What is Biophilia?

Defining Biophilia:

Origins of the Term

The term biophilia, stemming from the Greek roots meaning ‘love of life’, was coined in the 1950s by German social psychologist Erich Fromm (1900-1980).

Edward O. Wilson's Contribution
However, we learn a lot more about biophilia from Edward O. Wilson (1929-2021). Wilson was an eminent biologist who devoted his time to the understanding of biophilia after realising that we'd departed from it.

Wilson's hypothesis is grounded in the idea that biophilia is a fundamental, biologically-based part of the human psyche. He argues that this inherent connection with nature has significant implications for our well-being, influencing everything from our mental health to our cognitive development.

He defined biophilia as "the urge to affiliate with other forms of life".

The Departure from Biophilia

The Industrial Revolution's Impact

In the age of the Industrial Revolution (1760–1840), a transformative shift toward urbanisation, fabrication, and isolation from nature meant that we departed from active interactions with the natural world.  It was this apparent departure that led Wilson to write his hypothesis.

Biophilic Design

What is Biophilic Design?

When most people think of biophilia, they usually think in the context of biophilic design.

This is where it gets a bit more plant-based, and also a bit more complex.  Biophilic design is a concept used within the building industry to increase occupant connectivity to the natural environment through the use of direct nature, indirect nature, and space and place conditions.

Direct and Indirect Biophilic Design

Examples of direct biophilic design are: sunlight, air, water, plants, animals, weather, and natural landscapes.

Examples of indirect biophilic design are: images of nature, natural material, natural colours, naturalistic shapes and forms, natural geometries and bio-mimicries.

Both direct and indirect biophilic designs offer major benefits, and the choice between them—or the decision to use both— usually depends on your goals, budget, and the physical limitations of the space.

Indirect biophilic design can substitute for direct design where using real elements is impractical, however, indirect biophilic design doesn’t have all the benefits of direct.  That having been said, it’s better than nothing! Indirect is also very helpful to create an extra layer of depth when your designs already include direct biophilic design, so the best designs make use of both.

Ready to learn more?

Our CPD sessions will help your team learn more about how plants can impact physical and mental health.