Morgan Taylor leads the biodiversity side of Greengage, a multidisciplinary environmental consultancy who cover everything from energy and carbon assessments, sustainability, health, wellbeing, socio-economic assessment, and EIA management as well as the whole gamut of biodiversity assessment through to planning.   As designers, architects, or planners, we all need to be mindful of the impact our ideas, advice and decisions have on the world around us. We recorded this interview in the summer last year* Their work is focused outside of the legislative and planning policy sphere in the world of natural capital and ecosystem service value assessment. So rather than working with developers where they are only brought in because there is a potential impact on biodiversity in the first place, they're working with a lot of people with regards to asset management, land management, informing how financial capital is put towards recovery of natural capital across managed assets.   We’ve got hundreds, maybe thousands of years of degradation and we need to take measures and understanding to address the impacts of our actions, and account for the significant loss of biodiversity particularly since the Industrial Revolution.   Morgan outlines all the different levels of legislation and planning policy that impact biodiversity in the built environment. He highlights three aspects of legislation and regulation that particularly drive positive change:   1.     the Wildlife and Countryside Act. 2.     The Habitats and Species Conservation Regulations, and 3.     the Environment Act, which is from 2021. These three pieces of legislation, he says, drive most actions with regards to protected species, protected habitats and importantly, the Environment Act is the legislation that will require all new development as of November 2023 to deliver measurable gains in biodiversity.   Morgan explains how Greengage guide development and design teams to incorporate biophilic design into their projects to improve biodiversity and meet the legal requirements.  He explains that the scope can be as narrow as simply integrating swift boxes and house sparrow boxes or as broad and complex as approaches such as recreating woodland. Moving away from the regulatory “stick”, Morgan explains how the requirement for financial disclosure by FTSE 100 companies resulting from the Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) has created a “carrot” where positive disclosure on areas such as urban heat islands, surface water and all aspects of climate change can improve the prospects of securing investment. Greengage, says Morgan, are particularly excited about the sister disclosure recommendations from the Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosure (TNFD).  With a similar “carrot” companies benefit from how they implement biophilic design and how the economic benefits improve investor return. He lays out in some details the potential for improved building performance that comes from delivering a living roof in terms of energy performance for both cooling and heating, reduced surface water meaning lower flood risk and contributions to net zero strategies.   The approach Morgan outlines is focused on the key driver for business, capital growth, and explains how biophilic design and improved biodiversity help them achieve that fundamental goal as well as being able to be proud of their green credentials.   Morgan expands on his theme covering urban and rural developments and the application of a biophilic approach in many aspects of ecology.  He concludes with his personal desire to see an integrated green infrastructure in which grasslands take the place of lawns and the landscape in both town and country is managed as a habitat for nature rather than predominantly as a human playground. To find out more visit https://www.greengage-env.com   Have you got a copy of the Cities issue of The Journal of Biophilic Design (you can purchase a copy directly from us at the journalofbiophilicdesign.com or Amazon. If you like our podcast and would like to support us in some way, you can buy us a coffee if you’d like to, thank you x *due to bereavement at the JBD HQ there has been a delay in the final editing, many apologies. But like a late flowering bloom, there is much to be learnt from this podcast, and we are incredibly grateful for Morgan and Greengage’s expertise and patience. x Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts.  Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds? Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/ Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsn LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/journalofbiophilicdesign/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/journalofbiophilicdesign

We speak with Marco Gastoldi, interior designer and Associate at Gensler, who in collaboration with some amazing partners have created the theme of the Workspace Design Show in London this year. The Theme is “Bloom”, and we speak in this podcast about the growing awareness of Biophilic Design, how it has environmental and psychological benefits, that it is based on science, neuroscience and also the many different ways of integrating nature in the built environment. Marco celebrates the fact that Biophilic Design is important for us, that we have a primordial innate connection to nature, an instinct. This connection produces hormones that support feelings of belonging and collaboration which are crucial to performance and connection. Humans are biological organisms and Biophilic Design supports the mind body system in terms of health and wellbeing. “Deep down we are aware that our connection to nature is vital. We forget that recreation is recreating and restoring ourselves. We spend 90% of our time indoors and there is so much data and evidence to prove that Biophilic Design is good in the workplace. For instance the Human Spaces report that proves Biophilic Design can improve productivity by 6% and creativity by 15%. We know that connection with nature, improves individual self-esteem and mood, the presence of