Written by: Saram Maqbool
Posted on: February 19, 2025 | 
| 中文
The Amangiri Hotel in Utah
As human beings, we are intrinsically attracted to nature and seek a connection with other forms of life. This tendency, known as biophilia, is what has driven architects and interior designers to incorporate natural elements and materials into our buildings. By doing this, we can make our living spaces more productive and healthier, while ensuring a deeper interaction with nature. Among the key trends in biophilic interiors is using natural materials like wood and stone. Reclaimed wood flooring, stone feature walls, and exposed wooden beams are some elements that are used to make artificial spaces feel more organic.
Vertical gardens and indoor plants have become tools to enhance the air quality of interior spaces while also reducing stress and creating a sense of peace. The Parkroyal Collection Pickering Hotel in Singapore is an excellent example of this. With its lush vertical gardens and green walls, the hotel allows visitors to feel closer to the natural world when they need respite from the towering glass and steel structures that surround them outside. Biophilic interior design goes beyond just using greenery inside spaces. It also involves maximizing natural light that has been proven time and again to boost health and productivity. The Edge Building in Amsterdam showcases this very well. Even though it looks like a usual glass structure at first glance, its design lets an incredible amount of daylight enter interior spaces, leading to better mood and higher productivity. It also enables the growth of natural plants and trees inside the structure, bringing even more nature inside.
Edge Building in Amsterdam
One major element of nature that humans feel drawn toward is water. There’s something equally soothing and stimulating about the sound and coolness of falling water. Incorporating water into interior design can lead to calm, which is why a number of public buildings like offices and hotels use it to create a peaceful ambiance. A visit to the Changi Airport in Singapore is enough to show just how striking a water feature can be. The Jewel Rain Vortex inside this massive structure is the world’s tallest indoor waterfall. Imagine going into an airport and being welcomed by water that falls down seven floors while surrounded by greenery on all sides. Features like this can make any interior space feel more welcoming and nurturing.
The Jewel Rain Vortex in Changi Airport Singapore.
Using natural elements as they are is one thing but there’s also growing interest in using natural patterns and biomorphic forms to evoke a sense of nature. Organic patterns, natural color palettes, and intricate textures based on natural geometric principles are some ways to achieve this. This can be understood simply by imagining a room filled with white furniture and bare white walls and comparing it with another room with warm, earthy walls and wooden furniture pieces. While the former may be considered more modern and industrial, the latter is likely to make one feel much more welcomed. One of the things I personally like most about biophilic design is its intangible aspect. Not everything has to be visible and in-your-face, but can rather make you feel closer to nature based on how you move through a space and how you interact with it. For instance, organic walkways and corridors feel more natural and experiential than long, straight ones. Indoor-outdoor transitions and views of greenery as you move from one place to another encourage interaction with natural surroundings. The curvilinear layouts, natural materials and colors, and abundance of plant life in London’s Second Home are all examples of how interior spaces can be made to feel more human and ‘alive’.
Second Home Co-Working Space in London.
Biophilic interior design also goes hand in hand with educational and healthcare needs. Various studies show that exposure to nature within such environments leads to lower stress, better concentration and quicker recovery. In Singapore, the Khoo Tech Puat Hospital features extensive gardens and water features that allow patients to stay in touch with nature during their healing process. The Biophilic Classroom Initiative in the UK is very interesting in this regard too. This program aims to incorporate nature and nature-inspired elements into learning spaces to help students’ engagement and well-being. The hospitality industry has also recognized how valuable biophilic design can be in crafting memorable experiences for visitors and guests. With lush landscapes and natural materials, resorts and hotels are offering their guests a retreat that offers unmatched relaxation and a connection to nature. The Amangiri Resort in Utah is a very good example of how a building can seamlessly blend into its surrounding landscape through the use of earthy tones and natural materials, making guests feel like they’re staying harmoniously with the natural environment.
The Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Singapore.
To me, biophilic design feels somewhat of an extension of the principles first seen during the Renaissance. This was a time when human well-being was brought to the forefront when designing architecture. The architects of the time believed that good architecture led to good health, and that’s what the integration of nature in today’s architecture aims to do, partly at least. Hopefully, we can see some of these design trends find their way to Pakistan as well, where the love for a ‘modern’ and ‘minimal’ architecture is continuously leading to most living and working spaces that look much the same, with little to no inclusion of nature apart from the greenwashing that’s seen every now and then.
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