The heart of biophilia
Biophilic design has always held a particular place in my heart.
When Chrisna and I wrote Designing for Hope nearly ten years ago, we placed biophilia early in the book. Not as a trend, but as a foundational gateway into regenerative development.
But somewhere along the way, the meaning has started to slip.
What was once a doorway into deeper human-nature connection is, in some circles, becoming just another design trend or checklist item.
Biophilia is a relationship
Biophilic design is often misunderstood as an aesthetic choice. But true biophilia is about creating authentic, reciprocal relationships with the living systems we’re part of.
Designers, planners, and their clients have increasingly embraced the idea of nature in architecture and planning. That’s encouraging. But the way it’s sometimes applied can be concerning.
We see biophilic design appearing in surface-level forms:
- A vertical garden or green wall in the foyer
- A leaf-shaped canopy or roofline
- A rainforest mural in a breakout room.
These gestures reference nature. But they don’t necessarily create the conditions for real connection. They risk treating biophilia as a visual motif instead of a guiding design principle.
What biophilic design can offer when done well
In episode 4 of the podcast, we reflect on several projects that offer deeper examples of biophilic design principles in practice:
A narrow bamboo path leads into a light-filled atrium. The entry sequence transforms your pace, your presence, and how you move in the space. It’s a quiet, considered invitation into place.
The Shine Children’s Garden
Co-created with the local community, this space invites exploration, mystery, and joy. There is playfulness woven into every element to foster a reconnection.
Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Soft, diffused light filters through marble panels, echoing the feeling of standing in a forest glade. The space feels like walking into a sanctuary.
These examples aren’t simply decorated with nature. They are shaped by nature. That’s the difference.
A caution and a call: let’s not flatten biophilia
If we want biophilic design to continue to be relevant in the next decade, we must take care not to dilute its purpose.
When biophilia is reduced to visual references or symbolic gestures, it loses what made it so powerful in the first place: its ability to restore the human-nature connection in our everyday spaces.
And that reconnection, I believe, is the beginning of regenerative design.
It is where design becomes not only sustainable, but healing.
Continuing the conversation
This episode reminded me that biophilia still holds so much potential. Not just in theory, but in the way we shape our homes, our cities, and our shared futures.
When applied with intention, biophilic design brings us back into relationships with the with the land and with each other.
Listen to the full episode to explore how we can return biophilia to its roots as an audio only or watch our discussion here.
I’d love to hear your reflections. How are you seeing biophilic design show up—or fall short—in your own work?
Newport Lakes Stories and Contributive Practice 
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