p/is-architecture-history-or-prophesy?triedRedirect=trueWhat is Biophilic Design: https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/what-is-biophilic-design If you love Architecture why not download our PDF on Biophilic Design and Architecture: https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/shop/journal-of-biophilic-design-issue-17-architecture-ebook Please register for our newsletter on our website https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/podcasts-journal-of-biophilic-design Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts. Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, and all the RSS feeds? Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/ LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/journalofbiophilicdesign/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/journalofbiophilicdesign
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    46 分
  • 3.8 Billion Years of Design Intelligence - Why the future of design begins by learning from living systems

    3.8 Billion Years of Design Intelligence - Why the future of design begins by learning from living systems
    2026/08/03
    Biophilic Design and biomimicry are often discussed as separate disciplines, yet they are deeply complementary. Biophilic Design reconnects people with nature, creating healthier places that nurture wellbeing and strengthen our relationship with the living world. Biomimicry asks a different, but equally important question: how can nature’s 3.8 billion years of evolution teach us to solve human challenges?Together they offer a blueprint for creating buildings, products and systems that help all life flourish.While architecture often looks inward for innovation, one of the most fascinating lessons for the built environment is currently emerging from an unexpected place: fashion.Amanda Sturgeon, CEO of the Biomimicry Institute, has been leading the Institute’s Nature of Fashion initiative, exploring how lessons from natural decomposition could help address one of the world’s fastest-growing environmental challenges—textile waste. Working alongside partners including The Or Foundation in Ghana, Circle Economy in the Netherlands and the Beneficial Design Institute in Germany, the project asks a deceptively simple question: what if the materials we create behaved more like nature?Nature, after all, has no landfill.Every leaf, feather, branch and shell eventually becomes food for something else. Waste is simply another stage in a continuous cycle of regeneration. Human-made materials, however, often have no such ending. Polyester, nylon and complex blended fabrics can persist for decades or centuries, creating pollution long after their useful life has ended.The Nature of Fashion project is investigating whether biological processes such as fermentation and enzymatic decomposition could safely break down difficult textile waste into valuable raw materials that can be returned to production systems rather than discarded. It is a striking example of biomimicry in action—not simply copying nature’s appearance, but learning from nature’s processes.As Amanda explains, “Nature has been learning how to do things for 3.8 billion years.”For those of us working in architecture, interiors and product design, this conversation feels remarkably familiar. The built environment has become increasingly focused on operational carbon, embodied carbon and material passports. Yet Amanda highlights another important consideration: designing for the entire lifecycle of a product or building from the very beginning.As she observes, “The implications of the things we consume and create—from their extraction to their end of life—are just not considered.”It is a challenge that extends far beyond fashion.Whether specifying flooring, acoustic panels, furniture, wall coverings or façade systems, designers make decisions every day that influence ecosystems far beyond the project boundary. Where did the material come from? What habitats were disturbed during extraction? Can it be repaired? Reused? Returned safely to biological or technical cycles?These questions are becoming just as important as aesthetics or cost.Amanda also draws fascinating parallels between fashion and architecture. Both industries begin with a design decision. Both are shaped by trends, client expectations and commercial pressures. Yet those early creative choices often determine environmental impacts decades later.The difference, she suggests, is that fashion has the ability to change rapidly.Buildings remain for generations, while clothing collections can evolve every season. This makes fashion a valuable testing ground for material innovation. From mycelium-grown textiles and protein-based fibres inspired by spider silk to structural colours that mimic the microscopic surfaces of butterfly wings and beetles without relying on toxic pigments, biomimetic innovations are already demonstrating what becomes possible when designers look to living systems rather than petrochemicals for inspiration.Many of these same innovations could influence interiors, finishes, furniture and future building materials.Perhaps Amanda’s most thought-provoking observation concerns how we measure success.Rather than focusing solely on carbon accounting, she believes we should evaluate whether our materials are genuinely positive for nature.“If we were to design and extract materials based on whether they were positive for nature, our carbon challenge would probably evaporate.”It is an essential reframing of the global debate, and one I share. I believe that the principle of Biophilia could help guide decision making in specification and design to restore life in all senses of the word.Carbon remains critically important, but people often struggle to connect emotionally with tonnes of CO₂. Biodiversity, clean rivers, healthy soils and thriving ecosystems are tangible. They remind us why these conversations matter in the first place.This is where biomimicry and Biophilic Design become natural partners.Biophilic Design helps us create places where ...
