International design and architecture firm Perkins Eastman announced the publication of its latest white paper, “Biophilic Design: An Alternative Perspective for Sustainable Design in Senior Living,” co-authored by Associate Hillary DeGroff, IIDA, LEED AP ID+C, and Architect McCall Wood.
The white paper examines biophilic design, studies the ways by which it lends focus to the topic of sustainability, and revisits the firm’s most successful projects to promote an understanding of the potential benefits of applying BD principles in senior living environments. The white paper is available for free download.
“Biophilic design is a focused area of research that brings people to the center of the sustainability discussion,” notes DeGroff and McCall. “It attempts to scientifically understand how people interact with their environment and, consequently, how their environment can be designed to better support them.”
While this idea has existed for nearly three decades, its use within the field of architecture has not been common practice until now. Establishing BD as a guiding principle throughout the design process, especially as it concerns senior living environments, is to recognize the imperative role the built environment plays in resident health, well-being, and quality of life.
According to the authors, “As designers, we can better understand how our environments impact us psychologically and physiologically to create architecture that promotes positive and transformative interactions. This white paper presents knowledge of how the brain and body respond to their environment and how the application of this knowledge helps demonstrate a commitment to sustainability.”
Among the spotlight projects used as case studies for this white paper are Camphill Ghent, Chatham, N.Y.; Moorings Park, Naples, Fla.; NewBridge on the Charles, Dedham, Mass.; North Chicago VA Community Living Centers, Chicago; Rockwood Retirement Community, Spokane, Wash.; Saint John’s on the Lake, Milwaukee; Sun City Park, Yokohama, Japan; and Westminster Village, Scottsdale, Ariz.
The white paper was produced and edited under Perkins Eastman’s Senior Living leadership team.
Related Stories
| Dec 13, 2013
Safe and sound: 10 solutions for fire and life safety
From a dual fire-CO detector to an aspiration-sensing fire alarm, BD+C editors present a roundup of new fire and life safety products and technologies.
| Dec 10, 2013
16 great solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
From a crowd-funded smart shovel to a why-didn’t-someone-do-this-sooner scheme for managing traffic in public restrooms, these ideas are noteworthy for creative problem-solving. Here are some of the most intriguing innovations the BD+C community has brought to our attention this year.
| Nov 27, 2013
Wonder walls: 13 choices for the building envelope
BD+C editors present a roundup of the latest technologies and applications in exterior wall systems, from a tapered metal wall installation in Oklahoma to a textured precast concrete solution in North Carolina.
| Nov 26, 2013
Construction costs rise for 22nd straight month in November
Construction costs in North America rose for the 22nd consecutive month in November as labor costs continued to increase, amid growing industry concern over the tight availability of skilled workers.
| Nov 25, 2013
Building Teams need to help owners avoid 'operational stray'
"Operational stray" occurs when a building’s MEP systems don’t work the way they should. Even the most well-designed and constructed building can stray from perfection—and that can cost the owner a ton in unnecessary utility costs. But help is on the way.
| Nov 19, 2013
Top 10 green building products for 2014
Assa Abloy's power-over-ethernet access-control locks and Schüco's retrofit façade system are among the products to make BuildingGreen Inc.'s annual Top-10 Green Building Products list.
| Nov 19, 2013
Net-zero senior housing project aimed at low-income residents in Virginia
A big driver to achieve net-zero was to offer affordable housing with reduced energy costs for low-income seniors.
| Nov 13, 2013
Installed capacity of geothermal heat pumps to grow by 150% by 2020, says study
The worldwide installed capacity of GHP systems will reach 127.4 gigawatts-thermal over the next seven years, growth of nearly 150%, according to a recent report from Navigant Research.
| Oct 30, 2013
11 hot BIM/VDC topics for 2013
If you like to geek out on building information modeling and virtual design and construction, you should enjoy this overview of the top BIM/VDC topics.
| Oct 28, 2013
Urban growth doesn’t have to destroy nature—it can work with it
Our collective desire to live in cities has never been stronger. According to the World Health Organization, 60% of the world’s population will live in a city by 2030. As urban populations swell, what people demand from their cities is evolving.
