BIOPHILIC DESIGN A manual for understanding environments found in nature and how to replicate them in architectural spaces, specifically in regard to acoustics & light
LESLIE INFANGER
CONTENTS Abstract.................................................................................................. 02 Introduction .......................................................................................... 03 Background .......................................................................................... 05 Research Methodology............................................................................ 07 001_Rainy Forest ................................................................................. 11 002_Snowy Forest ................................................................................. 21 003_Coast ............................................................................................. 31 004_Meadow ........................................................................................ 41 005_Cave .............................................................................................. 51 Design Guidelines ................................................................................. 62 Conclusion ............................................................................................ 73 References............................................................................................... 75
Cover photo by Madeleine Ragsdale taken in Livingston, Montana, USA
Photo by Kimon Maritz
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ABSTRACT This project looks at and analyzes environments found in nature. It is a recent trend in architecture, to derive designs from forms in nature, through what is called biomimicry, and in that way is biomorphic, but are these designs biophilic? Do they also mimic the environmental conditions and qualities found in nature? This project questions that, and attempts to develop a set of design guidelines that help designers mimic the environmental qualities of different environments in nature. Meaning that it mimics not just the look but the experience in some of the places we naturally enjoy most as humans. This project through a survey about human experience and reaction, analyzes 5 particular places in nature: a rainy forest, a snowy forest, a coast, a meadow, and a cave. Then it will offer suggestions as to ways to replicate these environments in architectural design, with a particular focus on lighting and acoustics.
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INTRODUCTION This project began from the position of critical questioning and even skepticism to the popularity of biomimicry in design. I am a big proponent of the concept of biomimicry but in an era of greenwashing I think it may prove useful to hold a closer light up to the concept. Often structure is successfully designed when inspired by nature, this project aims to add another layer to this and explore ways to also mimic the light and acoustic qualities of these spaces.
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Biophilia: This term was popularized by psychoanalyst Erich Fromm in the 1960s. In his work, he used the word (from bio-, meaning “life,” and -philia, meaning “friendly feeling toward”) to describe the biological drive toward self-preservation. In the late 1970s, American biologist Edward O. Wilson extended the word’s meaning, seeing it as the perfect word for “the rich, natural pleasure that comes from being surrounded by living organisms.”
Biomorphic: Resembling or suggesting the forms of living organisms
Biomimicry: The imitation of natural biological designs or processes in engineering or invention
Biomimetics: The study of the formation, structure, or function of biologically produced substances and materials (such as enzymes or silk) and biological mechanisms and processes (such as protein synthesis or photosynthesis) especially for the purpose of synthesizing similar products by artificial mechanisms which mimic natural ones
Definitions from Merriam-Webster
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BACKGROUND There are many studies that show the more people interact with nature the happier and the more at peace their minds are. ‘Happiness is in our Nature: Exploring Nature Relatedness as a Contributor to Subjective Well-Being,’ by Elizabeth K. Nisbet, John M. Zelenski, & Steven A. Murphy discusses three studies on human well-being and its relationship with nature relatedness. In this paper, they argue that beyond simply helping humans recover from illness (there are quite a few studies that already show this), a strong relationship with nature is associated with positive emotions and greater overall wellbeing. They say, “the benefits of a strong connection with nature permeate into broad areas of life, and provide evidence consistent with this idea by showing relationships with self-reported wellbeing in both student and non-student samples. Nature relatedness also predicted well-being better than other environmental measures, and with environmental education, people maintained their sense of connection with nature and experienced greater vitality over time. The results reported in this paper support the notion that nature relatedness—the affective, cognitive, and experiential connection with the natural world—may contribute to psychological health.” (Nisbet et al.)
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Photo by Kelly Sikkema
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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 001_Rainy Forest 002_Snowy Forest 004_Meadow 005_Cave
003_Coast
Survey Questions: Have you ever been to a cave? What is the name of the place you visited? Did you find the space acoustically pleasant? Please describe the acoustics of the environment. What were the acoustical qualities of the space? What about it was pleasant/unpleasant? Did you find the lighting in the space to be pleasant? Please describe the light in the environment. What were the lighting qualities of the space? What about it was pleasant/ unpleasant? Did you enjoy being in this environment? How did you feel in the environment? What about the environment made you feel this way? What other environmental qualities made this an enjoyable or not enjoyable place to be?