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    41 分
  • Biophilic Design you can Taste - How Urban Farming is transforming Workplaces and Cities

    Biophilic Design you can Taste - How Urban Farming is transforming Workplaces and Cities
    2026/07/27
    How can our buildings become active contributors to healthier lives rather than passive consumers of resources? Our cities are grappling with climate change, biodiversity loss, employee wellbeing and the changing role of the workplace, for Patrick Dumas, Founder and CEO of Square Mile Farms, the answer begins with growing food.His concept has evolved into one of the UK's largest networks of indoor urban farms, with more than 120 installations and over 75,000 plants growing inside workplaces and residential developments. Yet the plants, herbs and vegetables are only part of the story."We reconnect people with one another, with nature and with their own wellbeing," explains Patrick. "Food is simply the medium through which we do that."Biophilic Design that People can tasteBiophilic design has long focused on bringing nature into buildings through plants, natural materials, daylight and views. Square Mile Farms extends this concept into something immersive.Instead of greenery becoming passive decoration, employees become active participants. They watch herbs mature, vote on what will be grown next, harvest fresh produce together and swap recipes over lunch. The result is a multi-sensory experience that engages sight, smell, touch and taste simultaneously."The experience of biophilia is much richer," says Patrick. "It looks good, smells good, tastes good and you're using your hands. You're getting up close with nature before eating what you've grown."This aligns closely with many of biophilic design's recognised patterns, including direct experience of nature, sensory richness, connection with natural systems and seasonal change. Watching food grow over weeks reconnects people with rhythms that many urban lives have lost.Growing Community alongside VegetablesPerhaps the greatest surprise has been that the farms' most valuable harvest isn't basil or salad leaves—it's human connection.Harvest days have become social events. Employees queue to collect herbs, learn growing techniques from on-site farmers and exchange ideas about cooking and sustainability. Rather than another workplace amenity, the farms become magnets that naturally draw people together."We have people saying they come into the office because it's harvest day," he explains. "People stop buying basil from the supermarket because they know they can harvest it themselves."Square Mile Farms' team are highly visible within each building. Their farmers don't just maintain installations behind the scenes—they actively engage with occupants, teaching growing skills, discussing recipes and nurturing relationships alongside the plants themselves.Reimagining Forgotten SpacesOne of the most exciting aspects of the model is its ability to transform overlooked parts of buildings.Disused basements, redundant plant rooms, underused lobbies and vacant corners become productive landscapes that contribute to health, biodiversity awareness and workplace culture.One installation now grows around 25,000 plants beneath the headquarters of a major global company, supplying fresh produce directly to its catering operation. Suddenly, the most interesting part of the building isn't the executive floor—it's the basement.As retrofit becomes central to sustainable architecture, these interventions demonstrate that regeneration doesn't always require rebuilding. Sometimes it requires rethinking how existing space can support both people and nature.Food as Urban InfrastructureLooking ahead, Patrick believes cities should begin thinking about urban farming in the same way they now think about cycle infrastructure.Just as many buildings are expected to provide bike storage or electric vehicle charging, why shouldn't they also provide space for growing food?"If every building had provision for growing some food," he suggests, "collectively that capacity becomes quite substantial."His vision is ambitious but practical. He sees a distributed network of productive landscapes woven throughout our commercial buildings, creating healthier workplaces while reducing food miles, reconnecting people with natural systems and strengthening community resilience.It is, fundamentally, biophilic design operating at city scale.Join UsThe Journal of Biophilic Design is delighted to announce that we will soon be partnering with Square Mile Farms for a special event exploring these ideas in person.We're planning an event in the Square Mile, concluding at one of London's most remarkable indoor urban farms, where thousands of edible plants are grown beneath a commercial building to supply its occupants with fresh produce.If you'd like to hear more about this event, make sure you're subscribed to the Journal of Biophilic Design newsletter. We'll be announcing dates and booking details very soon.Next time you are specifying the planting, also look at the multi sensory aspect, and see how you can weave beautiful edibles into the design to reconnect us with food, nature, one another and the ...
