PROJECT DEVELOPMENT (THEORY)

RESEARCH QUESTION

How can student well-being in a Canterbury-sited student accommodation be improved for better cognitive performance through the implementation of Biophilic design.

The subject of social sustainability among students has become more critical with the social restrictions and more popular resort to internet-based learning following the COVID-19 pandemic. Jopling and Valtorta [21] found that, on average, UK students were spending 4.2 h a day alone in their room, and 35% of students who reported spending longer than 4 hours alone also reported not having friends to spend time with. The building sector is critical to sustainable development, accounting for nearly 40% of energy consumption and energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. Buildings have a significant impact on human health and well-being because we spend roughly 90% of our time indoors. There is a growing interest in both academic research and architectural practise in enhancing the effects of 'nature contact' while reducing humans' impact on the natural environment. Biophilic design focuses on aspects of nature that have contributed to our health and well-being over evolutionary time.

Individuals who spend time in nature improve their mental health and feelings of well-being. It has the ability to alleviate stress, fatigue, anxiety, and depression. It can help to boost immune systems, promote physical activity, and may lower the risk of chronic diseases like asthma. It can help to alleviate loneliness and bring communities together.

Biophilic design is therefore the way in which architects incorporate nature into building spaces to contribute to the health and wellbeing of occupants. This is achieved through access to nature, improved air quality and ventilation, natural lighting, improved acoustics and natural materials and calming colours. It can also be experienced through natural analogues like biomimicry (Art work, building materials that look natural and spatial characteristics such as refuge, transitional spaces, atriums and spiral staircases.

https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-021-10602-5

Erich Fromm, a German-born American psychoanalyst, coined the term biophilia in his 1973 book Anatomy of Human Destructiveness, describing it as a "passionate love of life and all that is alive."

As a result, the biophilia hypothesis refers to the idea that humans have an innate desire to connect with nature and other forms of life. Biophilia can thus be felt in the appearance of the natural world, with its rich diversity of shapes, colours, and life.

1. The vertical forest in Milan designed by Architect Stefano Boeri is a good example of Biophilic Architecture

2. Another wonderful example is Singapore's Changi Airport, which has a lot of greenery and a generally natural appearance. The combination of the rounded/organic building shape, vegetation, and glass facades allowing natural light into the interiors serve a very functional biophilic design.

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