Biophilic Design Strategies to Generate Wellness and Productivity

Biophilic Design Strategies to generate wellness and productivity

Edward Clark, LEED AP BD+C Christopher Flint Chatto, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP BD+C Authors

Edward Clark, LEED AP BD+C1

Christopher Flint Chatto, Assoc. AIA, LEED BD+C2

1 ZGF Architects LLP 925 4th Avenue, Suite 2400 Seattle, WA 98104, USA 2 ZGF Architects LLP 1223 SW Washington Street, Suite 200 Portland, OR 97205, USA

* Corresponding Author

This manuscript was submitted in conjunction with a national professional conference, “The Value of Design: Design & Health,” hosted in Washington, D.C., April 22-24, 2014, by the American Institute of Architects Foundation, the American Institute of Architects, and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. Conference staff have edited manuscripts for clarity and style. This project was made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Visit www.aia.org/DesignHealth Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center’s healing garden is both remarkable and typical. healing gardens provide restor- ative and coping resources. (Source: ZGF Architects, LLP)

Understanding Biophilia Roger Ulrich’s research documenting the healing pow- er of nature in the clinical context of a hospital was a “Biophilia” is a term coined by the German social psy- watershed moment for the design industry. Research chologist Erich Fromm in 1964 to describe the human conducted using an evidence-based design methodology attraction to all things alive and vital. In Biophilia (1984), showed that compared to views of a brick wall, ostensi- Wilson sought to explain the desire to be connected to bly ordinary views of trees and plants improved healing nature, and to link evolutionary and ontogenetic devel- outcomes, including shorter stays, reduced need for opment within the natural world as the primary cause for painkillers. Ulrich’s findings helped to support a design this affinity. Early human survival depended upon finding approach that could embrace nature and human delight a rich environment that provided food, shelter, protection, rather than mere operational efficiency. The discovery and the presence of water. Those individuals who could was truly a “win-win”; not only is the individual patient recognize these resources and harvest the bounty were experience and outcome improved, the hospital benefits presumably more evolutionarily fit, and more likely to economically from shorter stays, which improve its ability succeed. Indicators of such a supportive environment to serve a greater population with the facility’s increased include lush vegetation, and the possibility of prospect capacity. and refuge to find prey and simultaneously avoid pred- ators. As a concept or theory, this desire or affinity for Accordingly, our healthcare practice was the first within nature is generally recognized, but only within the past ZGF Architects LLP to embrace the inclusion of nature 40 years have we begun to study and understand this as an explicit programmatic element. Early efforts em- connection in a rigorous scientific manner. Even less time ployed biophilia directly, by providing connection through has been spent on the active application of these insights immediate access or views, or direct representation of within design. natural elements. Doernbecher Children’s Hospital not

1 2 The recently completed Seattle Children’s Hospital, “Building Hope” expansion integrates biophilia as a central design strategy. (Source: ZGF Architects, LLP)

only capitalizes on its challenging sloped site to provide facility is enhanced through the provision of glazing at views through the verdant hillsides. In addition, images the end of circulation corridors, opening views to provide of flora and fauna inspire graphics and signage within the orientation as well as a connection to the verdant Puget children’s play areas. Sound region. Soft, curvilinear walkways connect the nurse’s stations and patient rooms, improving views to While restorative gardens date back to medieval mon- treatment areas and providing a calm visual landscape. asteries, the inclusion of healing gardens in the modern Playful, graphic artwork depicts regional Northwest healthcare complex is arguably the first truly new bio- nature scenes with color and content to support way philic design element. Legacy Salmon Creek Medical finding. The murals provide a panoply of variety and Center’s healing garden is both remarkable and typical. detail that invite a child to imagine and discover, and the Located above the diagnostic podium on the third floor, sense of surprise is reinforced by unexpected elements the garden improves what might have been a non-oc- elsewhere, like a brass leaf or paw print embedded in the cupancy rooftop in an earlier-generation hospital. terrazzo floors. Paths wander through colorful and aromatic gardens that create a multi-sensory experience and encourage The connection to nature is reinforced in patient rooms patients, visitors, and staff to take some time to enjoy the as well. Generous windows bring in sunlight and provide fresh air and sunshine. Containing a chapel and a variety views to the surrounding context. Research over the last of seating areas, the garden provides places for seclusion ten years is confirming that the changing color tempera- and respite, as well as opportunities for social interaction. ture and the quality and quantity of daylight through As Roger Ulrich states in the Effects of Gardens in Health the day reinforces circadian rhythms, which can benefit Outcomes: Theory and Research, healing gardens pro- human health, healing, and productivity. Images of vide restorative and coping resources through increased nature are supplemented by materials that evoke nature; movement and exercise, social support, increased control real wood is still rarely used in American hospitals, but an in the form of temporary escape and access to privacy, as imitation wood headboard brings warmth to the clinical well as natural distractions. environment. Playful, colored-glass exterior shades not only cut peak solar loads as part of the integrated energy While healing gardens represent an additional expense in strategy, but also emphasize the movement of the sun as hospital design, many healthcare clients recognize their the colors and shadows move and change. value, especially as this programmed outdoor space can be provided more economically than enclosed interior As part of its agreement with the community when it space. LEED for Healthcare similarly acknowledges heal- negotiated its expansion to an adjacent parcel, Seattle ing gardens’ benefits, by providing two credits specifically Children’s Hospital agreed to include a generous, land- tailored around access to outdoor space for patients, scaped buffer to the neighborhood. Many existing trees visitors, and staff. on the perimeter were retained and supplemented with planting to create a linear garden and path that weaves through the vegetation—a pleasant amenity for the Seattle Children’s Hospital hospital and neighborhood alike. Some foundations from The recently completed “Building Hope” expansion the prior residential apartments become stormwater integrates biophilia as a central design strategy. Biophilic retention elements, blurring the boundaries between the design elements play a crucial role in bringing a sense man-made and the natural. of whimsy for children and their visitors as well as Just as biophilic design was becoming more com- enhancing the spatial qualities beyond the patient room. monplace in healthcare, and studies of educational Navigation through this large, 330,000 sf bed tower