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    30 分
  • How many plants do we need for wellbeing?

    How many plants do we need for wellbeing?
    2026/07/20
    Thankfully… walk into almost any contemporary office and you are likely to find a few strategically positioned plants, a moss wall in reception or perhaps another biophilic feature intended to soften an otherwise corporate environment. Over the past decade, introducing greenery into workplaces has become almost synonymous with employee wellbeing. Yet according to workplace and environmental psychologist Dr Craig Knight, if organisations believe that adding a few plants alone will transform productivity, they have misunderstood the research. Craig's work at the University of Exeter, challenged one of the most enduring assumptions in workplace design, namely that the most productive offices are those that are minimalist and stripped back to their essentials. These highly controlled environments were long thought to minimise distraction and maximise concentration. His research demonstrated precisely the opposite. Employees working in enriched environments containing plants, artwork and opportunities for personalisation consistently performed better than those working in lean, standardised offices. “Wellbeing improved, stress reduced and productivity increased by as much as 15%.” Although plants became the headline of many reports about the research, Craig is keen to put them into context. They are not magical objects capable of transforming a workplace by themselves. Rather, they are one of the simplest and most affordable ways of enriching an environment. This is important for designers, facilities managers and employers to remember. Environmental enrichment can take many forms, including artwork, light, texture and even scent. Plants have proved particularly effective because they are relatively inexpensive, flexible and easy to introduce into existing buildings. Unlike a major refurbishment, they can transform a space almost immediately. The psychology behind their success is equally compelling. Rather than distracting employees from their work, enriched environments provide opportunities for brief moments of cognitive recovery. Looking away from a screen towards a plant or another visually engaging feature gives the brain the chance to reset before returning to the task at hand. These small interruptions help sustain attention rather than diminish it. As Craig puts it, people are happier and more productive when their surroundings offer something meaningful to engage with. Yet as our conversation developed, it became clear that the plants themselves were not the most significant finding from decades of workplace research.The real story is choice. People perform better when they have some control over the environment in which they work. The ability to personalise a desk, influence the layout of a workspace or decide where plants should be positioned may appear insignificant, but psychologically these decisions communicate something much larger. They demonstrate trust. One of the most interesting examples he describes comes from a company in Paris that invited staff to shape their own working environment. Employees created artwork, rearranged spaces, introduced planting and developed breakout areas that reflected their own personalities. There was no substantial design budget. Instead, the organisation trusted its employees to create an environment that suited the way they worked. Productivity increased, but equally important was the sense of ownership people developed towards the workplace. It became somewhere they wanted to be rather than somewhere they were required to attend. This idea of ownership runs through much of his research. Organisations often invest heavily in beautifully designed offices only to prevent employees from moving furniture, repositioning plants or displaying personal objects. In doing so, they unintentionally undermine many of the psychological benefits the design was intended to create. Craig argues that even the best designers cannot predict what will make every individual feel comfortable. A workplace should not simply reflect a corporate identity; it should also allow the identities of the people working there to emerge. "The more you can realise your own identity in your space," he says, "the better that space is."This presents an interesting challenge for architects and interior designers. Design excellence has often been measured by visual consistency and aesthetic control. Yet workplace psychology suggests that highly curated environments are not always the most successful places to work. The role of design may be less about creating a finished solution and more about creating a framework within which people can adapt spaces to suit their own needs. That philosophy extends well beyond office furniture or planting schemes. Craig is equally critical of workplace cultures that attempt to monitor every aspect of employee behaviour. Surveillance software, keystroke monitoring and rigid management structures all communicate a lack of trust, and his ...
