‘Frameworks’ makes new connections between the practice’s projects to explore key themes that appear in our work.
The first chapter of the series – wellbeing – asks how architecture can positively shape the human experience. This month, we focus on the important role biophilic design can play in supporting wellbeing and creating more authentic connections with the natural world.
For decades, the practice has been incorporating biophilic design principles across scales and typologies. By bringing together the different facets of biophilic design – intentional landscaping, natural materials, connective viewpoints to nature, and attuned lighting strategies – we create spaces that holistically support health and wellbeing.
‘Stemming from one of the four Ancient Greek words for love, biophilia refers to our human love of familiar natural landscapes,’ says landscape architect and Partner, Nick Haddock. ‘Within an architectural context, this means integrating natural patterns, smells, and textures to create varied sensory experiences that provide a multitude of psychological and physiological benefits.’
Environmental psychologist, Marta Saniewska, adds that ‘how nature is represented matters just as much as whether it is present at all.’ Saniewska is part of the practice’s Urban Design team, helping to weave findings from psychology, neuroscience, and public health into our work – often through secondary research but also through fieldwork and community engagement alongside in-house landscape architects and anthropologists. ‘We use research to support the inclusion of biophilic elements – tailoring designs to their specific contexts and considering the nuanced effects of nature on different user groups.’
The design for the Ellison Institute of Technology campus – an interdisciplinary research and development facility in the UK – embodies this approach. Extensive landscaping between the various office buildings, laboratories, and treatment spaces creates a unified green masterplan in the city of Oxford.
‘Considered connections with nature across the campus will enhance research and learning, provide respite, and support a healing environment,’ says architect and Senior Partner, John Blythe. ‘The buildings interface meaningfully with their surroundings, offering direct views of green courtyards from treatment rooms and providing bespoke workstations for scientists that frame the landscape. We are working with nature to support users’ varying needs.’
In fact, research suggests that biophilic design can positively impact our physiology and psychology. From views of nature reducing the need for pain medication to daylight and acoustics boosting quality of sleep and comfort. As such, it has become a cornerstone of the practice’s global healthcare projects, from our Maggie’s Centre in the UK to The Clifton Center for Medical Breakthroughs in the USA.
Opening later this year, the Magdi Yacoub Global Heart Center Cairo will be set within a verdant landscape that seeks to optimise the overall patient experience. With striking views of the Pyramids of Giza, the hospital will provide free state-of-the-art treatment for the people of Egypt. Throughout there is a focus on natural light, greenery and views out, creating an environment that supports wellbeing. Native flora has been introduced to the site, generating a ring of green interwoven with pedestrian paths and quiet spaces for contemplation. A series of single and shared patient rooms on the upper floors – each with expansive views of the surrounding lake and landscape – are sheltered by sculptural shell-like roof structures. Soft and warm colours throughout the interior are influenced by the psychology of colours and Egyptian history.
