Wood Nature Inspired Design An update of the Wood – Housing, Health, Humanity Report Contents About This Report 3 Cashing in on Nature Connected Design 20 Acknowledgements 3 Be Certain it’s Certified 21 Executive Summary 4 What About Fire Safety? 22 Wood – Nature Inspired Design 5 Design to Last 23 Why Wood? 5 Showcasing Wood 24 Our Need for Nature 6 Dandenong Mental Health Centre 24 Love of Life and Nature 7 Bringing Nature into the Marist College Bendigo Built Environment 8 Montagne Centre 25 Restorative Environments 9 Melbourne School of Design 26 Wood and Nature The Village Centre, Connected Design 10 National Arboretum, Canberra 27 Biomorphic Forms Tempe House, Tempe, NSW 28 – Shapes of Nature 10 The Library at the Dock, Health Benefits of Wood 12 Victoria Harbour, Melbourne 29 Wood – A Raft of Benefits 12 Conclusion 30 Benefits on the Body 13 Planet Ark Nature Benefits on the Brain 15 Related Research 31 Benefits on the Air 16 References 32 Visual Appeal, Natural Look 17 Index of Photographs 33 Figure 1. Wood and nature connected design. Rating Nature Connected Design 19 WOOD – NATURE INSPIRED DESIGN 2 About This Report This report is an update and extension of Acknowledgements the Wood – Housing, Health, Humanity released by Planet Ark to coincide with Planet Ark’s Make It Wood program has World Wood Day 2015. The aim of the developed this report with support from original report was to examine current Forest and Wood Products Australia’s literature and empirical studies assessing Wood Solutions and Wood. Naturally Better programs. The research and report writing the benefits of using wood in an indoor was undertaken by Planet Ark staff member environment. That report also presented the Dr Sean O’Malley, with advice, research and results of a survey commissioned by Planet editing assistance by Brad Gray and David Ark and conducted by research consultancy Rowlinson. The report includes elements Pollinate in September of the previous year. from the 2015 review written by Dr Amanda The survey focused on the current opinions Cameron. Attitudinal research was managed and attitudes of Australians towards wood by Bernard Visperas from Pollinate with along with their exposure to it at home, graphic design by Slade Smith. Planet work and school (1003 Australians aged 14- Ark is grateful to a number of designers 64 years old and nationally representative and photographers whose work has been in terms of age, gender and location were included in this report, as detailed in the surveyed online). tables on page 33. This new report Wood – Nature Inspired Design builds on that original work and introduces the concept of biophilia – an affinity with nature or the love of all things natural – with a focus on the use of wood in biophilic, or nature connected design. The report looks at published research from around the world showing the health and Figure 2. Humans gain health and wellbeing benefits from wellbeing benefits of exposure to this most exposure to this most ancient ancient and modern material. and modern material. WOOD – NATURE INSPIRED DESIGN 3 The Benefits of Wood and Executive Nature Connected Design Summary Improves air Improves Reduced stress Helps to quality by emotional state response (pulse reconnect us Over recent years there has been an rather it is a series of principles that can be moderating and rate and blood to nature increasing recognition of the benefits that blended into variable palettes to reflect the humidity self-expression pressure) humans gain from contact with trees and benefits of time spent in nature. nature. Modern society has changed its Additionally, this report updates our previous relationship with nature. In the space of review of studies analysing the health and a single generation children’s play has wellbeing benefits of wooden interiors in moved from outdoors to indoors, the iconic homes, businesses, places of learning and backyard has shrunk, parents have become places for healing, along with the results of an increasingly anxious about children’s safety, independent survey identifying the attitudes working hours and stress levels have risen and opinions of Australians on wood. and technology (especially screens) has encroached into almost all areas of life. Multiple physiological, psychological and environmental benefits have been identified The health and happiness benefits for wooden interiors: associated with spending time outside in • Improvements to a person’s emotional nature are well known and have been studied state and level of self-expression extensively by the scientific community and • Reduced blood pressure, heart rate and reported on by Planet Ark. This love of time stress levels in nature has been termed biophilia1,2 and • Improved air quality through humidity explains our innate need to connect with moderation the natural world. This relationship can be • Its use as a long-term store of carbon, extended into the built environment where helping to fight climate change we work, rest and play. This report outlines the importance of connecting buildings with Surveyed Australians appear to be innately the