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    40 分
  • Biophilia: Africa, Nature and Remembering What It Means to be Human

    Biophilia: Africa, Nature and Remembering What It Means to be Human
    2026/07/09
    As Biophilic Design continues to gather momentum around the world, much of the conversation has centred on research emerging from Europe, North America and Australia. Yet one of the most powerful perspectives may come from a continent where living with nature has never been considered a design trend at all.For Wangui Mwangi, Founding Chair of the Green Biophilic Living Society and Convener of the Africa Biophilic Building Conference & Expo 2026, biophilia is less about innovation than remembering. "Africa has always lived biophilically. Our ancestors have always lived biophilically."Wangui believes the rest of the world has much to learn from centuries of indigenous knowledge, vernacular architecture and cultural traditions that have always recognised humanity as part of nature rather than separate from it.Speaking on the Journal of Biophilic Design podcast, she describes traditional African settlements where buildings were constructed using local materials, courtyards encouraged natural ventilation, communities lived outdoors, and architecture reflected both ecological intelligence and spiritual connection. "Nature was never separate from humanity," she explains. "Nature was part of everything that we did." That philosophy extended far beyond buildings. Food, farming, storytelling, music, clothing and community life all reinforced a reciprocal relationship with the natural world. Today, as cities across Africa expand rapidly, Wangui believes those principles are becoming more important than ever. Remembering rather than reinventingOne of the most refreshing aspects of Wangui's work is her refusal to romanticise the past."This is not about necessarily going back to building how we built in the 20s," she says. "It's about picking the techniques. It's about using the tech that we have right now and enhancing that."This blend of indigenous wisdom with contemporary innovation sits at the heart of the Green Biophilic Living Society, an organisation that has grown remarkably quickly since Wangui first began sharing her passion for biophilia on LinkedIn. After growing up surrounded by wildlife on the outskirts of Nairobi, Wangui found herself working within increasingly urban environments. She noticed she felt calmer whenever she escaped into nearby green spaces during lunch breaks. "I started Googling what is going on? Why are my afternoons better?" Discovering the science of biophilia gave language to feelings she had always understood instinctively. "I became completely passionate, obsessively passionate about wanting to share this information." That passion has now brought together architects, doctors, farmers, lawyers, policymakers, educators and developers, all recognising that healthier futures require systems thinking rather than isolated solutions. This resonates so closely with our journey here at the Journal of Biophilic Design as well. My own personal journey was linked to direct emotional and physical transformation after connecting with nature. Why policy mattersThroughout our conversation, one theme repeatedly emerged: policy. We agreed we need to embed biophilic thinking into national building standards. "I think biophilia needs anchorage within the policy structure, within the building codes." Kenya is already making significant progress through the development of its own green building standards, where considerations such as indigenous planting, bioswales, pollinator habitats, bird feeders and water management are becoming part of mainstream conversations.This mirrors a growing international recognition that Biophilic Design is a framework capable of supporting biodiversity, climate resilience, public health and long-term economic value simultaneously.Community is infrastructurePerhaps the most moving part of our discussion came when imagining Africa twenty years from now. Rather than talking first about technology or buildings, Wangui spoke about people. She imagines neighbourhoods where courtyards encourage neighbours to gather, where children play outdoors, where communities share meals together, and where buildings function as ecosystems rather than isolated objects."I see people walking with a sense of pride and a sense of dignity... people who wake up to the sound of birds."Her vision reminds us that Biophilic Design is about relationships, between people, place and nature. Women leading the conversationOne particularly exciting development this year is the launch of Women in Biophilic Design, bringing together female leaders from across the world to discuss the future of our profession. Wangui will be joining us alongside an international panel of designers, researchers and practitioners exploring how diverse perspectives are helping shape healthier places.Reflecting on why women have become such strong voices within the movement, Wangui believes it stems from an instinctive understanding of care and stewardship. "I think the nurturing aspect of women really flows into ...