3 The atrium of the Army Corps of En- gineers Headquarters functions as the lungs of the building, fully embodying both biophillic and sustainable design principles. (Source: ZGF Architects, LLP)

applications were quantifying its benefit though measur- of Wilson, categories environmental features, natural able outcomes like test scores, the business community shapes and forms, natural patterns and processes, began to recognize its value. If connection to nature and light and space, culminating in better-informed had measurable benefits for the sick, and performance descriptions of place-based relationships and a more benefits for students, certainly it could be valuable in the evolved relationship between humans and nature. What business environment as well. A new wave of research is clear from his work, as well as other taxonomies, is that started to study and quantify the economic benefits in biophilia can be much more than nature in a space (or the workplace. The fact that salaries and other personnel a view from a space). Sunlight, plants, water, the use of expenses represent the great majority of a business’ wood and other natural elements are intrinsically ap- expenses meant that even small improvements from preciated by occupants, but their provision is not always biophilic design could have a significant bottom-line possible or advisable. Natural analogues, or elements impact. The Economics of Biophilia (2012, Terrapin Bright that have nature’s processes and complexity, like natural Green), arguably the most accessible compendium of forms and fractal structures, or that embody the muta- biophilic research for the design community, estimates bility and responsiveness of nature, can also contribute salaries and benefits to be 86% of a company’s operat- to the biophilic response. Finally, spaces that stimulate ing costs, with another 4% accounted for by absentee- basic human responses, like comfort, curiosity, or excite- ism and presenteeism (staff at work, but unproductive). ment, might also be considered biophilic. Numerous studies have quantified the benefit of views and/or daylight in increasing productivity at work, Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters discovering benefits that include reduced absenteeism, greater time spent at the desk, and increased quality and The Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters, at the quantity of work output. Federal Center South Building 1202 complex in South Seattle, represents the fullest embodiment of biophilic Another area of benefit, less quantified by research, design principles in a ZGF project. Located on the banks is in the recruitment and retention of staff. Replacing of the Duwamish River, a waterway that has experienced a departed staff member can be expensive; one study a history of channelization and pollution before current estimates the cost of advertising, interviewing, hiring, remediation efforts, the facility embodies the mission of and training a new worker at up to 3 times the sal- the Seattle division, with its integration of engineering ary of the new worker. In a survey of Millennial in a with environmental sustainability. The curved horseshoe prominent northwest headquartered business, 65% of shape of the three-story building, driven by the needs to those surveyed stated that the physical surroundings control solar gains by orientation and to limit overall heat significantly impact mood and satisfaction in their work loss though the envelope, echoes the oxbow forms of the experience, and ranked natural light and windows as the historic Duwamish. The essential form of the building is most important criteria for optimal working conditions. It driven by two space types: a 60’ wide office floor plate makes sense that biophilic office landscapes can be more (the “Oxbow”) maximizes the availability of daylight and attractive for next-generation talent; workers are more view to the occupants; while conference rooms and other likely to come into work every day and are more likely to amenities (“the Commons”) are centralized and wrapped stay for the long haul. by the Oxbow, creating programmatic efficiencies and As biophilia in the built environment has grown from promoting collaboration and interaction through their its healthcare origins to influence the design of offic- shared utilization. The Oxbow offices are steel structure: es, schools, and cities, researchers have described its cheaper and more efficient to construct, but embodying elements of design. Stephen Kellert, a former student the biophilic principle of resiliency in its diagrid structure:

4 5 Green infrastructure in the Washington, DC Southwest Ecodistrict uses plants, soil, and microbial ecology to cleanse surface water. (Source: Courtesy of NCPC. Image by ZGF Architects) the triangulated exterior steel columns create a truss and in the country, arguably pale in impact to the social heart structural redundancy should a catastrophic event occur. of the building. With its three levels, timber-clad bridges, The interior Commons is created from timbers reclaimed stairs, and overlooks, the atrium embodies the theory of from an existing warehouse on site; the repurposed “prospect and refuge,” the idea that human beings (like wood creating a natural and warm aesthetic and a direct our hunting and gathering ancestors) are most com- physical and visual tie to the history of the site. fortable in places where we might command a sweeping view, but at the same time are able to avail ourselves of The atrium links the “Commons” and the “Oxbow” and protection and safety. serves multiple functions. It acts as the lungs of the building, serving as the return air plenum and using the The atrium floor is outfitted with a dry river bed motif buoyancy of warm air to convey the return air stream to with shingled flagstones, drift wood, ground plantings heat exchangers at the top of the atrium. It brings abun- and small trees. The river system ripples throughout the dant daylight to both the offices and conference rooms. design and is used for way finding, graphic design, and to But these functions, as important as they are in contrib- create visual and literal ties to the climate and the region. uting to one of the most energy efficient office buildings The tributaries of the Duwamish as well as the Duwamish

6 itself are represented in graphics on the stair towers and experiences. This design solution brings together im- source stones distributed through the atrium. The source portant living cues that stimulate instincts that harken stones, large boulders with a river meander carved into back to early human survival and foster feelings of safety, the top surface, are connected to the stormwater collec- environmental support, and harmony with nature—all tion system, and gurgle with captured and treated storm- together contributing to a feeling of wellbeing. water during rain events. The gurgle provides a gentle au- Outdoor green space, another aspect of biophilic design, ditory tie to the daily weather patterns. The incorporation has been shown to be good for business, and to promote of the river system provides a multi-sensory environment healthier lifestyles. Harnik and Welle illustrated in their and level of complexity unfolds over time. report Measuring the Economic Value of a City Park System a 5% cost premium to properties adjacent to Southwest Ecodistrict parks in Washington, DC. Additionally, a study by The Trust for Public Land quantified that the increased phys- National Capital Planning Commission’s and General ical activity associated with the use of park systems in Service Administration’s SW Ecodistrict in Washington, Sacramento, CA was associated with healthcare savings DC, is a large urban scale project that looks to natural of $19.8 million for the local community. A high-perfor- systems to inform green infrastructure design that ex- mance district can lead to happy, healthy, high-perfor- ceeds DC’s aggressive stormwater requirements. Green mance people through providing resources for reinforcing infrastructure uses plants, soil, and microbial ecology to social, cultural, and environmental bonds. cleanse surface water. In addition to cleaning water, the plants and trees create a human scale and reduce the When thoughtfully designed buildings are enhanced with heat-island effect, thereby contributing to a reduction carefully crafted outdoor space, people are nurtured, in building cooling loads. These nature-based systems supported, and connected to their regional setting in improve the urban experience through the display of a deep and meaningful way. As Judith Heerwagen, a water and its inherent life giving properties. In the SW behavioral psychologist, Program Expert with the GSA Ecodistrict, 10th Street is a visible and engaging align- Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings, ment of resource conservation and biophilia. The design and biophilic pioneer, states, “The goal of biophilic design goal was not only to provide a strategy for meeting is to create places imbued with positive emotional expe- aggressive conservation targets but to bring in natural riences, enjoyment, pleasure, interest, fascination, and elements that expands the value of the place into a desti- wonder, that are the precursors of human attachment to nation for outdoor experiences. and caring for place. Using inspiration from both the local natural environment and vernacular cultural expressions Due to its proximity to national monuments, govern- to create a sense of place is critical to biophilic design.” mental offices, and the Potomac River Basin, 10th Street This concept leads one to envision biophilic design as connects many visitors, workers, and future residents much more than “shrubbing up a building.” Rather, and from the National Mall to the Potomac River. As a part crucially, it is a design philosophy that provides latitude of DC’s Monumental Core, 10th Street is an innovative for execution, resulting in a holistic built environment that “smart street design” that balances green infrastructure supports people, reinforces natural ties, and is rooted in with multimodal street use that varies with time of day place. and season. Water is the unifying theme and coupled with lush vegetation, it creates a new destination to which people can migrate and find different niches that offer seasonal thermal comfort and a variety of spatial

7 References

Terrapin Bright Green LLC. (2012). The Economics of Biophilia. New York, NY: Terrapin Bright Green LLC. The Trust for Public Land. (2009). Measuring the Economic Value of a City Park System. Washington, DC: Harnik, P. & Welle, B. Ulrich, R. S. (1999). Effects of Gardens on Health Outcomes: The- ory and Research. In C. C. Marcus & M. Barnes (Eds.), Healing Gardens: Therapeutic Benefits and Design Recommendations (pp. 27-86). Hoboken, N.: John Wiley & Sons. Wilson, E. O. (1986). Biophilia. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

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