Biophilic Design: The Theory, Science, and Practice of Bringing Buildings to Life

Abstract

Children, Youth and Environments Vol. 18 No. 2 (2008) ISSN: 1546-2250 Biophilic Design: The Theory, Science, and Practice of Bringing Buildings to Life Kellert, Stephen R. and Heerwagen, Judith H. and Mador, Martin L. (2008). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons; 385 pages. ISBN 9780470163344. The concept of biophilic design emphasizes the necessity of maintaining, enhancing and restoring the beneficial experience of nature for human beings through the practices of architecture, engineering, landscape architecture and city planning. Before industrialization, the process of building applied the principles of biophilic design as a matter of course, including integration with the natural environment, use of local materials and patterns from nature, and connection to the local culture and heritage. Today these choices represent a new paradigm that can harness new possibilities for design, given new technologies and new knowledge about ecosystems. Combining biophilic design with low environmental impact design, as expressed in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification system, produces restorative environmental design, which simultaneously restores the health of ecosystems and the human beings who inhabit them. The book’s 23 chapters cover the theory, science and practice of biophilic design, with numerous photographs. For readers of CYE, a chapter or particular importance is “Healthy Planet, Healthy Children: Designing Nature into the Daily Spaces of Childhood” by Robin Moore and Clare Cooper Marcus. The authors bring together decades of experience in research on housing design and planning for families with children as well as practical experience in landscaping for children’s nature play. They begin by reviewing research on the benefits of outdoor play and connection with nature for children’s wellbeing , and then describe how these benefits can be designed into schools, preschools, child care centers, neighborhood parks, zoos, nature centers, and residential environments. This 286 50-page chapter deserves to become a much-cited classic in child-environment literature. Short chapters that follow by Richard Louv, David Orr and Robert Michael Pyle further emphasize the importance of biophilic design for children’s healthy development and connection with the natural world. Reviewer Information Chawla, Louise Louise Chawla is a professor in the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado. ...