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    1分未満
  • Dare to Dream - Why Stone is calling us back to Nature

    Dare to Dream - Why Stone is calling us back to Nature
    2026/06/30
    "Engage with the material… don't dictate. Let the material help dictate the design… and dare to dream." — Benjamin AylingThere is something deeply timeless about holding a piece of natural stone. Perhaps it is the cool surface beneath our fingertips. Perhaps it is the intricate mineral patterns that could never be replicated twice. Or perhaps it is something much older than conscious thought—a recognition that for almost all of human history, stone has been our shelter, our monuments, our meeting places and our memories.While we are searching for healthier, more sustainable ways to design our buildings, natural stone deserves to be part of the Biophilic Design conversation once again.During this conversation on The Journal of Biophilic Design Podcast, Benjamin Ayling, UK Business Development Manager for Lundhs and founding member of the Stone Collective, reflected on why this ancient material still resonates so deeply today.More than a material"It's not just a material, it's a geological process," Ben explains.Every slab tells the story of immense natural forces—volcanoes, minerals, pressure and time. Lundhs' Larvikite, quarried in Norway, is around 300 million years old, while its anorthosite dates back almost one billion years. That perspective alone shifts the way we think about specification.Rather than seeing stone as another surface finish, we begin to understand it as a fragment of Earth's history. Every vein, crystal and fossil record tells a story that simply cannot be manufactured.As biophilic designers, we often talk about our innate connection to nature. Stone reminds us that nature is not simply something outside the window—it can become part of the spaces we inhabit every day.The memory of the caveBiophilic Design is built upon our evolutionary relationship with the natural world.Ben suggests that perhaps our attraction to stone runs even deeper than aesthetics."Humans have evolved around rock and timber and water."Long before cities, our ancestors sought protection within caves and rocky landscapes. Stone provided shelter, thermal comfort and security. Those ancient associations may still influence how we experience space today.Environmental psychologists have long recognised that our surroundings shape our behaviour and wellbeing. Ben believes natural stone communicates something increasingly rare in modern construction. "Natural stone has the ability to communicate permanence and care... it tells us that the place was built to last." That feeling matters, where permanence can itself become restorative.Touching timeAnyone who has watched visitors encounter a large piece of natural stone will recognise the instinct. People reach out to touch it, children climb on it, we run our hands on it almost without thinking. Ben witnessed exactly this during a project at the Carbon Garden in Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. "The first thing they do is make a beeline for it and they just put their hands on it."Unlike synthetic materials, stone engages multiple senses simultaneously. It is cool before it is warm, it’s smooth in one place, but textured in another, it’s heavy, reassuring and utterly unique. No two pieces are ever identical.This richness of sensory experience is central to Biophilic Design. We know that natural variation—the subtle imperfections, textures and complexity found in nature—helps reduce stress and maintain attention far more effectively than uniform, manufactured surfaces. Stone embodies that principle effortlessly.Designing with honestyPerhaps one of the most thought-provoking moments in our conversation centred not around stone itself, but around our approach to design. We have become accustomed to engineering materials until they obey every specification perfectly. Ben questions whether that mindset has taken us too far. Instead of forcing natural materials to behave like manufactured ones, perhaps we should begin with the material itself. Look at it’s strength, its limitations, its character. "There is ingenuity and beauty to be had by connecting with the material rather than dictating to it." This philosophy echoes many of the principles behind regenerative and biophilic design. Nature never produces perfect repetition. Variation is not a flaw. It is life. Rather than rejecting mineral markings, shell fossils or colour variation, perhaps these are exactly the qualities that make spaces feel authentic.Buildings that become more beautiful with ageUnlike many contemporary materials, stone does not begin ageing the moment it is installed.It evolves, weather softens it, light changes it, time enriches it. Many of Britain's most loved buildings—from cathedrals to civic buildings—are admired precisely because they have matured gracefully over centuries. Stone tells the story of place. It develops a patina rather than deteriorating into obsolescence. This is biophilic design AND long-term thinking, and this will be increasingly important as the ...
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    1分未満