Biophilic Design

Biophilic design uses the human connection to nature (“biophilia”) to connect people more closely to nature in buildings including homes, workplaces, businesses, public facilities, schools, hospitals, and more. Biophilic-designed buildings incorporate indoor plants, interior landscaping, natural lighting, fresh air ventilation, and other elements to create a healthier environment to support human health and wellbeing.

There are 24 individual qualities of biophilic design. They include:

  • Direct experience: contact with green elements such as plants, views of nature, water, and natural airflow.
  • Indirect experience: the use of natural materials such as wood or natural fabrics like cotton and wool; exposure to images of nature in artwork; and the use of natural shapes and forms.
  • Experience of space and place: How is your own cultural and ecological attachment to a particular indoor area affected?

Multiple studies show a positive relationship between the presence of nature in the workplace and employee wellness and productivity. The design think tank Human Spaces reports employees working in environments with natural elements like plants and sunlight have a 15 percent higher level of well-being. This translates into a six percent increase in productivity and a 15 percent increase in creativity.

Think about what a six percent efficiency increase would mean in your business. Imagine one creative idea that turns into the next Tesla, Bitcoin, or even Scrub Daddy (look it up). What would you be willing to invest in getting there?

There are several simple design changes easily made in workspaces. The easiest and most cost-efficient way is the addition of plants into your environment. This action also gets building owners and facilities managers thinking big picture about the amount of space people have to work in or the best way to make buildings safer and healthier. Safety, health, and worker productivity all go together.

Natural light, plants and vegetation, living walls, natural textures and materials, and views of nature will all provide the positive impact employers need to hire and keep their employees. And it can all be done for less than the cost of a cup of coffee per employee daily.

The Art of Living Walls Around the World

| January 29, 2015 | Categories: Biophilic Design, Living Walls, Sustainable Living
One of two living walls at the airport in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Photo: Courtesy Green and Grey
Living walls are springing up around the world as more people recognize the importance of incorporating nature into our everyday urban world. At Good Earth Plant Company and GreenScaped Buildings, we couldn’t be happier to see this trend. One of our Good Earth Plant Company employees recently took a trip to Shanghai, China as part of a course at San Diego State University. While there she saw many examples of living walls and other ways China’s largest city found ways to bring nature closer to the people living there. Here are some of my favorite examples of amazing living walls around the world.… Read More

Jim Mumford and Good Earth Plants in Entrepreneur Magazine, December 2014

| December 29, 2014 | Categories: Biophilic Design, Living Walls, Media Coverage
Entrepreneur Magazine has featured Good Earth Plant Company and a quote from Jim Mumford along with client Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group (B&BHG) about the living walls created for its Pizzeria Mozza restaurants in West Hollywood and Newport Beach. Entrepreneur Magazine including living walls as part of its Top Trends in Business for 2015. We agree! Read the feature article here.

Celebrities Setting Trends With Their Living Walls

| October 16, 2014 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilic Design, Living Walls
This green wall is in a beautiful residence in Del Mar, CA
Living walls are popping up everywhere. Just a few weeks ago we wrote about the living wall (also known as a vertical garden) on Ellen DeGeneres’s new talk show set. Ellen isn’t the only one in Hollywood with a love for living architecture. Two of Hollywood’s most famous and talented women, Jennifer Aniston and Jessica Alba, have living walls in their very own homes they are proud to show off. Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux rented this beautiful home during the remodel of their Bel Air mansion. It features a lush living wall at the entrance of the home that is accompanied by a peaceful stream.… Read More

Always a Winner: San Diego’s Orchids and Onions Awards

| October 9, 2014 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Awards & Achievements, Biophilic Design, Green Roofs, Indoor Plants, Living Walls
The Old Police Headquarters project Good Earth Plants worked on won an Orchid.
I had a great time at the San Diego Architectural Foundation’s “Orchids and Onions” event last week at the Aerospace Museum in Balboa Park. It is hard to believe I haven’t missed this event in 20 years. One of the best things about the event is seeing industry friends and colleagues including Kelly Dixon, Richard Cox, Roger Lewis, Howard Blackson, Patricia Trauth, Glen Schmidt, Roger Lewis, David McCullough, and so many more of you. It was a blast! If you aren’t familiar with it, “Orchids and Onions” is a tongue in cheek fundraising program put on by the San Diego Architectural Foundation to provides interaction with the design community with the goal of educating and raising awareness among San Diegans about our built environment including its architecture, urban planning, landscapes architecture, and more.… Read More

