Scholars widely accept that the well-documented benefits of biophilia–the human being's strong urge to connect with nature–are genuine to improved health. Then why, with the global acceptance and scientific validity of wellness design concepts, do architects not use this beneficial concept regularly–especially when designing isolated workspaces? This qualitative research explores architecture's current design decision process to better understand this design phenomenon, and to identify where architectural biophilic knowledge domains may be deficient. This study explores questions such as: Does the architect's lack of biophilic knowledge and/or structured wellness design decision support framework affect the decision? Would the existence of a wellness design tool better support the design decision? An explanatory case study using a purposeful study sample of architects, biophilia design experts, and associated specialists is used to develop design decision support frameworks. Level 1 establishes a propositional theory derived from the literature and professional experience, level 2 from architect interviews and observational meetings, and level 3 from a Delphi workgroup session. Framework evolutions help identify design-phase-specific knowledge gaps. This study finds that a deficiency in early exposure to a priori, explicit and tacit biophilic knowledge is creating a critical gap, thus diminishing a posteriori biophilic knowledge and research in the architecture profession. This study asserts that early exposure to biophilic theories and principles can enhance the profession and provide a knowledge bridge using an informed biophilia design support framework with a proposed biophilia project management tool. / Doctor of Philosophy / Few will dispute that the well-documented benefits of biophilia–the human being's strong urge to connect with nature–are genuine to improved health. Then why, with the global acceptance and scientific validity of wellness design concepts, do architects not use this beneficial concept regularly–especially when designing windowless workspaces? A qualitative explanatory case study using a purposeful study sample of architects, biophilia design experts, and associated specialists was used to develop a design decision support framework that evolved from level 1-3. Framework progressions helped identify specific knowledge gaps in each design phase. This study found that a deficiency in early exposure to a priori, explicit and tacit biophilic knowledge is creating a critical gap, thus diminishing a posteriori biophilic knowledge and research in the architecture profession. This study asserts that early exposure to biophilic theories and principles can enhance the profession and provide a knowledge bridge using an informed biophilia design decision support framework with a proposed biophilia project management tool.

The mental health crisis is one of the many pandemics that the world is facing. For years it has been something that has been looked down upon as something that only people in mental institutions deal with, but in fact it is much more widespread than previously thought. The recent Covid-19 pandemic has brought to light the many struggles that people face and has led to a push for a focus on healing these invisible ailments. Often we think of doctors as the people who are responsible for anything health related, but as people spend a vast majority of their time indoors, that responsibility really falls on architects. The design world seems to support this theory as trends have led towards the incorporation of more natural elements into buildings, often referred to as, 'biophilia' and 'wellness' principles. While we enjoy the views of nature and fresh air in our daily lives, there is also scientific evidence to prove that these elements are beneficial to the physical and mental health of living beings. Thus, as architects we have the ability to go beyond creating a merely visually appealing and functionally operating spaces, and should use our skills to create environments that have a positive impact on the users' well-being. For this thesis, I redesigned the way in which group homes are designed for teens in Foster Care with these principles in mind. Teens are often the hardest to place with families, as many foster parents don't want to deal with the effects that childhood trauma has had on these individuals, so many of them end up in group homes. These institutions often provide resources, but unfortunately lack the individualized attention and home-like feeling that living with a family does, in the best-case scenario. It has been my mission to design a place that provides the residents with the comforts of a home, as well as wellness and nature-based spaces to ensure that they have the time and space to heal and grow. / Master of Architecture / Many teens in foster care end up in group housing. While these spaces provide shelter and the ability for social workers to stop by, they lack the consistent support and resources of living in a home with a family. My thesis dives into what makes a new space feel like home and how various methods of architecture and interior design can integrate therapeutic elements into living spaces used by teens to help them heal from childhood trauma. The existing building (Bundy School) contains an organization called Safe Shores, which provides children with a safe space to report abuse; it gives them access to legal, forensic, and mental health resources to help them get justice and handle the trauma that they have been through. The existing building doesn't currently provide any housing resources for the victims. My thesis is a renovation of the existing office spaces, as well as the addition of a new building providing housing for teens in foster care, victims of abuse, or any teens who are in need of housing in a long or short term capacity.

The places in which we live have a direct influence on our health and wellbeing. The interest in human health and experience of a space was apparent in the work of 20th century architects such as Le-Corbusier and Alvar Aalto during the tuberculosis epidemic. The Paimio Sanatorium, which was a collaboration between doctors and architect by Alvar Aalto in 1929-33, was one of the most famous projects that shows the tuberculosis influence on architecture. Therefore, the need to redesign spaces in order to live a happier and healthier life began to influence modern architecture from the early 20th century. The change of body perception because of disease impacted architecture, reconfiguring it in a way that the building could function as a medical tool. However, after years of living in a world without pandemics, designers just about to forget the importance of the design and its influence on human health. Although, the new restrictions placed on society due to Covid-19 outbreak, played an important role to reconsider the functional connection between the built environment and human wellness. This thesis explores the ways that the built environment and its surroundings can affect human physical and mental wellbeing by examining the ways that the world has adapted to the new trends and strategies through the design of an assisted living facility in Oldtown, Alexandria, Virginia. / Master of Architecture / In the early months of 2020, the World Health Organization announced a pandemic due to Covid-19 which was first reported in China. Following the WHO declaration, people were forced to be quarantined for months. The fear of the contagious airborne disease became the most important factor in determining which spaces people can safely frequent. Therefore, space became an essential component of concern during the Covid-19 pandemic and will continue to play a role in architecture thereafter. These issues are examined through the design of an assisted living facility in Oldtown Alexandria, Virginia.

