May 18, 2021

Biophilic Design: Bringing Nature into Construction Projects

Bringing Nature into Construction Projects

Biophilic Design

Biophilic design is a transformative approach that transcends conventional construction practices by seamlessly integrating the natural world into the built environment.

This innovative design philosophy recognizes the inherent human connection with nature and strives to enhance well-being, productivity, and sustainability in construction projects. L

Biophilic Design: Bringing Nature into Construction Projects
In Search of Exceptional

Net-zero methods in building and construction: The way forward.

As the world transitions to lower greenhouse-gas emissions, construction firms and designers have a major role to play. In making the green buildings of the new ere, they should identify, prioritize and implement technologies, materials, methods, and tools that span geographies and architectures.

Indeed, greener and more sustainable residential structures in Crete, Greece are magnets for property owners, investors, and buyers. The decisions made by property owners now will determine how their properties are positioned for the transition to the green era over the coming decade.

Those owners that prepare wisely are likely to seek out emerging technologies, eco-friendly and recycled materials, and sustainable ways of living.

To be sure, new materials such as green steel, precast concrete slabs, hempcrete, ferrock, and timber concrete should be among the alternative options to ensure the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions.

Even if autonomous residential properties meet some principles of green buildings, there is no guarantee that they are really sustainable constructions, since autonomous does not always mean environmentally friendly.

We want to introduce what is likely to be a challenge ten times greater than the delivery of standard residential construction, which is creating a path to sustainable and inclusive growth.

Three critical parameters will drive our goal towards energy autonomy for residential properties in Crete, but we lead with knowledge creation because sustainability and inclusion will not be possible without knowledge.

The aspiration around energy autonomy for residential assets needs to be not only about implementing sustainable technologies, and eco-friendly materials but broader well-being.

That knowledge can spur value creation by integrating sustainable living and broad-based practices, lowering energy consumption, and raising the importance of energy independence.

While knowledge sharing, value creation and stainability are often framed as popular trends, we think about them as a whole. We need all three for this equation to work towards energy autonomy.

Meet the team of ARENCOS: Stavros Thomas - Architecture & Engineering Consultants in Chania, Crete, Greece
By Stavros Thomas
Leads ARENCOS environmental sustainability and net-zero projects to achieve energy autonomy and operational excellence through close collaboration with colleagues, peers, and external partners.
Send Email to Stavros
or call at: +30 282111 2 777
Considering the physical, mental, and emotional needs of individuals-residences, architects and interior design professionals use human-centered approaches to establish the maximum comfort and well-being of the building.

Developing novel approaches to promoting health, safety, and welfare, contemporary interiors are increasingly inspired by biophilic design as a holistic approach to provide a state-of-the-art design.

 

At ARENCOS we embrace biophilic design at our construction projects and we design spaces that better reduce stress while improving cognitive function and creativity.

Biophilic Design

How does it connect to residential (or commercial) constructions?

By definition, project design involves diverse aspects of our environment. The discipline extends to building materials and surfaces; casework, furniture, furnishings, and equipment; lighting; acoustics; wayfinding; ergonomics and anthropometrics; and human environmental behavior.

Biophilic design influences the moment-to-moment physical and sensory elements found within interiors. It impacts our emotions, health, and overall feeling. But what is biophilic design, and how does it connect to residential (or commercial) constructions?

Biophilic design is the idea that humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections and influences with nature. The term translates to ‘the love of living things’ in ancient Greek (philia = the love of / inclination towards), and was used by German-born American psychoanalyst Erich Fromm in The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness (1973), which described biophilia as “the passionate love of life and of all that is alive.”

American biologist Edward O. Wilson later used the term in his work Biophilia (1984), which proposed that humans' tendency to focus on and affiliate with nature and other life forms has, in part, a genetic basis.

Biophlic Design & ARENCOS

In project design, we bring characteristics of the physical environment into commercial and residential spaces, such as water, greenery, and natural light, or physical materials like wood and stone.

Encouraging the use of natural elements and processes in project design allows for exposure to nature, and in turn, these design approaches improve well-being, comfort and and performance.

Over time, our connections to the natural world diverged in parallel with technological developments. Advances in the 19th and 20th centuries fundamentally changed how people interact with nature. Sheltered from the elements, we spent more and more time indoors.

Today, the majority of people spend almost 80-90% of their time indoors, moving between their homes and workplaces. As interior designers embrace biophilic design, they design and produce spaces that better reduce stress while improving cognitive function and creativity.

Utilizing biophilic design approaches in interiors, they can use botanical shapes and forms, as well as create distinct visual relationships to nature. In doing so, we understand that biophilic design consists of different natural layers that echo interior design.

Biophilic Design Bringing Nature into Construction Projects
Biophilic Design Bringing Nature into Construction Projects
Biophilic Design Bringing Nature into Construction Projects

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