Biophilic Building Materials For Well Being

- This project demonstrates how material choices can create spaces that promote healing and emotional well-being. The Edge, Amsterdam This highly sustainable office building uses natural materials such as reclaimed wood and bio-based composites to enhance indoor environmental quality. The inclusion of living walls, timber finishes, and maximised daylight exposure improves occupant focus and satisfaction, reinforcing the productivity benefits of biophilic design.

Considering the significance of air quality, the introduction of green walls and other biophilic design elements can contribute to a healthier indoor environment, potentially reducing absenteeism and promoting overall well-being.

Moving forward, it's essential to keep these visual contexts in mind when discussing Biophilic Building Materials For Well Being.

In LEED v4, wood can qualify in the Regional Materials category, depending on the project location; Building Disclosure and Optimization with environmental product declarations; Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction and Interiors Life-Cycle Impact Reduction; and Low-Emitting Materials. For the Living Building Challenge, which is considered the most progressive building rating system, wood is associated with five prerequisites, one of which requires that a biophilic design workshop be conducted with the project team to create a plan that is developed and used throughout the design phase of a project. With the WELL Building Standard, designs should show a direct connection to nature through strategies relating to plants, water, light, or views; an indirect connection to nature including the use of natural materials; and the integration of natural elements throughout the design.

- The purpose of biophilic design is to create spaces that deliver benefits for both human health and the environment by nurturing peoples innate affinity... Natural wood can be used in many different ways. The beauty and versatility make wood unequalled building material.

- We then analyse the benefits (e.g., enhance health, well-being, productivity, biodiversity, and circularity) of biophilic design in achieving sustainability, as framed through the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The results indicate that biophilic design is more complex and richer than the mere application of vegetation in buildings; it broadens the variety through encompassing different types of nature from physical, sensory, metaphorical, morphological, material to spiritual.