Background

Savanna + Biophilic Theory

Scientists have theorised that in our initial evolutionally phases as modern humans (homo sapiens) occurred in the savannas of East Africa. This area has a very specific landscape that aided our evolutionary development. Savanna theory details that many of these specific features such as the open plains, grasslands and bodies of water still appeal to humans in the 21st century as they undoubtably enhanced the survival of our species. Savanna theory is the basis for the biophilic principles. Browning has used the savanna theory to justify some of his main concepts. Savanna theory operates around the concept that humans are innately more comfortable in environments that simulate the African savanna. The savanna hypnosis states that given humans long history as a hunger, gathers and farmers, it is inconceivable that the natural environment has not shaped our cognitive and emotional infrastructure. Our tenancy to connect with nature in all likelihood enhanced the fitness or our ancestor which helped us survive to modern times. According to Wilson our brains are attuned to extracting, processing and evaluating information from the natural environment (Wilson 1993). The three key environmental features of the African savanna; water, high ground, and trees were key to our survival as a species are still give us subconscious prompts in the modern world. Water was considered

a key resource not only for our survival, as a basic need, but it is also likely that it provided a perimeter of defence from predators and other animals. People and animals are also more likely to congregate around water as the land surrounding water was also more fertile and provided a better food resource, key to survival. Presence of water is one of Browning’s 14 principles of biophilia and there is a good basis that humans feel reduced stress around water and therefore a valid environmental component in modern built environments. Higher areas that overlooked grass areas would have afforded views of approaching threats and approaching inclement weather. (Wilson 1984) This is in keeping with browning’s principle of prospect within the built environment. Trees also had survival benefits for early modern human. They could have used fallen tree trunks to climb and escape potential sources of danger. Further to that trees with high canopies, native to the east African savanna were also beneficial as they did not block views (prospect), neither did they allow enemies to hide behind them and ambush human groups. (Kahn 1997)

The process in which biophilia is said to have evolved is from bio-culture, in which hereditary learning principle have elaborated upon culture while genes have prescribed the biophilic propensities spread by natural selection in a cultural context. (Wilson 1993) Wilson states that ‘this process is referred to as a gene-culture coevolution where in a certain genotype makes a behavioural response more likely. In turn, if this response enhances survival and reproductive fitness, the genotype will spread through the population, and the behavioural response will grow

more frequent.’ (Wilson 1984) The argument is that rewards and dangers present in the savanna favoured individuals who learned easily and remembers various adaptive behaviours including approach and avoidance responses to natural stimuli and configurations (Ulrich 1993), Pre industrial revolution these tendencies were woven into culture and religion and where often expressed in symbolic architecture as time moved on.

In summary humans and the human brain evolved in a biocentric world, rather than a world dominated by industry and modernisation. Wilson theorises that it would be quite extraordinary for all of the learned patterns of behaviour to be forgotten or not acted upon within a few thousand years, when humans have been evolving for over 40,000 and beyond. (Wilson 1984)

Industrialisation and the Decimation of Native Environments

In the past 300 years western civilisation has rapidly changed and evolved. We are currently witnessing human manufactured change at a pace that is unprecedented. Modern technology has allowed humans to develop cities and regional areas as well as connect the world with the event of globalisation, often with this progress being prioritised over the natural environment. These rapid changes have caused our lifestyles to change in a way never imagined by our ancestors but has also created the assumption that we as humans have unlimited capacity to adapt to new and changing environment’s. While most people have naturally adapted to our new world many people struggle to adapt to these changes. Increasingly there are movements of humans to reject technology and strive to return to a simpler way of life. Wilson has argued that the natural environment is a central to human history as social behavior itself. There are concerns from social scientists that when humans are removed from natural environments and placed into the industrialised world that we suffer from psychological damage and potentially lose the defining part of our evolutionary experience.

