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Book Review: Biophilic design: The theory, science and practice of bringing buildings to life

Biophilic Design: The Theory, Science and Practice of Bringing Buildings to Life falls into the sought-after category of "instant classic," capturing both immediate accolades (2008 American Publishers Professional and Scholarly Best Book of Year Award in Architecture and Urban Planning) and sustained devotion from academics and practitioners alike. The book emerged from a groundbreaking conference ([Symposium on Building Design, 2006]) that crystalized nascent energies in landscape, architecture, and environmental psychology into a coherent design approach. Biophilic Design builds on "biophilia," a term celebrated biologist E. O. Wilson described as "the innate tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes" ([1984], p. 1) and later expanded to suggest "the innately emotional affiliation of human beings to other living organisms" ([Kellert & Wilson, 1993], p. 31). 'Biophilic design' is both an ideology and a method for conceptualizing individual site features as well as the larger program and site experience more generally. Although now dated, Biophilic Design integrates the perspectives of distinguished practitioners and researchers into an essential primer for those interested in dissolving the structural and philosophical facades that have long separated the built environment from the restorative qualities found in natural settings.[Image omitted: See PDF.]In the book's preface, Kellert and Heerwagen position the lineage of biophilic design as follows: "(it) arises from the increasing recognition that the human mind and body evolved in a sensorily rich world, one that continues to be critical to people's health, productivity, emotional, intellectual and even spiritual well-being" (p. vii). As interest in and evidence for this approach has grown and become widely accepted, most projects confront their relationship with nature--and its anticipated contribution to occupant health and well-being--at some stage in the commissioning process. This evolution stems from a range of popular and scientific advances, including deeper awareness of personal health information through off-the-shelf biomonitoring devices (e.g., pedometers, "Fitbits," and numerous apps) as well as increasing public awareness of environmental factors that synergistically impact health. As we move away from individual determinants of bad health and toward a more "ecosystemic" view of pathology, global environmental change, social networks, and resilience, we become more aware of the ways in which the built environment adds to or detracts from our health and well-being. The enduring value of Biophilic Design is that these contributors--all celebrated thought leaders at the time, with yet more accolades in the ensuing years--offer a glimpse of how professionals in a range of disciplines approach these challenges.The book is divided into three sections: Theory, Science and Benefits, and Practice.Part 1 focuses on the conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of biophilia and biophilic design. Contributions from founders of the field (Kellert and Wilson) as well as major figures in its evolution (Beynus, Mador, and Salingros and Masden II) probe the evolutionary, neurobiological, and structural underpinnings of our affinity for nature as well as how we might harness that affinity to enrich the places where we live and work. "Life creates conditions conducive to life," writes Beynus, "and life, if we invite it into our buildings, can also create conditions conducive to our life" (p. 37). Salingros and Masden II close the section with a deep examination of the role of neurobiological preference, with "14 steps toward a more responsive design" to direct a more structurally conscious application of biophilic design.Part 2 provides a more nuanced examination of specific built environment settings, populations, and outcomes through which researchers study and refine the capacity for nature and natural design cues to improve stress-related restoration, cognitive function, and personal health. …