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SURVEY SAMPLE
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SURVEY SAMPLE
002_Snowy Forest
001_Rainy Forest 9
003_Coast
004_Meadow 10
005_Cave
RAINY FOREST
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Photo by Blake Cheek taken in Alabama,USA
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RAINY FOREST
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RAINY FOREST Feeling in the Environment
not enjoyable
“Smell is always an important part of the forest experience. Wet dirt in particular has a pungent earthy smell that makes me feel peaceful and alive!!”
“Being in the forest is usually a peaceful experience. When it’s raini be even more refreshing. You get to enjoy the sounds of the rainstorm still have some protection from the full strength of a storm... rather t constant droplets falling on you, you may have the occasional big d you.” “Happy, glad that the rains had finally come”
“It was actually quite nice since we had t “It was open but still felt enclosed and cocoon like”
“Very pleasant, soft background noise allo
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most enjoyable
“I felt relaxed and as if I accomplished what I needed for more well-being. The reward of the view and feel of the calmness of the environment” “The forest felt refreshed”
ing it can m but you than having drop land on
“It was calming”
“...I feel like all the animals become silent and the elements, like wind and thunder, get all stirred up and "take the mic" from the animals....”
the trail to ourselves” “The fluid in the atmosphere made me feel as if I was floating”
ows for a focus on the place itself”
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RAINY FOREST Acoustics
Diagram of the Acoustic Environment (The closer dashes represent the initial sound waves and with each reflection the dashes get longer and the line gets lighter.)
“Rhythmic and gentle” “The acoustics of the environment were soothing. Echoing of the sound added a relaxation and the quality of sound was very deep sound which reduces the disturbance”
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“The trees were so tall it created an open echo to where you heard the rain before you felt it” “Best way to describe would be ‘layers’ of sounds. Some constant and some intermittent. All pleasant”
“The rain droplets on the leaves were very pleasing because they were plentiful, natural, and deep. The rain sounded heavy as it was falling hard.” “Hard rain sounds great on open-faced palm fronds to create a hollow sound.” “Silent, clear, pleasing, stark.”
“Echoing, high pitched, varied, constant, full” “The rain was joined by heavy fog on the mountain, so the distant sound was dampened and all you heard were the things immediately around you, mostly a very near pitter patter rather than distant rain sounds.”
“Very pleasant, soft background noise allows for a focus on the place itself” 18
RAINY FOREST Lighting
Diagram of the Lighting Environment
“Soft light, not dappled but sifted slowly down to the ground through layers and layers of branches and moss and leaves. Also any rays of light that came through the canopy caught the moisture in the air and created structure through large bars of light” “Filtered glimpses of sunlight through the dense canopy of tall cedar pine trees”
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“It was a light green with the through the leaves, it was bright without being blinding because it was indirect”
“Dark and foreboding”
“Since the sky was dark and gloomy, it was not quite pleasant in terms of lighting.”
“Twinkling, indirect” “Pleasant. Patterns of light made by the light hitting various objects and creating shadows.” “Lighting was very indirect. No shadows due to clouds and fog. Long distance visibility low. Beads of fog and dampness filled my eyes so I had to blink frequently.” “Cloudy and diffused”
“Usually in the forest when its raining light is soft and may even be filtering through mist in the forest... it may be pretty dark with very limited light, but then you may have a break in the storm where the light is filtering through cloud or the mist.”
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SNOWY FOREST
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Photo by Ivana Cajina taken in Blue Ridge Parkway, Blowing Rock, North Carolina, USA
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SNOWY FOREST
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SNOWY FOREST Feeling in the Environment
not enjoyable
“Free, open, wild (being in thick, snowy woods). Festive!” “The colors were nice because they were so high contrast - white snow against dark trees.”
“There’s something almost magical about a snowy forest, especially one where the snow is virgin and the only tracks are your own. It feels new and unexplored and entirely your own, extremely private, especially because of the sound quality.”
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most enjoyable
“Quiet, pleasant, calming” “The minute you get cold or wet, this magical winter landscape becomes a hell-scape and you can’t wait to get back to your blanket next to the fire.”