natural world and how with ‘Nature drawn towards wood. The results indicate Certification 3 Wood is the Long-term Low energy used Connected Design’ (biophilic design ) and that wood elicits feelings of warmth, comfort ensures timber only renewable store of carbon, in production, using wood we can bring nature indoors and and relaxation and creates a link to nature. comes from building helping to fight hence less CO in 2 sustainable provide a healthier, happier environment. However, Australians, appear to still be material climate change the atmosphere confused about wood certification. sources Some of the elements of nature connected design are discussed and how these can Promoting nature connected design and the be realised through the use of thoughtful benefits gained from using timber to the general Figure 3. The benefits of wood and nature connected design. construction and the use of wood. Nature public, home owners, designers and architects connected design is not a prescriptive list; is therefore of significant importance. This report was produced by Planet Ark’s Make It Wood program WOOD – NATURE INSPIRED DESIGN 4 with support from Wood Solutions and Wood. Naturally Better. Wood – Figure 4. Wood is being increasingly used for its positive impacts on health and wellbeing. Nature Inspired Design Why Wood? Wood comes from trees and is a natural, The energy consumed in the production of renewable resource, with no two pieces being timber, called embodied energy, is much identical. Its final appearance is dependent lower than other building materials, which on a number of variables, including species, means that by using more wood in the built geographic area where the tree grew, growth environment as a replacement for carbon- conditions, size of the tree at harvest, sawing intensive materials such as aluminium, steel or and other manufacturing processes. Wood concrete, it is possible to significantly reduce is one of the oldest building materials used the carbon emissions in the construction of by humanity and with recent technological homes, schools, hospitals, offices and public developments it is also one of the most buildings4,5 modern. Responsibly sourced, certified timber is the Although wood has ancient roots and has only major building material that helps to been used in every culture in the world since tackle climate change. As trees grow they before the Stone Age it is experiencing a absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere revival in use. Responsibly sourced and and, through photosynthesis, convert this certified wood is now seen as an important into sugars that form the compounds that tool in combating the risks of climate change. comprise wood. Approximately 50 per cent However, the use of wood in the built of the dry weight of wood is carbon, which environment is being increasingly used for remains locked in the wood for the life of the its positive impacts on health, wellbeing and product. Timber is also the only renewable productivity, producing similar effects to those building material currently available. created by spending time outside in nature. WOOD – NATURE INSPIRED DESIGN 5 Our Need for Nature As far back as 1995 Planet Ark knew the value of spending time in nature and organised the first National Tree Day. Over the intervening 21 years nearly 4 million people have planted Figure 5. Wood creates over 23 million trees right across Australia. increased levels of happiness and self esteem. The event began primarily focusing on the environmental benefits of plants and trees; producing oxygen, filtering the air, removing carbon from the atmosphere, stabilising soil, providing essential habitat for native animals and beautifying neighbourhoods. Over recent years there has been an increasing recognition of the benefits that humans gain from contact with trees and nature. Modern society has changed its relationship with nature. In the space of a single generation children’s play moved from outdoors to indoors, the iconic backyard shrunk, parents became increasingly anxious about their children’s safety, working hours and stress levels rose and technology (especially screens) encroached into almost all areas of life. The health and happiness benefits associated with spending time outside in nature are well known and have been studied extensively by the scientific community and reported on by Planet Ark6. These known benefits include: • Increased levels of happiness and self- esteem7,8 • Increased cognitive abilities9,10 • Decreased stress response, blood pressure, pulse rates and cholesterol levels11,12 WOOD – NATURE INSPIRED DESIGN 6 Love of Life and Nature The need and enjoyment of nature has been now spend over 90 per cent of their time called ‘biophilia’, meaning ‘love of life or indoors92. This disconnect with nature and living systems’. The term was first used by the outdoors corresponds with reports of Erich Fromm1, back in 1964, to describe the increasing levels of obesity14 and nearly half psychological orientation of being attracted of Australians experiencing a mental health to all that is alive and vital.