water for example creates a relaxing and calming effect.” Marco also talks about Ecological Balance Theory which refers to how we prefer nature resembling colours like green and blue, but not all natural environments are green, so it’s also important to tailor to local colour pallet and ecosystems – so it’s place based. Marco also shares quite a few examples of where Gensler has installed Biophilic Design. For instance views that integrate nature in the environment, that connect people, to bring them together in moments of wonder. He talks about the permeability of outside and inside and the power of Micro restorative experiences. These are small pockets of nature, which might be more accessible than large interventions allowing frequent exposure to small intervention results in compounded restoration response. When a long exposure to nature can’t be achieved, positioning Biophilic interventions along areas of high levels of traffic is beneficial. The Workplace survey carried out by Gensler research institute in 2023, allows Gensler to look at the data and help shape certain choices. You can read it here LINK Biophilic Design can help companies meet the BREEAM and WELL certifications. BREEAM is the widely used environmental assessment method and certification for buildings. It evaluates and certifies the sustainability performance of the building, on criteria such as energy efficiency, material selection and ecological impact. Biophilic Design helps in a positive way by creating indoor environments beneficial to health and wellbeing as well as ecology. Integration of Biophilic Design supports energy efficiency, comfort of the occupiers, overall sustainability and therefore aligns with the overall BREEAM code. WELL is a performance-based system for certifying features in the built environment that impact human health and wellbeing, building design and construction as well as operation. So it looks at air quality, water, fitness, light and comfort, and obviously Biophilic Design interventions supports companies in achieving all these, for instance introduction of natural light, access to outdoor views and greenspaces. We also chat about making #biophilicdesignawarenessday National Holiday.. Marco is speaking at the Workspace Design Show in London on 28th February 2024, free entry. The title of the panel is :Bringing energy back to the workplace, nurturing social capital and increasing happiness/productivity in the workspace" https://workspaceshow.co.uk/speaker-marco-gastoldi https://workspaceshow.co.uk/workspace-design-talks-2024  To buy a copy of The Journal of Biophilic Design visit our website www.journalofbiophilicdesign.com or from Amazon. If you like our podcast and would like to support us in some way, you can buy us a coffee if you’d like to, thank you x Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts.  Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, and most if not all the RSS feeds. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/ Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsn LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/journalofbiophilicdesign/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/journalofbiophilicdesign

How do we design schools so not only children are inspired, teachers want to come to work, places are healthy, the building sustainable, the landscape regenerative, and supports biodiversity? The answer is Biophilic Design. De Verwondering is a primary school in the Netherlands, designed by architecture firm ORGA. The design won the 2023 Stephen R. Kellert Biophilic Design Award from Living Future Europe in 2023, and justifiably so and is featured in the Education issue of The Journal of Biophilic Design. The name of school means ‘sense of wonder’ or 'amazement', referring to the sensation of curiosity in children that is triggered when they come into contact with the natural world. Any parallels with ‘The Sense of Wonder’, Rachel Carson’s timeless publication from 1960, are coincidental, but both very much speak to the same sentiment. In this podcast we speak with Gijs Bruggink, Chef de bureau of ORGA and discuss the importance of using Natural building materials, and how we need to push boundaries for sustainable and regenerative buildings. Gijs describes the school for our listeners, and you can see visuals of it here on the Journal website. There are three squares, with a triangular area between them, leaf shaped roof across it central area for the kids, there are big wooden steps up to the second floor, a specially designed naturally playground around he school, and there’s lots of greenery. Plus the façade has big wooden grids which allow climbing plants to grow up, so the whole school will be covered in green. There are columns in the central area, stripped tree trunks carrying the structure, sanded and oiled. Plus there is natural ventilation, separate access hatch, outlets, where a chimney effect draw fresh air 24hrs a day into the building smell of new cut grass, or smell of rain on the earth. The difference the Biophilic Design of the school has made to the teachers, staff, and children is phenomenal, and it also shows when an organization wants to do something better with nature deeply embedded into it right from the start of the project. The difference it can make to the business, the reduction of staff and student absenteeism, the improved recruitment, overall wellbeing, air quality, acoustics and so much more. Generally, clients are seeing the benefits of Biophilic Design, and more and more Gijs and his firm are working with them from the start, rather than fight the battle. “It is an interesting time for designers. There are a lot of problems which need solutions nowadays with climate change and biophilic design just has a lot of answers. Not only is it beautiful but it's interesting from the health perspective and it's beneficial from a business perspective because if your users of the building are able to perform better to be more productive and they feel better, it's good for your business. There's a lot of research and science supporting these these