Biophilic school architecture in cold climates

Abstract

Designing school settings that provide a satisfying experience of nature and enhance well-being could be advantageous for children and teachers, though in cold climates prolonged periods of precipitation, restricted sunshine and low temperatures represent non-ideal conditions for fostering a connection with nature. This paper reviews research into the relationships between principles of biophilic design and well-being, with specific consideration for learning environments in cold climates. Children spend more time in school than any other place, except the home, and most of their learning activities occur indoors. Given the large portion of the day children and teachers spend within the built environment, an architect's perspective investigates these relationships. The paper examines the concepts and research findings that appear to offer the greatest potential for future architectural applications in children's learning environments. It also identifies gaps in biophilic design strategies in relation to schools and the importance of considering climatic conditions to create satisfying experiences of nature within the built environment. If biophilic design research is to lead to healthier, more comfortable school settings that present a greater connection between learning spaces and the natural environment, then to identify and define beneficial guidelines that translate readily into architecture is essential.

Environmental Protection Through Sustainable Land Management

“…Land system management can help to protect natural resources, reduce pollution, and mitigate climate change Louis Vitalis & Natasha Chayaamor-Heil (2021). The three elements of biophilia, biomimicry, and land system management have gained significant attention in recent years for their transformative impact on the interactions between humans and the environment in managing land systems (World Economic Forum 2022;Watchman, Demers & Potvin, 2021).…”

An exploration of outdoor play and wellbeing in Northern Irish primary schools

“…This philosophy can be applied to the school environment, where children spend the majority of their time outside of the home (Kemple et al, 2016). School grounds can facilitate nature related interventions which have the potential to boost wellbeing by designing school environments which provide children with a satisfactory experience of nature on a regular basis (Capaldi et al, 2015;Goodenough and Waite, 2019;Howell and Passmore, 2012;Watchman et al, 2020). Such measures have been shown to have the potential to counter the biophobia (negative feelings and emotions towards nature) which many children experience today, such as fear of dirt and insects (Cho and Lee, 2018).…”

Biophilic architecture and designs for mental well-being

“…As a result of applying a psychologically derived idea to building design, "biophilic architecture" became a heavily researched topic in the literature [3], particularly since the 2000s. While sustainable design takes a more material and physically oriented approach to the natural processes humans need, biophilic design focuses on the psychological and emotional aspects of people's needs to engage with the natural environment [4]. Sustainable design reduces the environmental effect of buildings but does not re-establish human-nature interaction.…”