What is biophilic design?
The word “Biophilia” was first introduced by psychoanalyst Erich Fromm who stated that biophilia is the “passionate love of life and of all that is alive…whether in a person, a plant, an idea, or a social group” in his book The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness in 1973.
Biophilic design is a concept used within the building industry to increase occupant connectivity to the natural environment through the use of direct nature, indirect nature, and space and place conditions. Used at both the building and city-scale, it is argued that this idea has health, environmental, and economic benefits for building occupants and urban environments.
Biophilic design is argued to have a wealth of benefits for building occupants and urban environments through improving connections to nature. For cities, many believe the biggest proponent of the concept is its ability to make the city more resilient to any environmental stressor it may face. In furniture design, the first Biophilic collection was designed by Antonio Larosa in 2011 for Florida-based Benchmark Contract Furniture. Isola is a unique modular seating system specifically designed for public areas such as lobbies, airports and shopping centers. The distinctive, flexible design allows for incorporation of a plants into the seatings and allow architects and interior designers create indoor “forests” in any public space.
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