Go Green at Sea: Royal Caribbean’s New Ships

| October 2, 2014 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilic Design, Living Walls
This new living wall aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship will really get around. Courtesy Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean is known for its extravagant cruises and for keeping its guests happy with the latest shipboard innovations. Its ships “Oasis of the Seas” (what a great name!) and “Allure of the Seas” feature the perfect balance of activities and relaxation. Where better to relax in the middle of the deep blue sea than in the green of the Royal Caribbean Central Park? This version of Central Park is an onboard neighborhood garden covered with 12,000 beautiful living plants. Good Earth Plant Company was thrilled to learn about this, and we are so glad to see ships growing real plants instead of displaying all replicas as many have done in the past.… Read More

GreenScaped Buildings Beautifies the Lone Star State

| September 8, 2014 | Categories: Biophilic Design, Case Studies, Living Walls
Shown off in the Pirch Dallas showroom, a new living wall installed by GreenScaped Buildings. Next stop: Pirch Atlanta.
GreenScaped Buildings is “living joyfully” at Pirch retail centers across the nation. Operations Manager Kerry Bauer traveled to Dallas in August, leading our team of local subcontractors in the installation of a Tournesol Terrascreen living wall system. Pirch is a high-end kitchen, bath and outdoor living showroom that uses our living wall system to replicate outdoor spaces in the super sleek and contemporary indoor retail environment. Working with the general contractor in the high-stress final days just prior to the store’s grand opening, our team made all the worries regarding the living wall disappear by effortlessly adjusting to those inevitable hiccups on a busy jobsite, and making sure everything was perfect.… Read More

Mondays Not the Issue: Work May Make You Sick

| August 7, 2014 | Categories: Biophilic Design, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping, Sustainable Living
What if Peter's "case of the Mondays" was caused by working in a sick building? Photo credit: "Office Space," 20th Century Fox, 1999
Plenty of people joke that going to work makes them sick. But if you’re in a building with poor air quality, it’s not a joke. Work really IS making you sick. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that up to 30 percent of new and remodeled buildings have indoor air quality problems. There are plenty of reasons: poor building design, the activities going on inside like manufacturing processes, for example, poorly maintained heating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, harsh cleaners or pesticides, or indoor airborne contaminants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are carbon-containing chemicals that can vaporize into the air inside a building, where occupants (like you) breathe them in.… Read More

Wendy’s Gets What Green Means

| June 19, 2014 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilic Design, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping, Sustainable Living
Katelyn Hutchings in her green office at Good Earth Plant Company with over 200 plants.
You may be thinking, “Why is Good Earth Plants discussing a Wendy’s restaurant commercial? Don’t we get enough commercials in our lives!” I realize this is not like our typical posts, but Wendy’s is on to something we’ve talked about for a long time. In the new Wendy’s commercial for its “Summer in a bowl” salad, two women are eating the salads in their office. While they eat, the office begins to transform into a beautiful, green outdoor atmosphere. They love it! Wouldn’t you love to see your office turn inside out? See the commercial here: When you have plants in your office, the air quality improves. … Read More

Good Earth Plants has the Prescription for Sick Building Syndrome

| June 12, 2014 | Categories: Biophilic Design, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living
It's not rocket science, really: humble plants like this Pothos can improve worker productivity. Photo: Julien Gong Min
Many of us know what it’s like to work in an office in a city like San Diego. According to a study by global architecture firm HOK as reported in The Guardian newspaper, people in cities spend 90 percent of their time in artificial environments. A newly defined phenomenon in these work environments is referred to as Sick Building Syndrome.  The National Safety Council describes Sick Building Syndrome as a situation where individuals experience acute health effects linked to being inside a building. These symptoms include headaches; eye, nose, and throat irritation; a dry cough; dry or itchy skin; dizziness and nausea; difficulty in concentrating; fatigue; and sensitivity to odors.… Read More

Living Architecture: Beyond the Eye

| June 5, 2014 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilic Design, Good Earth Plant Company, Green Roofs, Indoor Plants, Living Walls, Plantscaping, Sustainable Living
GreenScaped Buildings designed and installed this living wall for The Irvine Company, an excellent example of "Nature In The Space."
There are so many benefits of living walls and green roofs, but you don’t have to take our word for it. The Summer 2014 issue of Living Architecture Monitor magazine features businesses which have recently installed living architecture discussing the improvements in the health and well-being of employees, as well as a positive side effect: increased property values. GreenScaped Buildings client Irvine Company Office Properties is included in the article, “How Green Roofs & Walls Have Impacted Building Occupants’ Well-Being,” Irvine Company manager Sherry Mashadian explains, “The living wall is definitely one of the greater features to the building and added value to the project.… Read More