“The cold was different than what I’m used to in that it was dry and unexpectedly comfortable.”
“I felt like an intruder because the light was glaring and also it was so quiet”
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SNOWY FOREST Acoustics
Diagram of the Acoustic Environment (The closer dashes represent the initial sound waves and with each reflection the dashes get longer and the line gets lighter.)
“Generally, in winter, there’s a real crispness; cold air seems to expose treble noises very well. However, active snowfall dampens those sounds. Snow generally comes on wetter/ warmer winter days--just below freezing. Big flakes make no sound as they fall, but they soak up every other sound around. Forest in the snow is one of the quietest places I have been. It’s hard to hear other people who are not right next to you.”
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“Extremely quiet because the snow absorbed sounds so that other noises even though close by were muffled . Somewhat pleasant for awhile but after some time too quiet.”
“Echo of the snow hitting the leaves seems like it goes on forever but soft and subtle”
“Quiet, pleasant, calming.”
“The sounds were sharp and cracking, like when I stepped on ice or a twig and they cracked. It was a satisfying sound because it was crisp and clean like the environment looked.”
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SNOWY FOREST Lighting
Diagram of the Lighting Environment
“It was a partly cloudy day, but visibly was still very good.”
“The snow reflects the light and can almost be blinding but multiplies the light”
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“Gray clouds overhead gave indirect light. The snow blocks out further light making it almost dark during midday. In openings in the forest, the glare off the snow can require sunglasses, but in the cover of dense coniferous forest, your pupils are dilating, searching for more light to better see what’s going on around you”
“The lighting was more glaring, which I didn’t like because glaring light makes me feel trapped”
“No glare because the sun was not bright but monochromatic because the snow covered everything so not extremely pleasant but not unpleasant”
“Bright indirect light reflecting off the snow-covered ground was so unique”
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COAST
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Photo by Marc James taken in Gold Coast, Australia
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COAST
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COAST Feeling in the Environment not enjoyable
“Shallow murky water and the unknown was unsettling”
“I felt calm because there was a horizon that I could see and plenty of space”
“As glaring as the light is and as dangerous as the sun is to my skin, I love feeling its warmth. I love covering my face with a beach towel or umbrella and letting the rest of my body lay out and feel the rays driving into me.”
“Relaxation of the sound of waves, scent of saltwater, and warmth of sun on skin... so many senses were being used.”
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most enjoyable
“Touches all the senses with the texture of the sand and salt in the air and sound of ocean ....it’s all consuming and calming”
“Home (grew up near the ocean), happy, comforted”
“Fresh”
“The environment makes you feel expansive-you typically see blue sky meeting striking and dramatic water... in the distance you see a shoreline since Santa Cruz is on a bay--it has an ethereal quality, that makes you have big expansive thoughts. You usually feel a lot of freedom along that coast.”
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COAST Acoustics
Diagram of the Acoustic Environment (The closer dashes represent the initial sound waves and with each reflection the dashes get longer and the line gets lighter.)
“Big cliffs faces the ocean. They caused the sounds of waves to echo from bowls of cliffs. Kinda like when you put your phone in a cup to make the sound louder.” “The sound has a vastness. And the crashing of the waves overpowers small sounds nearby. Most people focus on the waves crashing, but I’ve found there’s always a poignant silence immediately after the waves crash.” 37
“Along West Cliff drive in Santa Cruz you hear epic crashing of waves-its usually pleasant but sometimes really large crashes of water on the rocks can be so loud that it’s a bit startling and scary.. you can even hear this sound-which is a mix between a roaring and hissing even from a few blocks away at night” “Powerful and all consuming” “Hard to describe a very open environment I enjoy the sounds of the waves lapping on the beech the quality of sound was high as nil other sounds heard as remote location so makes sounds crisp”
“...The sand dunes block most of the sounds of the ocean so you can only hear them once you can see the water”
“Rushing, jovial, vibrant (semi-pleasant, slightly anxiety-inducing)”
“Undulating” 38
COAST Lighting
Diagram of the Lighting Environment
“It’s pleasant but strange as the west coast of Australia the sky seems so huge and unobstructed there seems to be an excess of light”
“It was too sunny, overload of light and heat made me hot and blind” 39
“Very bright and hot. Lots of glare unpleasant. Couldn’t look at too much of the beauty because of how bright.”
