At Raimondi, we talk a lot about the significance of biophilic design, sustainability, and other concepts when creating our interior and exteriorscapes. In order to understand the true impact of these practices, however, it’s important to have a sense of what these terms mean. Our team has put together the ultimate glossary of biophilic design terms.
Green design refers to the creation of long-lasting, energy-efficient, sustainable, comfortable, and flexible structures or spaces.
A green or sustainable building may preserve or raise the standard of living in the environment in which it is located due to its design and characteristics. Looking to learn more about Green Building Certification?
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a green building certification program used worldwide. LEED provides a framework for healthy, efficient, carbon and cost-saving green buildings. The LEED rating system consists of four categories to obtain LEED certification:
Biophilia is the intrinsic human need to interact with an environment and connect with living things.
Biophilic design is a concept used to increase occupant connectivity to the natural environment through the use of direct nature, indirect nature, and space and place conditions.
Biophilic connections refer to the innate need for contact with the natural world and its integration with urban futures, societal structures, sustainable cities, health, and well-being.
Biophilia mediation refers to the therapeutic potential of mediating between the physical environmental attributes and restorative outcomes of natural design.
Biomimicry is the creation and design of products that are based on biologically inspired materials, structures, and systems.
A healthy environment for humans poses few risks for disease or health hazards while stimulating positive health factors.
Forest bathing and forest therapy (originally the Japanese exercise of shinrin-yoku) broadly means taking in, in all of one’s senses, the forest atmosphere. The purpose is twofold: to offer an eco-antidote to negative physiological and psychological effects and to inspire residents to reconnect with and protect the country’s forests.
The technique of removing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is referred to as carbon sequestration. It is one way to lessen atmospheric carbon dioxide in an effort to slow down the rate of climate change.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are the broad category of chemicals included in many of the building and maintenance supplies we use in our houses. Once these chemicals are inside our houses, they “off-gas” or are discharged into the air we breathe inside.
Indoor air quality (IAQ) refers to the condition of the air within and around buildings and structures.IAQ is known to have an impact on building occupants’ comfort, health, and well-being. Inadequate indoor air quality has been related to sick building syndrome, decreased output, and poor academic performance in classrooms.
Sustainability is the societal concept and goal around the ability of humanity to safely coexist on Earth for an extended period of time.
The philosophy of sustainable green design is used to develop physical items, the built environment, and services in accordance with ecological sustainability principles, while also aiming to improve the health and comfort of building occupants.
There are 14 “patterns” of biophilic design, broken out into three categories: Nature in the Space Patterns, Natural Analogues Patterns, and Nature of the Space Patterns
Technobiophilia refers to the innate tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes as they appear in technology. Technobiophilia practices have one or more of the following features:
Photosynthesis is a process through which plants and other organisms convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism’s activities.
Within the context of building construction and design, “occupancy” refers to the use, or intended use, of a building, portion of a building, or given space for the shelter or support of people, animals, or property. Generally, occupancy is calculated by dividing the area of a room by its prescribed unit of area per person.
Indoor greenery in office spaces has been proven to help increase employee retention within businesses. 87% of employees choose employers based on the health and wellness factors of the organization, and 67% like and remain at their jobs when the company offers health and wellness factors, which include integrating indoor plants, greenery, and moss walls into the office space. Utilize this ultimate glossary of biophilic design terms to encourage employee retention.
One of the impacts of biophilic design in office and work spaces is decreasing employee absenteeism. Studies have shown that incorporating live plants, green walls, and other biophilic interior design techniques increases employees’ focus and engagement in their work, in turn decreasing absentee rates.
Similarly to lowering absenteeism, research has also shown that employees working in environments with biophilic and natural elements experienced up to a 20% increase in productivity and a 15% increase in creativity.
The Ecological Footprint is the primary metric by which we measure how much nature we have and how much nature we use. It accounts for both the demand and supply sides of nature, helping us understand the productive nature available, as well as the biocapacity of a location’s ecological assets.
In biology, a biological organism is any living system that functions as an individual entity.
Biophilic Cities is an effort to partner with cities, scholars, and advocates from across the globe to build an understanding of the value and contribution of nature in cities to the lives of urban residents.
A thriving habitat is one that meets all the environmental conditions an organism needs to survive. This may mean different requirements for different kinds of organisms, but generally speaking, a thriving habitat needs space, food, water, and shelter for its inhabitants.
BREEAM is the world’s leading science-based suite of validation and certification systems for a sustainable built environment. BREEAM provides consistent and comparable sustainability assessment and verification across all asset types. Learn more about BREEAM.
Human-centered design is a problem-solving technique that puts real people at the center of the development process, enabling us to create architectural and biophilic designs that resonate and are tailored to each individual’s needs.
Circadian rhythms are changes in the body, brain, and behavior that occur on a 24-hour cycle. Most living things, including animals, plants, and bacteria, are impacted by these natural processes, which predominantly react to light and darkness.
ESG is a concept that businesses, organizations, and regulatory agencies use to take responsibility and hold parties accountable for corruption, social issues, and environmental negligence. In architecture and interior and exterior design, ESG refers to how businesses use their buildings and spaces to invest in environmental and social initiatives.
At Raimondi Horticultural Group, Inc., we serve designers and architects with our extensive expertise in biophilic design and biomimicry to create cutting-edge interiorscapes. We hope you enjoyed this ultimate glossary of biophilic design terms. Ready to learn more about the benefits of biophilic design for your project? Consult with our experts
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