Key Takeaways
- Humans have a deep, evolutionary preference for wood in the built environment.
- Biophilic design, the inclusion of natural elements, delivers measurable benefits.
- Occupant well-being has become a measurable differentiator of successful properties.
Most people generally find exposed wood in the built environment to be aesthetically pleasing. That said, our connection with wood goes much deeper than merely an appreciation of its appearance. The natural character of wood, expressed through its color, grain, and perceived warmth, has been shown to support the health and well-being of building occupants. This is especially true when wood is prominently used as a design feature that can be easily seen, touched, and even smelled.
A Severed Connection with Our Roots
For nearly the whole of human history, likely right from the start, our species put a small number of natural materials to extensive use in our daily lives. Wood was one such material. The beautifully irregular grains and textures of wood were a defining presence in our shelters and tools for millennia. In an evolutionary blink, however, the industrial revolution and subsequent rapid urbanization of our communities severed that connection with nature.
During the past two centuries, people suddenly found themselves spending their days in utilitarian spaces that were constructed of steel, glass, and poured concrete. Compared with wood, these materials often seem unnaturally uniform in appearance and cold to the touch. They lack the sensory feedback that aligns with our evolutionary need for a natural habitat. As a result, such spaces can come across as impersonal and uncomfortable, even though those impressions may register at a subconscious level.
In contrast, numerous studies have shown that impressions are much more positive across a variety of property types, including offices, schools, and hospitals, when wood is integral to a building's design and interior finish. Building occupants tend to find such spaces cozy, inviting, and even invigorating. In a very real sense, living in environments built from artificial materials has forced us to defy our very nature. It has severed a much-needed connection to our roots as human beings. Mass timber construction offers a way to restore that connection.
What Is Biophilia?
In the 1960s, a social psychologist named Erich Fromm coined the term "biophilia" to describe humanity's love of life and of all that is alive. The concept was later embraced by E.O. Wilson, a biologist, in his book by the same name, Biophilia (1984). Wilson asserted that human beings are genetically driven to seek out nature.
To be clear, the hypothesis goes well beyond preferences some people may have for outdoor activities such as hiking or camping. Instead, it concerns how the environment of our ancestral past very much informs how we respond to our current environment. As a species, our core neurological and physiological characteristics aren't much evolved from those of our stone-age ancestors. We're still "wired" by remnant biology to be hunter-gatherers, even though that predisposition doesn't necessarily serve us very well in modern-day settings.
At its core, biophilia is a recognition of this mismatch and, responsively, an exploration into the benefits of reconnecting people with nature in all its complexity, especially in the built environment. Construction material choices can have direct impacts on the health and well-being of building occupants in a variety of ways. Understanding the concept of biophilia is an important step toward designing buildings that better support, rather than undermine, human nature.
Biophilic Design in Practice
Today, more than 40 years after Biophilia was first published, biophilic design has grown from a theoretical concept into a practical framework. The deliberate integration of natural elements like daylight, plants, water, and exposed wood into the built environment has proven to have a profound impact on human well-being. For example, empirical research has consistently shown that it results in employees who are more productive and take fewer sick days; students who are more focused and score better on tests; and residents who get better sleep and report an overall improvement in their mood.
As people continue to experience these tangible benefits first hand, biophilic design is rapidly shifting from a niche design trend to a market expectation. Even when occupants remain entirely unaware of the underlying evolutionary science, they are intuitively drawn to interiors that accommodate our deep-seated need to interact with nature. The appeal is so strong that leading companies, such as Google, now track specific internal goals for incorporating biophilic elements into their office and campus designs. It's a clear indication that workplace design plays a significant role in the ability of such companies to attract and retain top talent in their respective fields.
Recognizing the growing demand from building occupants, the commercial real estate industry has increasingly turned to a handful of key certifications to help quantify its efforts to incorporate biophilic design elements into the built environment. Voluntary certification programs such as CASBEE in Japan, as well as LEED and WELL, which are global in scale, now formally recognize buildings that incorporate natural elements into their design. Some of these programs were purpose-built around occupant wellness, while others have evolved to include wellness criteria as additions to sustainability and environmental performance.
Especially in a post-COVID reality, occupant well-being has become, in many cases, a differentiator between commercial properties that thrive and those that continue to struggle. In the field of biophilic design, mass timber is unique in its ability to satisfy our human need for connection with nature in ways that are simply unavailable to other construction techniques.
