MANKIND'S INNATE CONNECTION WITH NATURE
If there is scientific evidence that Biophilia is crucial for our biological development, as claimed in the opening quote by Edward Osborne Wilson, a renowned biologist, naturalist, and writer, then there is no doubt that our exposure to nature is a foundational human need. Compared to our basic necessity for being fed with nourishing meals, a roof over our heads, and physical movement derived from exercise, we require essential connections with the natural environment. These links with nature can be achieved in a variety of ways such as strolling in the park, cultivating plants in gardens, playing with water in streams, marveling a flight of birds in the sky, smelling the fragrance of fresh flowers, or other direct encounters with living organisms and their natural habitat.
Our actual experiences of the natural world since time immemorial have imprinted clues on our mental conditions, physiological operations, and behavioral qualities. And we witnessed these factors in the history of experiences our ancestors encountered with their environment, their responses, as well as their significance in the evolutionary process. Armed with the valuable know-how of our attraction to nature, we can therefore design events and activities of health, well-being, and productivity in the various spaces we occupy. Workspaces can become more comfortable, stress-free, and efficient, abode more peaceful environments, and public habitats more welcoming, fostering a feeling of community, safety, and reasons for celebration with individuals across various backgrounds.
To fully comprehend the profound origins of Biophilia plus its influences in today's physical, cultural, and healthcare applications, we must travel back to that period in history when humans were simply primitive hunters and food gatherers. In fact, architecture and other built environments are merely novelties in the evolutionary universe - embracing an entire lifespan of approximately 6,000 years. Prior to that era, a dominant spectrum of our human existence depended entirely on the natural habitats for survival, basically from common elements in their surroundings namely water, animal and vegetable supplies, sunlight, materials for shelter, and fire. The sun offered warmth, brightness, and daily time. Various plants, flowers, and vegetables provided sources for food, supplies, and medicinal remedies. Streams, rivers, aquatic holes, and other flowing ecosystems structured the groundwork for living organisms - potable water for human consumption, bathing purposes, fish, and other animal provisions for food. Water channels also paved the way for traversing to distant destinations.
On the other hand, not every natural environment is beautiful and attractive to people's wellness. Areas consisting of dead plants and animals, stagnant systems, signaling decaying life, are not Biophilic and are intentionally avoided. Whereas, locations with winding trails, fertile soil, unpolluted air, and flowing water where plants, flowers, trees, vegetation, and other living creatures flourish are definitely sought after by individuals seeking serene, relaxing, and enjoyable places. These physical characteristics are evident in the effectively designed layouts of parks, gardens, and arboreta across the planet. Yet, even tiny occurrences of nature like a flower pot, bonsai culture, fish aquarium, green patch, or small garden have healing effects. Believe it or not, this is the true narrative of our authentic relationship with the natural world.
THE BENEFITS OF NATURE FOR HUMAN HEALTH, WELL-BEING, AND PRODUCTIVITY
Are you a nature lover? If so, how do you overcome stress, bad moods, and unhealthy lifestyles? Probably with the help of artificial medicine? Do you know that our natural surroundings have a direct link to rejuvenated health, empowered moods, and positive energies for authentic happiness? Countless research and experimentation have already proven this valuable fact, whether in controlled laboratory scenes or actual field studies.
To illustrate its effectiveness, the best empirical test was initially conducted in a hospital environment, as published in 1984 by Robert Ulrich, an award-winning scientist, consultant, and writer. In this experiment, two types of window sceneries were exposed to groups of patients for a long period. About half of the patients had a brick facade as their view while the rest had green trees, ponds, and blue skies. All the patients involved had the same healthcare treatment with identical age, gender, and physical states. Without diving into too much detail, it turned out that the patients with daily views of nature spent a shorter recovery time in the hospital and got healed the quickest. Most of these scientific investigations have pushed for the advantages of nature and its related ecosystems as presented in these valuable examples.
Natural Sunlight
It is known that individuals are in favor of open spaces with natural daylight for better mental, emotional, and physical processes as opposed to habitats with light sources from electricity. In fact, the bright rays of the sun boast medicinal qualities. promotes your circadian patterns, improves mood, injects alertness, and energizes your biological processes. You gain health benefits from sunlight and its vital phenomenon with short outdoor walks and through its designed integration in interior environments.
Exterior Green Landscapes
The numerous benefits of having plants, trees, gardens, or parks close to houses, buildings, and urban work establishments lured people into the outdoors. It was discovered that this particular behavior enhanced social relationships in neighborhoods where natural elements are present. If you reside in cities, towns, or in other areas with infrastructural development, incorporating green spaces into these locations would definitely improve your life experiences, wellness, and direct interactions with other people.
Foliage, Horticulture, and Gardening
There is increasing proof that exposure to gardens (active and passive) has contributed to the psychological, emotional, and social health of people. Better still, if you love the hobby of gardening and the art of cultivating plants, you are most likely to recover from stress, retreat to this place of relaxation where your mood is enhanced. The essence of horticulture therapy is extremely helpful if you suffer from dementia, and would desire to boost your physical movements, heart conditions, and social skills.
Influence of Nature in Child Growth
Without a doubt, the scientific community has strongly advocated for children to play, be immersed, and be active in natural environments. Encouraging your kids to be exposed to outdoor spaces with elements of nature would further advance their cognitive, emotional, and social well-being. Playing in exterior grounds whether located in residential neighborhoods, schools, or remote campsites, empowers children to be more stimulating, responsive, and creative when present in natural settings.
