How does biophilic design have an effect on an artist's productivity

How does a phenomenological approach in a residency incorporating biophilic design have an effect on the artist’s productivity?

A Report by Kamsin Mirchandani | February 2015

Abstract This paper begins to articulate how biophilic design may be experienced through mankind‘s ontological sense with which we perceive the world. New research and insights from the neurosciences, endocrinology and other fields will be looked upon in order to address how biophilia impacts us, and how we may be able to draw connections between fields of study and human experience within a built space. This will potentially highlight psychophysiological and cognitive benefits that come about through biophilic design.

Introduction ―In the experience of art, a peculiar exchange takes place; I lend my emotions and associations to the space and the space lends me its aura, which entices and emancipates my perceptions and thoughts.‖ (Pallasmaa, 1996, 12) Designing for positive sensory stimulus through biophilic design is a subject that has been explored in the realm of workplaces and healthcare, however it is yet to be discussed in the area of spaces that solely cater to creativity and innovation. With this paper, the intent is to delve into this new territory and find out how biophilic design in a residency impacts the visiting artist. A section of the Architecture building at the University of Lincoln is the site to be examined for this initiative. The criterion is to establish a flexible studio and exhibition environment with associated living accommodation for artists who will be attached to the School for a minimum period of six months. The building has a strong sculptural presence while at the same time preserving and enhancing views back to the city.

The east end of the building is cut back to reveal views up to the cathedral on the skyline beyond. A railway line runs through the campus defining the boundary of the site to the north. To the south the site borders the Delph Drain, a balancing pond for the nearby Brayford Pool.

Outlined below are the aims and objectives of this report, the literature review highlighting key existing data on the subject, the strategy on how to commence further findings, research methods of the study, ethical concerns of the process, a discussion of the findings and a conclusion.

Aim: To explore the extent to which biophilic design enhances productivity.

Objectives: 

To define biophilic design by exploring current theories.



To evaluate how biophilic design affects individuals in live/work spaces.



To make recommendations of design for developing spaces for creative individuals which incorporate a biophilic environment.

Literature Review: Biophilic Design: Biophilia is humankind‘s innate biological connection with nature.

The concept of biophilia was popularized by Harvard myrmecologist and sociobiologist E.O. Wilson. Wilson argues that humans have co-evolved with nature and that we carry with us our need to connect with and affiliate with nature, to be happy and healthy.

(Beatley & Newman, 2013) In the paper ―Developmental Psychology and the Biophilia Hypothesis ― by Peter H. Kahn, Jr., it is stated that ―By most evolutionary accounts, human beings lived for most of 2 million years on the savannas of East Africa. During this time, it is believed that certain features of landscape offered greater chances for individual and group survival.‖ Based on this evolutionary account, Wilson asks rhetorically: ‗‗Is the mind predisposed to life on the savanna, such that beauty in some fashion can be said to lie in the genes of the beholder?‘‘ He also suggests that the biophilic instinct emerges, often unconsciously, in our cognition, emotions, art, and ethics. (Kahn, 1997) Thus, what makes the hypothesis particularly important is that it provides an overarching framework by which new scientific ground across many disciplines can be charted that bear an understanding of the human relationship with nature.

Theorists, research scientists, and design practitioners have been working for decades to define aspects of nature that most impact our satisfaction with the built environment. ―14 patterns of Biophilic design‖ is a book by Terrapin Bright Green, which has gathered research from a number of fields to develop a new set of guidelines that give designers the tools to help create restorative environments that connect us with nature. The patterns have a wide range of applications for both interior and exterior environments, and are meant to be flexible and adaptive, allowing for projectappropriate implementation. These fourteen patterns of biophilic design, focus on psychological, physiological and cognitive benefits. According to Cramer and Browning, authors of Biophilic Design (2008), human-nature relationships tend to fall into three broad experience categories: nature in the space, natural analogues, or nature of the space. (Ryan et al., 2014) The patterns are grouped into these categories as shown ahead.

Table 1 : Patterns of Biophilic Design (Terrapin Bright, 2014)

A few thousand years of human civilization has not altered our deeply instinctive entwinement with nature. However, our reliance with the natural environment is no longer forefront.

Isolation from nature hinders the functional expression of our biophilic predisposition.

On the other hand those things that we do to increase our engagement with nature will reinforce the expression of our biophilic tendencies, which in turn helps us to gain the benefits of that engagement with nature fostering a beneficial feedback loop.

Biophilic design is not a style. If anything, in the sense that the great conservationist Aldo Leopold used the term, it is an ethic. He points out that ethics are the standards we employ among other considerations to determine what values to uphold and practice.

