Biophilic design
A RETURN TO LIVING AMONGST NATURE
We have already discussed how ‘biophilia’ signifies that innate sense of well-being that comes from contact with nature. This term, which was initially used in contexts outside of architecture and construction, has recently found a relevance in the search for a style of designing and building that allows us to bring nature into our living spaces. To this end, environments are created with the aim of enhancing the naturalistic background in which the building is immersed.
Structures that have been influenced by this recent awareness today represent a style of architecture and construction that places human needs at its core. The same projects are enhanced by sustainability and integrate fully with the surrounding environment as a way of reconnecting man with the natural world.
Key components of this type of design and construction include the use of natural, green and indigenous raw materials, all of which highlight the interdependence of our internal and external world and create a sense of continuity and fluidity.
Nevertheless, by no means should biophilic design be viewed as a superfluous affectation: it is a radically different model and way of understanding the whole process of design and construction, one that provides an answer to a primordial human need.
Bright, light-filled environments, large windows that look out across the landscape, a cocooning warmth and the vivid colours of the sky and nature… these elements form part of the uniqueness of the morphology of the Gallura – Costa Smeralda region, improving our physical and psychological well-being, our mood, our emotions and health, and helping us to connect on the deepest level with our inner self.
Actually, the correlation between our senses and emotions, and the space around us, all have the potential to influence us profoundly. The space in which we live our everyday lives is a fundamental part of us, our family and our most intimate memories, naturally playing an essential role in our lives.
The architect must therefore know how to build looking into the inner world of the client, understand the needs and desires, anticipate its needs and provide the best solution to live their home, in the fullest sense of the term.