Architectural Engineer

Part 2 - Biophilic Design

When I first started this assignment, I was fighting sleep reading about ‘The 6 Principals for a Healthy, Sustainable Built Environment’. I had read those words a million times and learnt nothing about them. I already knew that pollution is bad for you and worse if you. I already knew that water needed to be clean in order for you to drink it. I already knew that pretty rooms could help your mood. And all the other common sense that the website was yapping about. Then I got to principle 3, Harmony with nature, thousands of words into my reading. I scanned the page contemplating giving up and choosing a different project, but the word ADHD caught my attention. Ironic, I know. I’m on the waiting list for a diagnosis so, naturally, I was curious as to what the world green building council had to say about it. The bullet point read “Education: reported improvements in learning by up to 25% showing improved test results, concentration levels and reduced impacts of adhd”. I didn’t take anything in of course so I had to read it another 3 times. What was this about? What could have this much of an effect? I finally saw a glimpse of hope for this assignment and for the future of Architecture. The point was about biophilic design, a term you may have never heard but most definitely have seen before. It refers to the incorporation of plants in building designs, which is not only a beautiful design in every scenario, but it also has such a wide range of positive effects on the people in the buildings. Imagine the beauty of an entire biophilic city and how much happier we would be surrounded by what us humans are supposed to be around. This design strategy tackles pretty much every health issue we face in our current situations in buildings. Incorporating nature into indoor spaces would help with focus, and productivity, which could be used in educational spaces and be very helpful for people with adhd or any struggle to concentrate or get things done. Biophilic design can also lower stress, foster creativity, enhance wellbeing, and aid in the healing process. Research indicates that structures featuring biophilic features increase property values, boost output, and produce more healing spaces. Buildings should maximise the benefits to occupants' mental and physical health and wellbeing by ensuring that they have access to nature inside the building, adhering to the principles of biophilic design. Incorporating natural materials and patterns, sound isolation to preserve the surrounding environment, and natural lighting and space arrangement are all examples of biophilic design principles. Positive health outcomes, such as enhanced longevity, reduced body mass index, and better mental health, are linked to having access to green space. Socioeconomic factors frequently impact access to green spaces, for example; poorer areas tend to have less access to green spaces, which may exacerbate health disparities. Green infrastructure can lower air pollution, lower urban temperatures, and enhance local biodiversity. Examples of this include green walls, roofs, and vertical gardens. Water-based "blue infrastructure" has the potential to boost activity levels and increase biodiversity. Throughout the lifecycle, strategies include restoring degraded land, ponding, wetlands, endemic ecological planting, building design that incorporates green infrastructure, and taking the risk of introducing pathogens and pests into account.

This way of design should be the way forward, so that humanity can enjoy their surroundings more and experience better physical and mental health. There is no denying that the limitless list of risks to our wellbeing can be fully dealt with, by using this method, and restoring the beauty of architecture and nature.

Bosco Verticale – Milan, Italy:

Sources: https://worldgbc.org/principle-3-prioritise-access-to-nature/

Part 1 - The situation Indoors

There is a huge problem with where the construction industry is headed and, personally as an architectural engineering student, want to be a part of a change in this bare minimum design movement that is ruining the experience of being in the indoor and even the outdoor space. The decline in architectural development (for the better at least) has halted, especially when it comes to the average persons home, which mean that unless you can afford to spend you time in costly buildings, you’ll have a very unfulfilling experience being in your own home. This also applies to the other places that we tend to spend the most time in, our offices, classrooms, even our hospitals are unhealthily miserable, which is a danger to every patient. In every crucial, commonly used space, not only is there minimal access to greenery and nature and light, there are also hideous buildings, built only to accommodate their function and not to be enjoyable or good for you in any way. While researching the topic of health and wellbeing in built environments, I was surprised to learn about the estimation that an entire 68% of the developed world will be urbanised by 2050. Imagine that ugly scenery with the architecture of today (function over quality, aesthetics and all of the above). A world of concrete, bricks and plaster would cause such a detachment from the natural world, which is already bad enough in today’s day and age. The pandemic of 2020 has also caused an increase in the time spent indoors, especially for the youth, which was again, bad enough before. As of today we spend 62% of our waking time just at home, where the air quality is extremely damaging to our health and wellbeing. Air pollution is actually the number one environmental threat to human health causing approximately seven million deaths each year. That’s over 11% of the yearly deaths in the world! Exposure to polluted air increases risks of a stroke, heart disease, pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and respiratory infections. Indoor air pollution, which affects 90% of people, is primarily caused by solid fuel combustion, gas appliances, and the release of harmful gases and chemicals from materials. These pollutants can cause respiratory conditions like asthma and lead to respiratory issues like nausea, headaches, and allergies. Biological contaminants, such as mould and fungi growth, can also cause indoor air pollution. Outdoor air pollution, caused by transport, agriculture, and waste, is a significant health risk for people within buildings. Causes of ambient air pollution related to the built environment include the use of highly polluting brick kilns, which contribute to up to 20% of global black carbon emissions, and the concentration of 90% of global brick production in central Asia. Addressing these sources is crucial to protect human health and wellbeing. The ventilation and windows do not make up for this lack of fresh air and light, hence the regulations around health and wellbeing getting stricter and stricter every year. But these minuscule restriction hardly make any difference to improve our lives and our time inside. We, of course do not even put in effort to help our own case - we don’t leave the house enough, look away from our screens enough, low our eduction and jobs to take place anywhere but enclosed in the unhealthy space that is indoors. There are very few of us that spend the amount of time we should be spending outside and it is honestly getting more difficult and, unfortunately rare. The whole world restricted by nursery, school, college,university, their daily responsibilities, and there is no clear answer as to how to achieve the ability to restore our connection with nature. There is no possible change to our lifestyles that could be significant enough to give us the result we need for our health. The answer lies within the four walls that stand between us and nature.

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