ideas and these benefits,” says Gijs. One of the wonderful things about the Der Verwondering design is that they have created a really healthy learning environment for children and the people working there to help them get a good education. There are also all sorts of connections to nature in the building which builds affinity with nature, and children can discover things on their own, they have a natural adventurous inquisitive nature. We also discuss how wood lasts a really long time, and how you can use different types of wood and natural wood finishings that protect the materials of your buildings. The Principal was at the previous school and now also at this one, and has said that the children are right at home right away in the new school with no long adjustment period. They kids can really focus on work after a break outside in nature and this focus is a big change than before. There is less absenteeism and attendance a lot better, so that along with improved recruitment it makes financial sense too. To read more about it and see more images, Gijs also wrote in our Education issue of The Journal of Biophilic Design Printed copy https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/shop/pre-order-journal-of-biophilic-design-issue-7-education-paperback-printed-version Ebook PDF. https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/shop/olwe3aq4uukmg3k3o65o1n4k1fhvww ORGA architect: https://www.orga-architect.nl/ Gijs Bruggink: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gijsbruggink A quote from Gijs article in Education Issue 7 of The Journal of Biophilic Design Printed copy https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/shop/pre-order-journal-of-biophilic-design-issue-7-education-paperback-printed-version Ebook PDF. https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/shop/olwe3aq4uukmg3k3o65o1n4k1fhvww “The school as a biotope - The way the spaces in the building work together is analogous to the system of natural habitats: shared spaces in nature that allow species to both thrive and coexist. Pupils spend most of the time in an ‘ecotope’ with children of the same age, the classroom. Three clusters of classrooms, including a small gym and an outdoor classroom on the roof form ‘habitats’ where pupils meet children of adjacent ages. A couple of times each day they venture outside of the familiar surroundings of the habitat, into the larger ‘biotope’ of the school complex. For example, to the central gathering area for school meetings or to the playground outside, where they can learn more about nature and the world.”

Dr Leighton Phillips Director of Research, Innovation and University Partnerships for the NHS Wales, Honorary Professor Aberystwyth University, and director on the Hywel Dda University Health Board joins us to share how they are bringing in Biophilic Design into healthcare in South West Wales. Part of his role is about questioning what we want the future to look like.   Dr Phillips shares with us how fundamentally important the natural environment is, how it profoundly influences our health and wellbeing. What he finds captivating about biophiilc design, is that there is an opportunity. “With over 1200 hospitals, and a million staff and nearly everyone in the UK having some interaction with the NHS services just imagine the health and planetary impact of the NHS embracing biophilic design.”   Hospitals historically have been designed with a particular modernist design approach, where it was thought that clinical settings which were white, were sterile. Of course, sterile environments are exceptionally important, but these environments do not put us at ease. We feel stressed in that setting and it doesn't aid recovery if we are talking about our hospitals.   Then if we consider that 90% of us interact more with primary care, the same can be true there. Leighton suggests that we can still maintain safe clean fantastic clinical environments while introducing colour, introducing fresh air, views of nature. We should not compromise all that we knew was good within that modernist period, but we can harness, within our current estates, the things that we know promote health and well-being and use every investment decision that we make as large organisations to do more of that, to support people and create environments that aid their recovery. Embracing the concept of Biophilic Design will drive this change. The 10 year strategy with millions spent on healthcare infrastructure, which also sets out the future of healthcare, INCLUDES the aim to undertake activities promoting health and wellbeing. “We do more than provide services in hospitals and healthcare facilities.” It is important, he says, to “accept a wider role, in promoting health and wellbeing, and that the Biophilic approach and design is part of that.  Biophilic Design keeps people healthy and well. Giving people access to fresh air, ability to walk in green spaces.” It is also important for staff to have their own decompression time, whether it is in the facility or in their own environment. Biophilic Design can help blur these boundaries personal and professional life, how we spend our time outside of work influences how we spend time in, and vice versa.   A change is happening Things are changing in the UK, looks at the new Alder Hey Children's Hospital Trust in Liverpool, England, or the new Velindre Cancer Centre in Wales, these include the principles of Biophilic Design. While we can and should plan and build new hospitals inspired by Biophilic Design, we should also bear in mind that we still have to live with the current estate because that will still be with us. We're living with facilities that result from choices made 60-70 years ago. There's still life in those buildings and patients will still receive care, so we should also be mindful how we re-design and renovate our current estates as well. And if you think about it, ensuring success within current estate will give people the confidence to make wider changes.   