INTERMEZZO
Healing people through design People love nature. For thousands of years people relied on nature for their survival – it could mean the difference between life and death. And today, nature is still part and parcel of people’s lives. It’s an inborn need we all share. This natural instinct is called biophilia.
It’s with good reason that people intuitively search for nature: it has countless scientifically proven benefits for people, especially on their health. Being connected to nature reduces the impact of ADHD, anxiety, anger, and fatigue while also enhancing creativity, giving clarity in thoughts, strengthening memory, and building up the attention span. Physiologically, scientists see reduced blood pressure, a lower incidence of stress hormones like cholesterol, faster healing, and the prevention of sickness. But how do we reconnect people with nature in the built world? Hoping that some plants or animals wander in by themselves is not the answer, the answer is biophilic design.
Nature is a friend By intertwining nature into our architecture, furniture, and spaces, you replicate nature’s benefits indoors, create inspiring and refreshing places where people feel truly at ease, and counteract negative effects such as stress and health complaints. Buildings shouldn’t be concrete shoeboxes with fluorescent lighting, sterile white walls, and few windows. By integrating more natural materials, patterns, nature-resembling colors, indoor plants, natural forms, sounds, and smells,
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and views on greenery, you boost the circadian system, make people feel part of a greater whole, and replicate outdoor benefits indoors.
A garden view to recovery In healthcare alone, a decent biophilic design decreases recovery times by 8.5% and reduces pain medication by 22%. What if all classic white-corridor hospitals started integrating different facets of nature and had the objective to be “a hospital in a garden and a garden in a hospital”? Patients would forget parts of the pain and recover much faster in the park-like ambiance. Each room would have a window view with scented plants and sunshades. With a rooftop with fruit trees and a vegetable and herb garden, the forest-like hospital would attract butterflies and birds while catering fresh ingredients for patient’s meals. And not only patients but also caregivers and the public could benefit from such a building. Shared terraces and parks would enrich the neighborhood. Hospitals would no longer be a place for ill people, but a place to meet nature, to recuperate, interact and find rest.