The report by Human Spaces on Biophilic Design in the Workplace and the new research contained within it, aims to kick-start the discussion within organisations about workspace design and its role in organizational well-being, performance and culture. This is important due to the fact that productivity at its core is first best measured in workplace environments and using the basis of which further understanding of it can be deduced in other environments such as homes and studios.

Stephen Kellert, who has published extensively on the subject of human values and perceptions regarding animals and nature, derived a typology of ecological values; the categories indicate the human evolutionary dependence on nature as a basis for survival and personal fulfillment. There are ―nine hypothesized dimensions of the biophilia tendency. In his words, the 9 values reflect the richness of the human reliance on the natural world for fitness in the Darwinian sense of survival of the fittest.

They provide a kind of template that can point us toward different dimensions of our interdependency on the natural world and can be used as a checklist to make sure that our designs and developments touch upon those different aspects.

Dimension

Focus

Utilitarian

physical benefits derived from nature

Naturalistic

Satisfaction from exploration and discovery

Ecological-Scientific

Knowledge and understanding of nature

Aesthetic

Feelings of awe at natural beauty

Symbolic

Nature used as metaphor, communication, and expression

Humanistic

Deep emotional attachment or love

Moralistic

Spiritual reverence for nature

Dominionistic

Need to master and control the environment

Negativistic

Fear and aversion to nature

Table 2 : Kellert’s (1993) Nine Dimensions of the Biophilia Tendency

The biophilia tendency, from both an ecological and psychological perspective, is central to this report. The paper seeks to demonstrate how individuals relate to nature through the facets listed in Kellert‘s model.

Biophilic design is not new, although a scientific understanding of its importance and dynamics have given it contemporary credence.

The way architects typically embrace this body of research is simply to provide more access to vegetation, indoor or outdoor. Yet, biophilia doesn‘t necessarily refer to nature‘s hidden processes. It involves our sensory experience of nature—we thrive on the visible rhythms and vivid textures of the living world. (Hosey, 2012)

Phenomenology: “Architecture has its own realm. It has a special physical relationship with life. I do not think of it primarily as either a message or a symbol, but as an envelope and background for life which goes on in and around it.” (Zumthor, 1998, 12) As humans, we experience the world through touch, taste, sight, sound and smell.

Here, we discuss how biophilic design and our perception of it can engage our senses, positively impact our well-being and build our ―innate‖ connection to nature.

Phenomenology, in its original Husserlian inspiration, grows out of the recognition that we can adopt in our own first-person case different mental attitudes or stances toward the world, life, and experience (Thompson, 2007, 17) Phenomenology is the study of essences; and according to it, all problems amount to finding definitions of essences: the essence of perception, or the essence of consciousness. (Ponty, 1945) Phenomenology emphasises the attempt to get to the truth of matters, to describe phenomena, in the broadest sense as whatever appears in the manner in which it appears, that is as it manifests itself to consciousness, to the experiencer. (Moran, 2000, 4) What is experience and first person subjectivity? Erik Davis calls it ―the evanescent flux of sensation and perception that is in a way, all we have and all we are. It‘s the multidimensional matrix of first person experience unfolding moment by moment. It‘s the voice in our head that lets us know that we exist.‖ However, the question that arises here is, how can we inform and script that narrative? We are creatures of language and nothing, either sensations or intuitions, escapes the domain of signs.

Diana Slattery states that what is required is the capture and control of attention to create a state of deep immersion and absorption. And this kind of immersion is the prerequisite for any kind of interpersonal persuasion, transformation or education to take place. Any kind of phase change in consciousness or true inspiration and catharsis needs focused attention. Steven Johnson says ―our thoughts shape our spaces. And our spaces return the favour.‖ The spaces we create in turn inform, shape, and sculpt our subjective experience. There is a feedback loop. We script intention into our designs. ―To experience architecture in a concrete way means to touch, see, hear, and smell it.

To discover and consciously work with these qualities.‖ (Zumthor, 1998, 66)

“The phenomenological world is not the bringing to explicit expression of a pre-existing being, but the laying down of being. Philosophy is not the reflection of a pre-existing truth, but, like art, the act of bringing truth into being.� (Ponty, 1945) There are many ways to create a multi layered sensory approach to spatial design.

The 14 patterns outline how consideration given to the visual stimuli, haptic (touch), olfactory (smell) and acoustic (sound) environments can create richer more meaningful spaces. How we begin to discover our neglected senses through architecture is a challenge that designers are posed with in the process of developing a design solution. How do we link these patterns to the dimensions in Kellert‘s model? Will they be able to provide a framework by which we can find out what it is that we seek to investigate with this artist and his space? What are the parameters of creativity that should be assessed in order to have a comprehensive understanding of how the artist responds to various stimuli within a built space? This will be looked upon in the next section, and will bring us closer to understanding how biophilic design affects the productivity of an artist.