“I love the feeling of directly sunlight. I find it therapeutic actually.”
“Crisp, clear” “The light tends to be very strong--a lot of reflective light coming off the water--there is some dramatic complementing where the water and sky are playing off each other.”
“Bright, sparkling” “Very direct sunlight from above and reflecting off the sand. Too hot, danger for the eyes and the skin. Shimmering glare off the tops of the waves. This environment might be best enjoyed with eyes closed.”
“Sun set partly over the ocean cause all the cliffs to illuminate gold then turn purple when the sun set” “My favorite lighting on the beach by far is the golden hour, where it feels like a warm light” 40
MEADOW
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Photo by Joshua Ness taken at Max Patch Mountain, Del Rio, Tennessee
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MEADOW
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MEADOW Feeling in the Environment not enjoyable
“I felt pretty good just okay. There wasn’t much diversity in plant life.”
“I felt increasingly tired, maybe from the minimal shade”
“I remember being physically uncomfortable. Heat and itchy long grass”
“As a person from the urban, it was nice to feel the environment of the country side”
“The people I traveled with helped make it both enjoyable and not enjoyable”
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most enjoyable
“The colors of the bright flowers against the dull grasses and sky”
“I felt like I needed to keep moving. There was no place to rest and stand and soak it in. It was an active place.”
“Tall, slightly itchy grasses”
“I felt like sinking into the ground because that’s where the sound was coming from” “Nothing memorable . I did not find it particularly interesting”
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MEADOW Acoustics
Diagram of the Acoustic Environment (The closer dashes represent the initial sound waves and with each reflection the dashes get longer and the line gets lighter.)
“Was very quiet and lots of bugs making noise. It was pleasantly quiet. It was unpleasant because we needed guides and people distract from the beauty.�
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“I heard airplanes and birds, other than that sounds didn’t sustain that easily”
“Vibrant, bright, brassy acoustics. I was in a particularly animal-heavy meadow. Sound travels far and easy across the top of the grass.”
“It was a little unsettling but also interesting because most of the sounds were coming from the ground (i.e. insects)”
“It was nice to hear the natural sounds which made me feel the tranquility.”
“Neither pleasant or unpleasant. Constant low intensity no variation”
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MEADOW Lighting
Diagram of the Lighting Environment
“No trees, direct sunlight, heat with little breeze. I had to squint and cup my hand above my eyes. My eyes were most comfortable landing on the dark forest in the distance.�
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“The lighting was okay. The lighting was very regular for Midwest cities (dappled). The look of the sky was pleasant.”
“It was actually a bit cloudy which didn’t perform its best condition in terms of lighting.”
“Constant fairly bright”
“Well in a meadow most all is exposed to light so it was very vibrant, the only glare was staring at the sun”
“It was slightly unpleasant due to the lack of overhead cover and the haziness of the sky” 50
CAVE
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Photo by Daniel Burka taken in Son Ä?ong District, Vietnam
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CAVE
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CAVE Feeling in the Environment not enjoyable
“I was uncomfortable because I couldn’t sit because everything was so damp. Acoustics and light aside, for all these environments, I keep coming back to the creature comforts of dryness, warmth, and softness against my body. Outside of my immediate body comfort and space, I love seeing the outdoors.”
“Connection to the environment made me proud to share the space with others.”
“Constrained, but safe”
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most enjoyable
“Secluded and very aware of the size and qualities of the space”
“Dark and cold”
“The wetness was very pleasant. I liked the streaks and drippiness of the environment.”
“I felt trapped because the ‘rooms’ were small and amorphously shaped”
“With parents, love” “I felt like it was very comforting and different. The enclosed spaces felt like you were looking at everything you needed. Nothing added to distract the mind from what is immediately around.
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CAVE Acoustics
Diagram of the Acoustic Environment (The closer dashes represent the initial sound waves and with each reflection the dashes get longer and the line gets lighter.)