This dissertation investigates the effects of multisensory biophilic restorative experiences on how engineers feel, think, and design. While previous research on the restorative effects of biophilic experiences have mostly focused on the benefits of visual exposure, less is known about the potential of exposure to auditory and multisensory stimuli. Moreover, a knowledge gap exists in regards to how the cognitive benefits of biophilic restorative experiences influence performance in real-world cognitive tasks, like design. To address the identified knowledge gaps, a randomized controlled trial with 154 participants was conducted, exploring the restorative effects of biophilic auditory, visual, and multisensory (auditory + visual) experiences after induced psychosocial stress. To assess the potential influence on the performance of a real-world cognitive tasks, an open-ended design task was given to participants following the exposure period. Dependent variables tracked covered three key domains of the research question: (1) psychological and physiological responses (feel), (2) neurocognitive responses (think), and (3) design originality and incorporation of biophilia (design). Results showed that the biophilic auditory experience induced higher physiological arousal during and after exposure, while the visual and multisensory conditions presented evidence of increased neural efficiency. The biophilic conditions assisted in restoring cognitive resources and improved prefrontal cortical functional connectivity, specifically within main hubs of the Default Mode Network (DMN). However, better engagement of the DMN did not result in more original design products. No significant differences were found for exploration of the design space across conditions. Interestingly, the visual group incorporated significantly more biophilic design patterns, such as "Visual Connection with Nature" and "Presence of Water", in their design concepts. This finding suggests a potential priming effect, where exposure to biophilic stimuli influenced designers' choices towards more nature-connected ideas. The study here presented contributes to the understanding of biophilic restorative experiences' nuanced effects on physiology, neurocognition, and design cognition. Accessibility and availability of the interventions tested affords readily replication of the experiment design and application of findings to the general public. / Doctor of Philosophy / This dissertation explores how exposure to simulated nature experiences through different senses affects how engineers feel, think, and design. Two main environmental psychology theories propose that nature experiences can aid in the recovery from stressful states and mental fatigue. The Kaplans' Attention Restoration Theory suggests that looking at nature can help the brain recover from overuse by allowing it to restore attentional resources. Roger Ulrich's Stress Reduction Theory proposes that nature experiences can reduce stress by calming the body and the mind. While previous studies have mainly explored the effects of exposure to nature through visual experiences, the study presented here examines the effects of exposure to nature-based sounds (birdsong and water sounds), as well as exposure to the combination of sounds and visuals (indoor plants, nature-inspired art, and daylight). Additionally, it investigates how the potential benefits to the brain and mind influence performance in real-world tasks like designing. To explore these effects, 154 engineering students were randomly assigned to different groups and exposed to nature sounds, nature visuals, or a combination of both, after being induced to a stressful state. After the exposure period, participants were given an open-ended design task. Throughout the experiment, participants' bodily responses were tracked by a wrist-worn device and participants' brain activity was tracked by a brain-imaging headset. Design concepts produced in the design task were assessed for originality and for the incorporation of nature-inspired ideas. Results showed that listening to nature sounds increased arousal of the body both during and after the exposure period. Visual, as well as combined auditory and visual exposure improved brain efficiency. All nature experiences helped restore mental resources and improved brain connectivity, particularly in areas associated with mind wandering. Although better brain connectivity did not result in more original design concepts, interestingly, participants in the visual exposure group incorporated more nature-related features, like bodies of water and natural views, into their designs. This finding suggests that seeing nature might inspire more nature-connected design ideas. This study enhances our understanding of how nature experiences affect the body, brain, and mind. The interventions tested can be easily replicated and applied in everyday settings so that anyone can benefit off of their outcomes.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for New Construction (or LEED-NC) has become one of the most commonly used green building standards during the turn of the 21st century. While many champion LEED-NC, certain architects and academics believe that its low-environmental impact design approach toward green building isolates people from nature and thus cannot achieve sustainable development over the long-term. Pomona College’s green buildings, including its newest LEED Platinum certified Sontag and Pomona Residence Halls, exemplify this fact, as their designs fail to communicate their sustainable goals or inspire sustainable behavior. By examining the LEED-NC standards, the history of environmental conservation, Modern architecture, biophilia, and the Living Building Challenge, this thesis seeks to provide recommendations for how Pomona College can alter its existing green buildings as well as improve its green building policies for future projects so that its built environment better fosters positive human-nature interactions.