Creativity in art What is a work of art? It is something made by an artist, but not by transforming a given raw material nor by carrying out a preconceived plan, nor by way of realizing the means to a preconceived end. What is this kind of making? Is it accidental or is something in control of it? Is it the artist‘s skill, his reason, his will/ consciousness or a controlling force outside the artist? (Tomas, 1964)

In order to create, we need to understand the basic abilities the artist must possess. The supposed eccentricities of artists are due to mechanical habits or rituals developed in order to concentrate. Concentration is a focusing of the attention in a special way so that the artist is aware of all the implications and possible developments of his ideas.

Inspiration is another important ability. It is the beginning of an art piece and it is also the final goal. In between this start and successful end, is the sweat and toil.

The memory of the artist is his bank of experiences and a culmination of his life‘s many moments. The artist uses this store of experiences to develop the curiosity and intrigue of the world around them and also a way to respond to the pressing questions.

Another vital element is internal necessity. Wassily Kandinsky mentions that it originates from three elements: one where the artist as a creator demands expression, the second, where the artist is impelled to express the spirit of his age, and third where the artist as a servant of art believes he must help ‗the cause of art‘. (Kandinsky, 1913)

Strategy: In order to correlate the dimensions of biophilic tendency to the 14 patterns of biophilic design, each pattern will have to be identified as a dimension through what it allows the user of the space to achieve. Having the design patterns allocated to an aspect of human tendency for nature, we will then structure our experiments and questions that address the artist and his studio.

Dimension Utilitarian

Focus physical benefits derived from nature

1. Visual connection, 2. Non visual connection, 3. Presence of water, 4. Thermal Airflow, 5. Non rhythmic sensory stimuli, 6. Natural systems, 7. Biomorphic forms, 8. Prospect, 9. Material connection, 10. refuge

Naturalistic

Satisfaction from exploration and discovery

Non visual connection, Dynamic and diffuse light, Prospect, Mystery, Risk/Peril

Ecological-Scientific

Knowledge and understanding of nature

Thermal airflow variability, Material connection, Prospect, Mystery

Aesthetic

Feelings of awe at natural beauty

Visual connection, Presence of water, Dynamic and diffuse light, biomorphic forms, material connection, complexity and order, prospect

Symbolic

Nature used as metaphor, communication, and expression

Biomorphic forms, complexity and order

Humanistic

Deep emotional attachment or love

Connection with natural systems, refuge

Moralistic

Spiritual reverence for nature

Non rhythmic sensory stimuli, connections with natural systems, refuge

Dominionistic

Need to master and control the environment

Thermal Airflow variability, Biomorphic forms, Dynamic and diffuse light, complexity and order

Negativistic

Fear and aversion to nature

Mystery, risk/peril

Table 3 : 14 patterns of Biophilic design categorized into Kellert’s Nine Dimensions of the Biophilia Tendency.

How do each of these help the artist better his abilities that allow him to be a creative and productive individual within the studio space? The series of methods and experiments outlined below will give us an insight into how this potential research may be carried out.

Methodology Over a period of 6 months, a series of methods can be employed to determine how the space and its design have impacted the people occupying it.

Video recording – With the consent of the artist, cameras will be positioned in the studio, exhibition and seminar spaces that allow the capture of the interaction of the occupants of the space with each other and with their immediate surroundings. Potentially this can be done a few times over the 6 months, for durations of 1 week each time. Ideally each one with a different situation for the artist, for example: the week before his upcoming exhibition, the week with the most tutorials and lectures, a week after an exhibition etc. By doing this we are obtaining data for the various different factors of human emotion and their effect on our interaction with our surroundings.

Observation – On the times that a camera is not collecting the data, a designer can do this task by observing the artist and his students, and using his/her own inspection, study and interpret what these could mean.

Interview with the artist –The designer‘s perception of what he/she has observed and analyzed can further be validated by speaking with the artist themself. This is the most important of all methods as it provides feedback through first-person subjectivity and is a detailed account of what the subject experienced whilst in the space. How did the space affect his abilities as an artist, in terms of concentration, inspiration, memory, and possible internal necessity? Is the artist able to associate which with the dimensions of biophilic design and how they make him/her feel towards nature? Is the artist aware of what how and when he felt the least amount of stress and the times when he felt it the most? Is the artist able to judge his cognitive performance in the space, and how it has differed over the months, possible at different areas within the residency or at different times of the day? Is the artist conscious of his emotion, mood and preferences, and able to give an account of the same? Further to this, what are his general perceptions of his workplace? Is it an enjoyable environment that is conducive to his practice? If yes, why does he feel so? Lastly the artist will be asked about his opinion regarding each biophillic pattern within the space and what his experience has been with each of these patterns.