BIOPHILIC DESIGN: A NATURE-DRIVEN PRACTICE
Our fascination with Mother Nature since birth is not only composed of natural components but is strongly influenced by characteristics, elements, and qualities from natural compositions, networks, and systems that individuals consider specifically inviting and visually appealing.
The core objective of Biophilic Design is for you to create spaces that foster the valuable wealth of human life experiences - delight, play, relaxation, entertainment, romance, empathy, meditation, and curiosity - the tell-tale signs that the occupants are attached to the place. As one of the world's fastest emerging scientific disciplines, guidelines and standards have yet to be organized and implemented due to the increasing interest in the subject matter is closely linked to healthcare, social sciences, and sustainability. Because the natural environment is not constantly available to everyone, with the exemption of those residing near parks, or in the proximity of gardens, forests, lakes, and other green landscapes, there are imaginative methods to incorporate Biophilic Design elements in the urban setting. If you are aware of a select few of these fundamental principles of nature, it is possible to generate dynamic, holistic, and artistic spaces that positively contribute to the inhabitant's health, well-being, and productivity.
PATTERNS OF SAFE MOVEMENTS. You will witness constant motion in nature. Phenomena such as the sun, clouds, grass, leaves, trees, and water move in a “Heraclitean” flow, associated with the softness and smoothness of their individual rhythms. On the contrary, movements of danger exhibit abrupt changes or sudden disruptions in their usual normal patterns.
TRANSFORMATION, CYCLES, AND FLEXIBILITY. Like your life processes, all-natural ecosystems travel through cycles of birth, death, and regeneration. Similarly, typhoons and light phenomena have been observed to have sequential developments. When pushed to their limits, they adapt to the challenging conditions with resilience and renewal qualities.
DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES. You might have noticed repeating occurrences in the development of seashells, trees, flowers, and animals. As unique as they are, they still portray similarities in their geometries and evolutionary patterns. This fascinating phenomenon in nature is termed "rhyming" and is the reason for our sensory appreciation of visual pleasure.
ORGANIZED COMPLEXITY THROUGH EXPLORATION. You will discover that living organisms consist of complex networks but are not necessarily obvious during your initial encounter. But, as you explore deeper into the heart of their complicated structures, the more mysterious they become. This is also the true essence of learning and nature demonstrates this best.
MULTIPLE CHANNELS FOR SENSUAL EXPERIENCES. The natural world will amaze you in how it evokes all the senses within the human biological framework, encompassing sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. When designing physical spaces for habitation, the entire spectrum of human experiences must be considered to allow effective multi-sensory moments.
FREEDOM OF IMAGINATION. Do you know why kids feel at home in outdoor spaces, most especially natural environments? Because these places are transformable with multiple functions, having more options to play around with, like the elements found in unused spaces with loose, interchangeable parts, is crucial for a child's progress and development.
IMPRESSIONS OF BIOPHILIA
For your information, this fundamental review about the affinity of people for nature and other life forms, also known as Biophilia, together with its direct and indirect implications on human health and wellness, is only the tip of the iceberg. There is an increasing body of knowledge that touches on powerful evidence that humans do require daily exposure to natural elements. We are glad that there are a plethora of easy methods to secure the frequent dosage of the natural world as elaborated in this research.
It would therefore assist you to continue striving for creative solutions to strengthen the drive for better human experiences derived from more sustainable environments. To contribute to this cause, I am introducing my own signature brand called Biophilic Creative™ - via this maiden publication.
BIOPHILIC CREATIVE™: HITTING 2 BIRDS WITH ONE STONE
Biophilic Creative™ was a pragmatic movement I founded months ago due to a personal frustration I had with the repeated negligence done to our natural environment which had negative consequences on our human health, conditions, and experiences. Hence, "If Mother Nature suffers, people will most likely undergo pain as well," which kept bothering me during my preliminary reflections. There must be a simple, effective, and proven solution for this increasingly disturbing problem.
This is the mission's description according to their Facebook page:
"BIOPHILIC CREATIVE™ IS A PASSIONATE COMMUNITY OF IMAGINATIVE HUMANS WHO DESIGN AND BUILD A WORLD WHERE MOTHER NATURE THRIVES PLUS ENHANCES MANKIND’S HEALTH, WELL-BEING, AND PRODUCTIVITY."
As part of the Architecture+Design Community's strong advocacy for the environment, we firmly believe that Biophilic Creative™ would be a welcomed addition to one of its most crucial programs: transforming our planet into a much better place.
Now, this is where the huge dilemma is unleashed, " How can nature take care of humanity if she is sick, rotting, and not thriving? And vice-versa. "How can people love and protect their natural world if they are not alive, flourishing, and well? The answers to those 2 critical questions are simply obvious.
Therefore, this is what makes the global campaign of Biophilic Creative™ interesting, and most especially, encouraging. Similar to a two-edged sword, we are targeting two (2) complementary objectives at once. First, we aim to sustain our natural environment through preservation, conservation, and development efforts. And second, as a result of doing the former, we truly nurture mankind in effective ways such as the powerful benefits discussed in this article. Indeed, this is the perfect symbiotic bond between nature and humans!
#Hive, there has never been a better time to nurture humanity with nature than today. Let us do this! Are you with me?
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