With industrialisation there has been a loss of 10-20 percent of the earths species (Gullone). Baskin states

Melbourne pre English colonialism

Aerial Photo of Fishermans Bend circa 1950’s that ‘only 3 percent of global land surface is set aside in parks and protected areas. More than 95 percent is already under direct human influence. (Baskin 1997) While we gain resources and improve growth within this global economy with fast development. The question that needs to be asked is what the potential negative side effects to the human wellbeing with the loss of our natural landscape are. This will be explored in the architecture solution offered by this thesis. The aim of the resulting architecture is to start to reverse the negative effects that a lack of nature has caused to the users of the building.

Biophilia and Mental Health

The mental health effects of biophilia continue to be studied. In 1984 Edward Wilson published the ‘biophilia hypothesis’. The hypothesis claims that as a consequence of evolution, humans have in innate tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes. (Wilson 1984) Gullone, a biophilia research scholar states that ‘one area of support from our innate affiliation with nature comes from research demonstrating increased psychological wellbeing upon exposure to natural features and environments’. (Gullone 2000) Gullone also argues in her article that no longer do we have the same survival emotions in the same intensity that we previously experienced earlier in our existence due to the rapidly changing environmental progress. This rapidly changing environment is in stark contrast to our previous history where we moved at a much slower pace. Studies have shown that this rapid change in our environment caused by western industrialised culture could be resulting in the beginnings of significant adverse outcomes for the human psyche.

In the past 30 years there has been some thought by humans on the role of nature within our larger environment. Government policy in most major first world counties have seen the importance of designating areas in cities for parks and nature reserves. This has been supported by the belief that exposure to nature fosters psychological wellbeing and reduced the stress related to living in a modern city. In addition, parks also provide places positive places

for people to gather and exercise, further reducing the negative health impacts that modern lifestyles have on humans. (Ulrich 1993) While parks and nature reserves are positive steps forward, there is still little thought by designers to incorporate nature based approaches in the design of our homes, workplaces, and schools.

Within the last 15 years there have been many academic studies that have focused on investigating the correlation between human wellbeing and productivity and the role that nature plays in that. Earlier studies have focused on measuring the impact of having visual access to nature on employee’s productivity, reducing the levels of harmful job stress and extending employment on longevity. (Kellart

2005). More recent studies have focused on finding correlations between the workplace and natural environments. These studies have concluded that experiences of natural environments provide greater emotional restorations, with lower instances of tension, anxiety, anger, fatigue, confusion and total mood disturbance than urban environments with limited characteristics of nature. (Alcock 2013, Barton & Pretty 2010, Hartig 2003, Hartig 1991)

Certain built environments trigger our psychological responses. Different environments can affect our adaptability, alertness, attention, concentration, emotion and mood. Responsiveness to nature can impact our phycological restoration and stress management. The theoretical definition of a restorative environment is to create indoor and outdoor environments that facilities ‘the processes of recovery, repair, renewal and reintegration that contributes to a whole person’s (physical mental, social and spiritual) health and wellbeing. (Jones 2014)

Mental Health in Tertiary Education

Poor mental health in higher education continues to be a problem for students in the 21st century. Usher states that entry into higher education is typically characterised by a new level of independence for young people characterised by rapid, interrelated changes in body, mind and social relationships. (Usher 2020) Pullman suggests that university student’s mental health status may be shaped both positively and negatively by this transition period. Australian university students are five times more likely to diagnosed with a mental health issues (Stallman 2010) compared to their peers who are not in university. Studies have shown that students are less likely to perform to a high standard when suffering from poor mental health. This can result in; lower educational advancement; increased enrolment achievement; increased enrolment cancellation; negative learning and teaching experiences. A negative experience at university could lead to future life problems such as unemployment, lower income and standard of living. (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2012)

As the mental health of students in university continues to be a point of focus for universities it becomes more important that the environments that students are put in are positive and promote good mental health. Biophilia and savanna theory could offer a solution within tertiary education buildings. The implementation of a guidelines designed with these theories in mind may help improve the mental health of students studying at the future Fishermans Bend campus.