Focus Group: interviewing attendees of the exhibition – Pieces of paper and writing instruments will be handed to a group of 20 visitors of the artist exhibition. Having completed their tour of the gallery and attended the various interactive sessions with the artist, the group will be asked to provide their feedback on the experience. They will be asked a series of questions and will be encouraged to write their thoughts down.

These will be discussed as an open dialogue, 5 people per focus group. Once all questions have been individually addressed. This form of dialectical responses will broaden the area of subjective perception as it will involve a personal account as well as an influenced account that they realize they agree or disagree with, during the course of the discussion.

Reviewing the video recordings with artist could be a good starting point of data analyzing.

This method is a collaboration of the previous methods, where observations and footage obtained of the studio space are shared with the artist. Here the artist is able to recount his experiences and elaborate on them, and possibly even form new opinions of his interactions with the space and what he felt from them. The data gathered from the methods listed above will then need to be consolidated into a pre-existing format as below, and compared to the table of biophillic patterns deduced by researchers in the past. These inferences can then be analyzed further to see what aspects and patterns have benefitted the artist the most, and how we can design spaces for creative individuals that encourage productivity, and overall wellbeing. This differs from scenarios of workplaces within offices because the end user in those places does not dwell in that particular space all throughout the day and night. It is the intention of this study to be able to find the differences even if they may be minor, between office spaces and creative live-work spaces and how to efficiently provide dynamic and fruitful environments for artists to thrive within.

Conclusion and Recommendations Biophilic Design is an innovative way of designing the places where we live, work, and learn.

According to Environment 360, Kellert asserts that people ―learn better, work more comfortably, and recuperate more successfully in buildings that echo the environment in which the human species evolved.‖ For artists in particular, we have seen earlier that the essential abilities they must have are the power of concentration, memory, inspiration and internal necessity. Design can act as a catalyst and provider of environments that cater to these needs in the creative individual. As René Dubos (1980, 110) argued: People want to experience the sensory, emotional, and spiritual satisfactions that can be obtained only from an intimate interplay, indeed from an identification with the places in which [they] live. This interplay and identification generate the spirit of the place. (Stephen R. Kellert, 2008) Research shows that people like moderate levels of sensory variability in the environment, including variation in light, sound and temperature, and that an environment devoid of sensory stimulation and variability can lead to boredom and passivity (Heerwagen, 2006) Listed below are design recommendations for biophilic design in creative spaces: 1. Creating an environment that allows users to experience the sensory elements of airflow variability and thermal variability can be achieved by providing variable conductance materials, seating options with differing levels of solar heat gain or proximity to operable windows. (Terrapin Bright, 2014) Elements of ―soft fascination‖ such as light breezes, or other natural movements can improve concentration.

2. Naturally fluctuating water movement, whilst ensuring that high volume or turbulence create discomfort, impact humidity levels or decrease acoustic quality. Water walls, constructed streams, and fountains are a few examples.

3. Biomorphic Forms & Patterns has evolved from research on view preferences (Joye, 2007), reduced stress due to induced shift in focus, and enhanced concentration. The built-in numbering system to the cosmos, the Fibonacci sequence is a tool to consider when using this pattern.

4. Creating spaces of refuge with reading nooks, booth seating, bay window seats, gazebos, covered walkways or porches. The space must have weather/ climate protection, and speech and visual privacy, with light levels that differ from the surrounding space.

5. Connecting to natural materials engenders positive cognitive and physiological responses, as they reflect the local ecology or geology to create a distinct sense of place.

Some examples are wood, stone, fossil textures, bamboo, rattan, dried grasses and cork.

(Terrapin Bright, 2014, 41)

6. Providing brief but welcome distractions through non-rhythmic sensory stimuli is stimulating and energizing. These are ephemeral connections with nature that can be achieved by designing for momentary exposure to the stochastic or unpredictable movement, particularly for periphery vision or the periodic experience of scents or sounds. (Terrapin Bright, 2014, 28) Examples include selecting plant species for window boxes that will attract bees and butterflies, mechanically released plant oils, billowy fabric or screen materials that move or glisten with light or breezes.

7. Spaces that often inspire are those that have mystery or risk/peril attributes to them because they are intriguing and arouse attention and curiosity, and refresh memory and problem solving skills. Having an awareness of a controllable risk can support positive experiences that result in strong dopamine or pleasure responses. (Terrapin Bright, 2014, 50) Examples include double-height atrium with balcony or catwalk, architectural cantilevers, infinity edges, experiences that defy or test gravity, passing under or over water.

“It is evident that 'life-enhancing' architecture has to address all the senses simultaneously and fuse our image of self with our experience of the world. The essential mental task of architecture is accommodation and integration. Architecture articulates the experiences of being-in-the­world and strengthens our sense of reality and self.� (Pallasmaa, 1996)

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