“Eerie, but pleasing”
“The reverberation time was very long inside the cave which made me feel a bit frightened”
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“I found the way sound echoed to be unsettling because you couldn’t tell where the sound was coming from - there was a lack of control”
“Small spaces that echo a lot due to height and materials”
“Echoing”
“Echoic. Boomy. Muddy sound quality. Hard to understand others, even right next to you. One of the features of this location is a cave organ. Everyone on the tour silent as little hammers hit stalactites which resonated at different pitches. I expected it to have the pleasantly resonant qualities of a giant cathedral; no, it was entirely unimpressive.”
“You could whisper at one side and hear at the other”
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CAVE Lighting
Diagram of the Lighting Environment
“Very open cave in the desert so strong light but cave gave great shade and made the experience very satisfying”
“Very dark, harsh light from our guide’s lantern, shadowy”
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“Not much lighting, but it was provided by flashlights.”
“Dark due to carved out deep spaces within the stone caves”
“Dark, but reflective”
“The lighting was entirely artificial, with incandescent bulbs all pointed indirectly at the walls and ceilings. It was too dark to do any work, it was relatively pleasant on the eyes. All the light came back reflecting in the myriad colors of the cave walls -- oranges and yellows and creams and browns.” “It was creepy and dimly lit”
“It was very dark inside the cave that I could barely see anything.”
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Photo by Nick Dietrich taken in Antelope Canyon, Arizona, USA
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DESIGN GUIDELINES
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RAINY FOREST Design Guidelines Acoustics: The sounds in a rainy forest come from all over, some bounce and continue on reverberating, some move between the trees and travel long distances, and some are absorbed by the more absorptive materials (i.e. tree bark, dirt). The result is quite varied, layered with sounds coming from here or there. The tree canopy above creates a loft like interior space, when the rain droplets hit this canopy it creates an ‘open echo’ as one participant described it. Another description I found particularly useful was ‘varied, yet constant.’ The sound of the rain is rhythmic and varied in its own right yet is continuous and always there.
Lighting: The space should be tall, and have light coming from high up above but partially intercepted by some elements blocking rays of light, some hitting other surfaces that are in turn lit up (i.e. illuminated leaves), while allowing a few rays of direct light to permeate through.
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General Notes: Humidity is an important factor here. Beyond the impact this has on the body’s feeling, temperature and comfort, people also cited the effect this can have on lighting. For instance, the beautiful effect that happens if fog is present, and the light hits it and illuminates the fine droplets of water suspended in the air.
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SNOWY FOREST Design Guidelines Acoustics: The snow, especially as it is actively falling, is extremely absorptive of sound waves. Since these absorptive specks are everywhere it creates an overwhelmingly quiet experience. Thusly, this environment should be outfitted with highly absorptive materials all around, not just on the walls but also within the space itself. It is fun to be in this environment and challenge yourself to hear the most distant sound you can, you can almost hear the quietness.
Lighting: There aren’t as many leaves at this time of year, so more light breaks through the trees than normally. This light then bounces and refracts off the snow and ice on the ground as well as all around. Everything glistens. This creates a bright and dynamic light scape. At times it can have too much glare, for comfort, this should perhaps be avoided.
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General Notes: The fresh, untouched, quality of a newly fallen snow is unique. It is not something one encounters often, and makes you feel like an explorer who is the first to see this new land and trek across it. It is almost like a kid playing make believe as an explorer. Another nostalgic element of a snowy landscape is that it causes some people to recall times as a little kid when they were waiting and hoping for a snow day, or, actually getting it and being able to spend all day playing in the snow unexpectedly.
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COAST Design Guidelines Acoustics: One person wrote, “powerful and consuming,� this demonstrates how significant the source of sound from waves can be. This primary source of sound from one side dominates the acoustic experience. Depending on the desired outcome, reflective surfaces, imitating the function of palisades or cliffs, can be used to reflect this powerful sound.
Lighting: Strong, direct light. Many people sited the powerful feeling of the sun rays warming them. Glistening is another factor that is significant and differs this landscape greatly from the experience in, say, a meadow. The sun hits the water which bounces and refracts the light in all different directions.
