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What is Biophilic Design?
Biophilic Design is a way of celebrating human’s connection to nature by incorporating elements into a structures design which celebrate natural elements such as plants and animals, while incorporating decor which mimics the shapes, patterns, and light of the environment. The goal of such styling is to create an organized space which helps fulfill the human need to connect with the natural world beyond the urbanscapes we have created and exist within in the modern era.Why is this beneficial for businesses?
Biophilic design serves humans well in every space, allowing them to get in touch with their more primal state and balance themselves within the mindset we evolved to have in the time before cities developed in the Industrial Era. This results in stress reduction and increased productivity. For this reason, many companies across the globe are incorporating green into their work places. Here's 10 companies implementing biophilic design.
Furthermore, in retail locations, biophilic design helps to move beyond the concept of “malls” as they are known today, and begin converting them into the “lifestyle centers” designers and architects are conceptualizing today. Lifestyle centers incorporate natural features, such as fountains and greenery, and entertainment elements, such as restaurants and theaters, along with storefronts. This allows customers to browse without experiencing the boredom they often experience in modern malls. Going forward, designers will work to create more open-air shopping centers, leaving behind the more characterless malls of the past, which foster dispassionate shopping experiences for consumers who inevitably seek to fulfill only their most basic and immediate needs.
Does Biophilic Design affect consumers the same way it may affect employees and workers?
How to incorporate Biophilic Design?
Obviously, it is not feasible to turn every shopping mall into an open air-lifestyle center; however, business owners can start small by introducing greenery, such as living walls, as an artistic design element into their shop. Other small changes can be made to embrace the natural, such as an adjustment to improve natural light (or adding lights which mimic the sun), incorporation of stone or wood to the setup, or adding a water feature with fish living in it.
Incorporate nature, never intimidate it. Fake plants feel tacky and are bad for the environment, as well as the air quality of your store as they collect dust. Fluorescent lights can cause migraines and diminish productivity. Harness the pleasant, natural light of LEDs, a much more accommodating light source, and embrace Soltech grow lights as your answer for healthy foliage year round. Consider when you feel happiest and most connected to nature, and what you think your customers will respond best to.
