Biophilic Design for Bringing Educational Spaces to Life

Year 2019, Volume: 1 Issue: 1, 16 - 21, 31.07.2019

Arwa Elmashharawi

Abstract

Bringing living structures to our educational
spaces, especially universities, when most educational spaces are devoided of
natural features, is a concept that needs to be pervasive within the architects
and designers who are responsible to create healthy and creative spaces for the
students. Our biology and psychology are in a sustainable need for a connection
with the natural environment. The biophilia hypothesis demonstrates that human
beings are attracted naturally towards the natural environment and the
detachment from it generates negative consequences that affect the physical,
psychological and social aspects of the human being. Within this paper, it is
argued that educational spaces need to correlate with the environment through
the adoption of biophilic design as it is a design approach that aims to rebuild
the connection between the natural world and the built environment through
adopting biophilia principles and elements

 Not
every educational space can be designed with a total response to the biophilic
approach; however, it is the architect’s responsibility to correlate natural
features with the educational space in order to achieve a healthy environment
for the students. In this article, the concept of biophilic design in the built
environment and integrating the nature with the interior and exterior spaces
will be first illustrated, followed by a discussion about Innovation center
“OZU X” at Ozyegin university campus adoption of biophilic design elements as
well as the effects biophilic design on the psychological and social health of
Ozyegin university students.

Keywords

Biophilia, biophilic architecture, green university

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