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General Notes: The strong, consistent, crashing of waves plays an interesting role, differ for each person. It is an unusually powerful & consistent source of sound in nature. For some its nostalgic, for some its calming, and for others its acts as a buffer to drown out other atmospheric noises they dislike, often cited was children, that is up to each individual person. However, those few moments when the sound of something like children playing & laughing rises above the sound of the waves can also be powerful, recalling pure joy. Colors are also significant here, people mention enjoying the different colors at the ‘golden hour’ before the sunset, or the colors in the sky during sunset, and the way these colors interact with the other colors in the landscape. Smells are also very significant here: seafood, salt, sunscreen, etc
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MEADOW Design Guidelines Acoustics: The sounds come mostly from little bugs and creatures in the grasses below and perhaps some birds or other distant sounds, with long visibility. The visibility mitigates the element of fear from unknown noises and rather triggers an exploratory urge to find out what these little scattered noises are and immerse yourself in them more. The vastness should also be complimented with some relief, something in the distance, an end, to rest your eyes.
Lighting: Extremely bright, people noted an almost oppressively, unrelentingly brightness. See below for note on light and heat. There are few surfaces that reflect the light, not much glare from secondary sources.
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General Notes: The extreme light paired with the heat or potentially other environmental factors in an actual meadow, (i.e. tall, itchy grasses), made the experience not so pleasant for many. However, in an architectural space these factors can be controlled. This space might be a good opportunity to utilize the ambient warmth of the sun to recall that feeling of being in the sun, with the overall temperature of the space not being too high, so this feeling is a positive. Color was another factor people mentioned that made their experience pleasant. They enjoyed the way bright colors in flowers punctuated the otherwise dully colored grassy landscape.
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CAVE Design Guidelines Acoustics: Highly reflective. The space should not have many materials that absorb sound. Rather the materials that make up the space should be highly reflective just as water and rock faces are. The geometry should be such that it is all encompassing so the sound waves can continue to bounce around getting softer and reverberating and becoming muddled with other sounds happening at different times.
Lighting: Not much light, where present it comes from a single source and provides high contrast to the darkness. The space should be predominantly dark with instances of focused point lights. This becomes an interesting tool to highlight specific activities, or features within a space. If even the point lights are low, it allows your eyes to adjust to the darkness and become more sensitive to seeing what can be seen in the dark.
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General Notes: Finite, not vast space. Due to artificial light we are very accustomed to having light all the time, it can be very unsettling without it. A space like this can be a unique opportunity to focus on different sense other than sight but it is important to take note, if the space is both dark and expansive, rather than dark and a manageable scale where people can feel that they have a handle on what is around it may be the difference between ‘eye opening’ and just scary.
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CONCLUSION Memory and nostalgia have been a recurring theme across all of my research. I think the way in which this type of connection with nature through architectural space differs from, say, lots of indoor greenery, is the power of each individuals’ own past experiences. Projects that try to relate to nature in the way I have set up here, through recreating the experiences through the senses, has greater power to recall memories of past experiences in nature rather than trying to bring nature indoors. This potentially could have a great impact.
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Across the board, other environmental factors that had an impact on peoples’ experience were: temperature, humidity, wind or breeze, colors, physical comforts or discomforts (i.e. uncomfortable clothing, itchy grasses, etc.), scale, and the other people they shared the experience with. Creature comforts is a big part of peoples’ experience. As stated by a participant on the last question of the survey, “I keep coming back to the creature comforts of dryness, warmth, and softness against my body. Outside of my immediate body comfort and space, I love seeing the outdoors.” In an architectural space, rather than the true outdoors these factors can be controlled. I think these spaces have a lot of potential to tap into peoples’ memory of nature and access the power that lies therein while not being far from home or other creature comforts or perhaps while far from nature in the heart of a city.
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REFERENCES Hernandez, Carlos Roberto Barrios. Thinking Parametric Design: Introducing Parametric Gaudi (May 2006) Volume 27: issue 3. P 309-324. Kruisselbrink T., van Duijnhoven J., Dangol R., Rosemann A. Photometric measurements of lighting quality: An overview Building and Environment, Volume 138, 15 June 2018, Pages 42-52 Neal Panchuk (2006). An Exploration into Biomimicry and its Application in Digital & Parametric [Architectural] Design. UWSpace. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/2876 Nisbet, E.K., Zelenski, J.M. & Murphy, S.A. J Happiness Stud (2011) 12: 303. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-010-9197-7 Pekin, B.K., Jung, J., Villanueva-Rivera, L.J. et al. Landscape Ecol (2012) 27: 1513. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-0129806-4
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