The Wonders Of Biophilic Design
The term Biophilia means "love of Life" and according to Edward O. Wilson's theory is a man's natural urge to connect with nature and life forms around him. I was introduced to this concept a few weeks ago and very soon realised that it is something I hear people talking about quite often.
I am sure at some point you must have had conversations with your friends and family about a "getaway" from the city life. Leave behind the "man-made" and relax in nature. Doesn't the idea of being around trees, mountains or even beaches sound delightful?
It is this innate need of staying connected with other life forms in us humans that biophilic design achieves to satisfy.
What is Biophilic design?
It is a concept which focuses on harmonious inclusion of the elements of nature in the environment that we live, work and coexist in. In this day and age of modernisation and technology, biophilic designsaims to provide and strengthen the connection between a man and other life forms.
This can be done directly (through lights, plants, animals, water, etc) or indirectly (biomimicry, organic forms and shapes, natural materials, photos, etc) The famous Gardens by the Bay in Singapore is a good example of incorporating a natural habitat around humans by blending it with modern architecture.
A few other projects which are my personal favorites: (l.t.r)
- Amazon Spheres, Seattle
- The Mirrorcube, Harads, Sweden
- The Eden Project, UK
- One Central Park located in Sydney,
For some reason, the Amazon spheres took all of my attention and I felt compelled to study how the principles of biophilic design were used in it's formation. So, the trio took about 5 years to be built and were open on January 30, 2018. Amazon, CEO Jeff Bezos opened the space himself by saying "Alexa, open The Spheres" How cool is that! The spheres have become another important landmark in Seattle alongside The Space Needle. I was just talking to a friend about how much I want to visit Seattle as it is famous for it's natural beauty and such magnificent design only strengthens my reason!
The spheres are a home to 40000 plants including species which are extremely close to extinction. The space is accessible to the public only when the HQ tours are given. The temperature in the spheres is controlled during the day and night to provide adequate living conditions both for people and the plants.
Check out the video below explaining the inspiration, concept, challenges in the process behind Bezos' balls! (That's a legit term btw)
The bird's nest: A space for meetings.
The 60 feet tall living wall containing 25000 of the 40000 plants.
Why does this remind me of the Stark tower?
Other image sources:
https://www.archdaily.com/551329/one-central-park-jean-nouvel-patrick-blanc
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/news/eden-project-architect-wins-royal-gold-medal-37360771.html
https://www.businessdestinations.com/destinations/top-6-hotels-built-into-the-landscape/
https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/techflash/2013/10/heres-how-you-might-be-able-to-get.html
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