With the rapid advancements in technology, researchers are seeking new ways to incorporate modern high-tech solutions such as virtual reality into treatment paradigms for stress. The current experiment explores the beneficial effects of immersing an individual into virtual reality after a stressful encounter. I examined the potential restorative effects of three unique immersive virtual reality environments by inducing stress and negative affect in sixty-nine participants and then randomly assigning them to freely explore one of three environments (a virtual nature setting, a virtual urban cityscape, or a neutral environment composed of solid geometric shapes) for ten minutes. Participants who explored the nature environment were found to have significantly improved affect (as measured by a standardized questionnaire), and significantly lower stress levels (as measured by self-report and skin-conductance levels) compared to those who explored the urban and geometric environments. The results suggest that virtual nature has restorative properties similar to real nature, and that simply immersing participants into a virtual nature setting can reduce stress. These results also suggest that the content of the virtual reality experience (i.e., whether it contains nature) is important in promoting restoration, and that in the absence of nature, stress levels remain unchanged.

According to Duxbury and Higgins 57% of full time employees reported high levels of stress. Stress is impacting the productivity, health and well-being of individuals, and the bottom line of employers. A growing body of evidence suggests exposure to nature, nature-based features, and biophilic design may offer a solution to reducing stress in the office workplace. This thesis brings together a comprehensive body of information drawn from the neurosciences and environmental psychology, including attention restoration theory (ART), psycho-evolutionary theory, Kellert’s biophilic design elements, and seven case studies, to propose key nature-based interior design strategies for stress reduction in office knowledge workers. Providing direct and indirect exposure to nature appears to have the strongest impact on mitigating the stress response. The importance of the integrated design process (IDP), post-occupancy evaluation (POE), and barriers to incorporating biophilia centred design practices are addressed and process strategies proposed. / October 2015

With the rapid advancements in technology, researchers are seeking new ways to incorporate modern high-tech solutions such as virtual reality into treatment paradigms for stress. The current experiment explores the beneficial effects of immersing an individual into virtual reality after a stressful encounter. I examined the potential restorative effects of three unique immersive virtual reality environments by inducing stress and negative affect in sixty-nine participants and then randomly assigning them to freely explore one of three environments (a virtual nature setting, a virtual urban cityscape, or a neutral environment composed of solid geometric shapes) for ten minutes. Participants who explored the nature environment were found to have significantly improved affect (as measured by a standardized questionnaire), and significantly lower stress levels (as measured by self-report and skin-conductance levels) compared to those who explored the urban and geometric environments. The results suggest that virtual nature has restorative properties similar to real nature, and that simply immersing participants into a virtual nature setting can reduce stress. These results also suggest that the content of the virtual reality experience (i.e., whether it contains nature) is important in promoting restoration, and that in the absence of nature, stress levels remain unchanged.

This practicum project is an investigation of the importance of providing a supportive and restorative temporary accommodation facility for breast cancer patients who are traveling from rural areas of Manitoba to receive treatment in Winnipeg. Exploring key areas of restorative and healing design in the literature review allowed for a comprehensive analysis and examination into three main areas. The key themes of restorative design are; Biophilic Design, Theory of Supportive Design, and supportive domestic environments. It is through this exploration of restorative design that a design for the Centre will be proposed.

In a world that is quickly urbanizing with a climate that is rapidly changing, the International Living Future Institute’s (ILFI) Living Community Challenge (LCC) offers a whimsical yet highly relevant model for sustainable development—creating cities that are as connected and beautiful as forests. As no certified Living Community exists yet, this thesis serves as an “uncase study” of North Rainier, a neighborhood in Seattle that has registered for the Challenge. In an effort to assess the LCC’s perceived effectiveness as a model for sustainable development, this thesis first summarizes nearly 400 centuries of U.S. developmental history to give greater context to the current moment and how we can quickly, effectively, and fundamentally transform the built environment to support a more sustainable future. A comparative analysis with EcoDistricts and LEED for Neighborhood Development revealed strengths (i.e., advocacy and capacity building) and weaknesses (i.e., equity and stasis) of predominant urban assessment tools in the U.S. The case study then uses a combination of GIS analysis, community surveys, and semi-structured interviews with members of the neighborhood association overseeing the pursuit of the LCC in North Rainier as well as with staff members at ILFI to assess the LCC’s effectiveness. Environmental health disparities in North Rainier found within the GIS analysis were echoed in the surveys and interviews, which indicated feelings of neglect from the city of Seattle who is occupied with record-setting growth, demonstrates how the LCC can be considered as an “act of optimism” and as a rejection of historically imposed top-down planning. Overall, in theory, several of the LCC’s Petals address many of the systemic issues facing the built environment (i.e., sprawl and dependence on automobiles and fossil fuels). However, despite its vision for a socially just and culturally rich future, the LCC—specifically the Equity Petal—does not offer a guarantee that displacement of low-income and communities of color and/or environmental injustices will not be perpetuated.