This thesis looks to human biophilic response to natural environments, seeking to uncover methods to aid human health and well-being in urban environments. Light is explored as a source of soft fascination and as a tool to support cognition based on attention restoration theory and mind-wandering. Its biophilic potential is primarily linked to the direct visual experience of light itself but also to the ability of light to influence spatial perception. This forms the theoretical basis for a lighting design concept for an underground subway station in Stockholm. The concept draws inspiration directly from dappled light pattern found in nature which is translated for the urban environment. To contextualize the concept and its underlying theory it is related to a selection of project examples. Evaluation and analysis of the examples is used to define and point out an existing tradition of biophilic lighting design.

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Nature and greenspaces have been enjoyed throughout history and used for relaxation purposes. Several theories, such as biophilia and stress recovery theory, suggest nature’s ability to improve stress recovery. Even though stress helps detect danger and enhances alertness, it causes fatigue and distortive cognitive functions if prolonged. Nature-based intervention such as Shinrin-yoku or forest bathing, which refers to relaxing walks in forest environments, has been recently researched and used to reduce stress in individuals. The current study is an experimental study aimed at whether attendance in nature is beneficial for stress recovery. Ten subjects were divided into an experimental group (walks in nature) and a control group (walks in a city environment). They were tested for stress levels using heart rate variability (HRV) and the Karolinska exhaustion disorder scale (KEDS) before and after the walks. The result demonstrated no significant differences in stress recovery for both measurements before and after walks in nature compared to walks in a city environment. Despite that, it did not reject nature’s positive impact on stress recovery. Therefore more research on nature-based intervention and stress recovery is required.

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Chasing Butterflies is a city planning/landscape proposal for Bromma Airport that strives to: • Imagine a future eco-city through a biophilic lens. • Apply biophilic ideas relating to plants.   • Move towards meeting the criteria set-up by Stockholm´s municipality. • React to the proposal “Bromma Parkstad” by the Swedish Environmentalist party. The method consisted of:  • Support design decisions by referring to scientific data and theories from the course Trädgårdens Biologi, orienteringskurs (Introduction to Garden Biology) at Stockholm University and other scientific articles relating to the subject such as phytoremediation (decontamination through vegetation), pollination and the history of Bromma Airport. • Literature research on the following topics: the history of the Swedish allotment movement, the biophilic ideology, greenhouse living, environmental psychology, landscape theories regarding non-human migration patterns and ecological theories concerning pollination.  • Searching through digital archives of governmental/municipality reports.  Thesis question: How can architecture help generate biodiversity and how can non-human actors be integrated into a new eco-city at Bromma Airport?    Different types of cultivated land (allotments, private gardens, community gardens, parks, urban farming, and greenhouses) have been studied to investigate how architecture can help generate biodiversity on multiple scales.  Furthermore, there are several so called "forever chemicals" present at the site. For Bromma Airport to become inhabitable, the soil would have to go through a thorough cleans, where the use of plants is the most efficient alternative.  The strategy is to: • Keep all material on-site, since relocating to a different site would only move the problem.  • Use plants for cleansing and letting the land heal in its own time. • Maximize different types of cultivated land in an urban environment.

This thesis thrives to promote community health and wellbeing through smart design, celebrating culture(s), and offering efficacious and real-world solutions to mitigate certain challenges arising from the imminent threat of climate change and the gradual depletion of our planet's natural resources. The projected building harnesses naturel forces, minimizes energy consumption, and uses natural/passive strategies like thermal mass and natural ventilation. Interior spaces enjoy an abundance of Natural lighting, biophilic attributes, and thera-serlized or uninterrupted views. It generates electrical energy due to adequate solar power and clear skies, especially in hot and arid climates like the proposed location of the project in Tuba City, AZ. In my proposal of a sustainable, community-focused, wellness center, this project will attempt to embrace diversity, celebrate the Navajos heritage through incorporating their belief system and culture into the genius Loci of the place, which will have a long-term healing effect on patients during their journey of recovery. The Navajo nation is a native American reservation and a self-governing community located in the southwest of the US between four states (UT, AZ, NM, CO). Since it's an Underserved, marginalized, and medically under-resourced community, the Navajo Nation was prone to COVID-19 onslaught in 2020, which resulted in substantial number of cases compared to other US states. / Master of Architecture / In Dec 2020, the World witnessed the first case of Coronavirus disease or COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. The disease has since spread rapidly worldwide, leading to an ongoing pandemic. Like many countries across the globe, the health system in the United States of America has to grabble with this deadly virus by inducing measures such as mask mandates and lockdowns in many US states. Unfortunately, and due to economic and social disparities, COVID-19 pandemic has brought injustice and inequity to the forefront of public health. Some communities were hit hard due to lack of emergency response, the availability of health professionals, and healthcare infrastructure. Tuba city, which is the Diné or the Navajo nation second-largest community in Coconino County, AZ, was majorly hit with COVID-19 resulting in a significant number of cases compared to other US cities. This project is a critical component of an emergency preparedness matrix that can firstly; help absorb the shock of such outbreaks by providing primary and outpatient services. Secondly; it offers community-focused and wellness service that can empower underserved, under-resourced and valuable communities like the Navajo Nation. This project is unique due to its inherited and embedded characteristics of bringing the Navajo tradition into the spirit of the building, by celebrating their culture making it a key component in a patent's healing process.

The prevailing approach to sustainable design focuses on low environmental impact objectives rather than the enhancement of the connection between people and the natural environment. According to Edward O. Wilson, biophilic design attempts to place an emphasis on the human to nature relationship in the built environment under the ideology that we have an innate affinity for the natural world because of our evolutionary development. In order to properly apply biophilic design, it is necessary to study and understand what it is about specific elements in nature that creates a sense of pleasure and well being. Nature is rich with sensual features, and the expression of these biophilic traits in architectural design is really what â sustainable designâ is all about. The purpose of this thesis is to explore Wilsonâ s theories of biophilic design through the development of an office skyscraper. The driving force behind the project is the design of the sensory oases, which are vertical extensions of the ground plane that contain features intended to stimulate the senses. / Master of Architecture

Access to nature has been shown to positively impact human health and well-being, reducing stress, anxiety, and depression while increasing relaxation. The Biophilia hypothesis suggests that even brief interactions with natural settings can have beneficial effects, emphasizing the evolutionary importance of our connection with nature and its potential as a tool for health promotion. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the brain activity during indirect and direct exposure to nature and urban environments. The search was done in Web of Science and MEDLINE EBSCO and 8 articles were identified to fulfill the inclusion criteria, based on,among others, the neuroimaging technique and mode of exposure to nature stimuli. Exposure to nature increases alpha power in the brain, with studies showing increased activity in variousregions such as the left and right prefrontal cortex. Additionally, specific brain regions, like the right orbitofrontal cortex and the right prefrontal cortex, exhibit lower oxy-Hb concentrations when viewing nature compared to urban environments. In sum, exposure to nature elicits changes in brain activity, particularly in alpha wave patterns and oxy-Hb concentrations. The findings support the integration of nature into urban design, highlighting its potential tobenefit public health and well-being, though further research is needed to explore long-term effects and potential applications in healthcare.

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