Credit:: Biophilic Design the architecture of Life,
Some would say - we live in a civilization that is in contradiction with life itself. A civilization hard wired to exploit the earth, and to divide people and to destroy the environment.
Some would ask -why is the world still funding the destruction of nature and why is the construction industry, for the most part, still supporting the destruction of nature?
Biophilic design provides one way to design and construct buildings that protect and enhance nature and as well increase our well being.
Research conducted worldwide by scientific and design communities has demonstrated the importance of incorporating nature into our lives.
Health Care
Including hospitals, dentists, rehabilitation and disability centres and mental health clinics.
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Hospital recovery time has been shown to reduce by 9.3% (Ulrich, 1981)
Education
Including classrooms, staff areas and communal areas.
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Students perfomed 10-14% better on tests when plants are present in the classroom. (Daly et al., 2010)
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Children progressed through school curricula 20-26% faster when learning in natural lit environments. (Heschong, 1999)
Commercial
Including offices, call centres, meeting rooms and factories.
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Improved ventilation increased productivity rates by 11% (Menzies et al., 1997)
Residential
Including apartments, housing and residential complexes.
Community
Including community centres, parks and estate planning.
Hospitality
Including hotels, restaurants, attractions and areas of leisure.
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When customers experience greener environments, they are willing to pay 20% more for convenient items. (Wolf, 2005)
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Stores fitted with natural lighting experienced a 40% increase in gross sales (Heschong, 2003)
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Increased greenness around participants' residence showed decreased risks of mortality by 8-12% (Crouse et al., 2017)
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85% reduction in felony assaults, 24% reduction in burglaries, 69% reduction in robberies, and 7% reduction in thefts were recorded in areas that had been made more green (Urban Studies, 2016)
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88% of employees said that having access to natural elements indoors improved their sense of well-being (Genzyme, 2008)
BIOPHILIC
How CURA defines Biophilic Design
"Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you" (Frank Lloyd Wright from "The Wright Style" Carla Lind 1992)
Cura Design believe architecture is primal - for the spirit and inextricably tied to the landscape and nature that surrounds it. All projects that Cura Design carry out are biophilic to some degree. Simply put, biophilic design endeavours to do its best in two areas. First to protect and enhance nature and biodiversity wherever a project is being built and second, to increase human well being through a better connection with nature and our surroundings. We believe this approach is essential for our physical well being, our spirtual well being, and for the present and future well being of the planet.
This approach has different outcomes for different projects. Sometimes affordable and typical modern rendered cavity construction can be specified other times passive haus detailing, green roofs, hempcrete or traditional cob or earth wall technolgies are utilized. For Cura Design these two tenants of biophilic design can be achieved on any budget to any measure of quality and to any time frame.
"We are living in a disappearing world"
EO Wilson
Recent research has revealed the world’s 7.6 billion people represent just 0.01% of all living things, yet have caused the loss of 83% of all wild mammals and half of plants, while pets and livestock abound.The major cause of wildlife decline (68%) is habitat degradation and habitat exploitation carried out by human beings.
Loss of habitat through the rapacious industrialization and development of our natural environment is the primary cause of what many are calling a 6th Extinction Event. Some would say we live in a civilization that is in contradiction with life itself. A civilization hard wired to exploit the earth, and to divide people and to destroy the environment.
Historically, the vast majority of the architectural profession has supported this "business as usual" system through willfully producing image based designs that capture our imagination but destroy the reality of our natural environment in the process. Since the 1950s the majority of the profession and its institutions have failed in their most basic tenent - to create a better world.
