Biophilic design
Biophilic design incorporates nature and natural patterns into buildings and spaces to support human well-being and connection with the living world.
Biophilia: The innate human tendency to seek connections with nature and other living systems. The concept of biophilic design applies this proposed human tendency to designed environments.
Attention Restoration Theory: A theory that natural environments can replenish directed attention through effortless engagement. It explains one proposed pathway from nature exposure in designed spaces to improved concentration.
Green wall: A vertical structure that supports plants on or beside a building wall. It makes living vegetation a prominent feature of an interior or building facade.
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital: A public hospital in Singapore designed with gardens, planted facades, and links to its surrounding landscape. Its integrated gardens and greenery are a prominent example of nature-centered healthcare design.
Evidence-based design: An approach to design that uses research evidence alongside professional judgment and stakeholder needs. It offers methods for testing claims about the health effects of biophilic features.
Nature: The physical world and its living systems, considered apart from human-made environments. Biophilic design draws on natural systems, forms, and experiences as its reference.
Stress Recovery Theory: A theory that contact with certain natural settings can support recovery from stress. It accounts for proposed emotional and physiological benefits of natural features indoors.
Green roof: A roof partially or fully covered with vegetation planted over a waterproofing system. It brings habitat and vegetation onto building surfaces otherwise separated from nature.
Kampung Admiralty: A mixed-use public development in Singapore combining housing, healthcare, and community facilities with planted terraces. Its layered gardens bring vegetation into a dense urban development.
Indoor air quality: The condition of air inside buildings, shaped by pollutants, ventilation, and other factors. Plant installations can be promoted for air quality, but benefits depend on scale and building conditions.