The Magic of Biophilia
Why we need to redefine how we design places that care
When I first met Lori, I was blown away by her vision for care homes. I think it was the fact that someone was actually designing spaces and homes for our older generation that were not only comfortable, safe and welcoming, but also were elegant, creative and inspiring. I remember thinking how lucky people would be to live their lives, however long they have left, in such beautiful, life-enhancing spaces.
There was a part of me, I admit, which ached in sadness. My father, who had the double whammy of vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s had passed his last days looking at blank white ceiling tiles. I remember conflicting feelings going around my heart and head for the next few days thinking, if only someone like Lori had designed the spaces he had been in, how different the final moments would have been for him. And for me too.
I had started the Journal of Biophilic Design because I had witnessed not only my father’s end of life experience, but at the same time as Dad passing away, my mother had been rushed into an NHS hospital with flu. They had just got her stable but then for apparently no reason, she developed high blood-pressure, delirium and she wasn’t responding to medication. I was losing her too. The room was soulless: white walls, a pin board with one piece of paper pinned sadly to the board, a dustbin, a tatty vinyl covered chair, a bright white sink and a solitary clock hanging like a chime of doom above it all. Nothing else. The view from the window was a brick wall. Compelled by instinct and wanting to try and help make my mother more comfortable, as I couldn’t bring in flowers to the hospital, I brought in two nature photographs which had been printed on chemical resistant metal and looked hyper real. I have been a visual artist for over 30 years now alongside my day jobs and am also a professional portrait and documentary photographer. I had had these prints sitting at home and thought they would bring joy to her.
One was a view of a pathway through trees. Again, instinctively I thought that something which showed a pathway out would be pleasing to her. And the other was a waterscape, cool, deep blues and mountains around with green grass and life. This last one had been taken by a friend of mine which I thought would be refreshing and calming. I hung them on the pin board, alternating the trees with the waterscape. Just to bring in some life in this soulless room.
I came back the next day, and Mum was a bit brighter. The only way I can describe it was that she was “communing” with the images. I came back again in the afternoon, and she was smiling. Saying “that is so beautiful”. Three days went by, and slowly by slowly she got stronger, brighter, was responding to medication and in the end, she walked out of there. Interestingly she was also showing the healthcare staff the photos, engaging in conversation and they were saying to me how much they enjoyed coming in this room. It was lovely to have something beautiful to look at on their rounds.
Something visceral in me rose, the injustice that my father experienced. My Dad had loved nature, being outside, robins would sit on his hands and shoulders when he was in the garden. It made me angry that he passed not knowing or recognising anything he was looking at. No frame of familiarity. And then thinking, seriously, in contrast that just a picture on the wall helped my mother? I had heard about the “biophilia” effect, and I felt compelled to find out more. Was this a real phenomenon, had someone else experienced this? Was there any evidence? If so, why on earth are these places so devoid of beauty and life when they could be designed differently at not much cost either to support wellbeing and even healing?
I had originally been an academic at UCL, so rather than just take hearsay, of which it turned out there is a LOT, I started researching this. First, I came across Roger Ulrich’s seminal study, which I couldn’t believe was way back in 1984. His study showed that patients in rooms with windows overlooking a natural scene had shorter postoperative hospital stays, fewer negative notes from nurses, and required less pain medication compared to 23 matched patients in similar rooms with windows facing a brick wall.
It made perfect sense to me. We all recognise nature. It is egalitarian. We have all seen a tree, a plant, a bird. It is a universal language, a visual comfort when all else is confusion. I continued researching and sharing my findings through interviews on a podcast series.
So now, fast forward five years, this podcast reaches 30,000, we have a printed and digital Journal of Biophilic Design, an event series and an annual conference. We publish and broadcast research, evidence, case studies and innovation, and put it into the hands of specifiers and designers of our homes, hospitals, schools and workplaces to accelerate change in our built environment.
We are uniting voices and expertise to highlight the importance of mindful, life-centric design, demonstrating that it is not only possible but already happening. Our focus extends beyond mere views of nature, encompassing all sensory elements that Biophilic Design seeks to enhance for the betterment of both human physical and mental health and that of the planet. This isn’t about celebrating numbers; it’s about recognising the growing community eager for information and committed to making the world a better place.
The next two years will see this movement grow faster, as we are now campaigning on a global scale to raise awareness of the critical role Biophilic Design plays in our lives. We would love to have you with us. Together we are bringing life back into society, into homes, hospitals, schools and cities and making a tangible difference for a happier and healthier planet.
References
Lori Pinkerton-Rolet “Third-Age Biophilic Design” – Journal of Biophilic Design
Roger Ulrich, “View through a window may influence recovery from surgery” in Science, Vol.224, no. 4647 pp. 420-421 10.1126/science.6143402
Simon Chester Evans, et al, “Connections with nature for people living with dementia,” Working with Older People, 23(456) June 2019
New research into dementia and the role of the natural environment, 2016 – gov.uk
Views of Nature research: Virtual Nature Walls
Una Devlin, Trees and Green Spaces in Dementia Care and Prevention, 2025 – NHS Forest
Natural England, Greening Dementia (NECR137), 2013
How to Make Your Home Dementia Friendly – NHS UK