With people around the world spending more time in built environments, it has become imperative for architects to factor into their design process the ability to connect with nature.

Nature connected design, also known as biophilic design, is a response to the need to bring nature into the built environment and focusses on aspects of the natural world that contribute to human health and productivity.

Research tells us that children and adults alike are healthier, happier and more creative when they have a connection to the natural environment. A connection to nature can improve your physical and mental health, reduce stress, boost your immune system, and increase your energy levels.

Natural materials such as wood deliver numerous health and wellbeing benefits. Exposure to this most ancient and modern natural material generally elicits feelings of warmth, comfort and relaxation, and creates a link to nature.

According to a report by Planet Ark on Nature Inspired Design, the use of wood in commercial and residential projects delivers multiple benefits:

  • Improves air quality by moderating humidity
  • Enhances emotional state and self-expression
  • Reduces stress response (pulse rate and blood pressure)
  • Restores our connection to nature
  • Only renewable building material
  • Long-term store of carbon, helping to fight climate change
  • Low energy used in production, hence less CO2 in the atmosphere
  • Certification ensures timber comes from sustainable sources

Wood, in particular, provides a connection with nature and requires minimal processing to be both functional and aesthetically pleasing. But one of the less recognised benefits that have recently emerged is the contribution of wood to good health.

We experience wood across the range of our senses. Several studies have examined the impact of wood on our body. The results of these studies indicate that the presence of wood does have an impact on our physiology.

These studies all show that the presence of wood can have positive physiological effects, lowering blood pressure and heart rate, providing improved thermal comfort, and reducing stress responses when compared to other material types.

Nature connected design is not a prescriptive list; rather it is a series of principles that can be blended into variable palettes to reflect the benefits of time spent in nature.

Planet Ark’s Nature Inspired Design Wood Report concludes that wood is one of the oldest and most versatile building materials used by humanity, but now more than ever it has a large part to play in the design and construction of healthy buildings for us to live, work, learn and recover in.

We couldn’t agree more.

Image credits

Architecture: Alex Symes

Build: AJP Constructions

Photo: Barton Taylor Photography

Location: Bronte, Sydney NSW