Change happens within organisations because people want it and understand it. Of course you need high level ownership, but it filters down through the tiers of the organisation. To make a real shift you need 100s of people taking this on board, taking it into their personal day to day responsibility. Working with Professor Geoff Proffitt of Swansea University, Dr Phillips and his team have been adopting action learning, the application of knowledge approach. By bringing professionals together, from architects to medical professionals, building engineers, etc, they took them through a structured process over a few months. It was important that they step out of their busy environment and afford them some time to open their minds to biophilic design, and then critically to take that into their day jobs. To think about how a different future could look for our built environment.    How do we think differently? Green groups and others within the organisation are starting to run with it. They have the National Botanical Garden of Wales on doorstep. “We are directly working with them on biodiversity and creating spaces for staff and patients to spend time in, and I believe to evidence change sustains the change and motivates people.” Show them this rapid evidence.   How do we encourage this take up on a wider scale? Show people and through every investment decision.  “Show people the positive impact biophilic design has. There is a pool of people out there who know the powerful impact that the natural world has on us. Within the Trusts or organisations, keep it real and applicable, ask them what environment they would like to work in, what are the restrictions, argue the case for change, they will have the answers.   Also, think about every investment decision as an opportunity, try and remember that you are working in systems that are under a lot of pressure, where creating space to think about how that environment can change in the future is difficult. Think how can Biophilic Design can be part of hundreds of discussions. Recognise every opportunity. Every investment decision is an opportunity. Think about the value that Biophilic Design delivers within healthcare, and all aspects of life.”   Regarding procurement, how do we value longer term investment, and battle all those tensions within a financially constrained organisation, there are tough discussions, and the supply chain has a duty of care as well, not to just peddle the same chairs, but to offer other options. We all need to be working together.   “Action learning is so important, bring all experts around the table, we do this journey together”.   To find out more about the projects Leighton is involved in visit https://hduhb.nhs.wales/   To buy a copy of the Healthcare issue that Leighton has written about this action learning programme he and his team have been running in the NHS West Wales, visit this link for the Ebook version https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/shop/journal-of-biophilic-design-issue-3-healthcare-hospitals  or this one for the printed version https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/shop/journal-biophilic-design-healthcare-design-magazine To buy a copy of The Journal of Biophilic Design visit our website www.journalofbiophilicdesign.com or from Amazon. If you like our podcast and would like to support us in some way, you can buy us a coffee if you’d like to, thank you x Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts. Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds? Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/ Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsn LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/journalofbiophilicdesign/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/journalofbiophilicdesign

From designing a detailed picture of the New York Skyline in moss to how we need to design with biophilia for helping mitigate climate change this great podcast with Lily Turner explores how we are just starting to realise the very real benefits that Living walls can bring to our cities, and our work and healing spaces. Lily Turner is an environmentalist, biophilic designer and living wall specialist. She's also director of green walls at Urban Strong, the design build maintenance firm offering services for green building technology solutions. In 2013, she co-founded urban blooms a non-profit to bring large scale, publicly accessible living walls to dense urban environments. It was after Hurricane Katrina she was rebuilding homes, restoring landscapes, repairing drip irrigation systems and fields and got to do a lot of great community projects and inspired her to launch urban blooms, which aims to bring greenery back into the built environment to benefit people in the community. We chat about sustainability, and how policy and regulation is needed to implement green spaces, an also how “new language and concepts need to be introduced. Sustainability has become rhetoric and clouded our view of the actual state of things in our products. So adding to our lexicon is also a major part of it.” Lily also advocates like we do, that it is vital to “break down silos when looking at the built environment. Adopting a more collaborative and holistic approach, is really the only way forward. If we look at Singapore's journey, I think it represents an actual a nice beacon of hope and their government's response should be seen as inspiring to the United States and other major offenders around the world.” Shifting our lexicon from just sustainability to regeneration will also shift people's behaviour and also create more awareness. As well as the political, we speak how Living Walls and preserved moss walls can be seen as striking forms of art, especially when you add a frame or incorporate colourful foliage, and how they offer a myriad of environmental, psychological and physiological benefits as well. Lily has been working with Biophilic Design for almost 10 years. It has to be the way forward, it has to happen. “I don't know how we're going to survive without it.” We also discuss the practical benefits plants bring, from creating relative humidity, especially if they're of scale and how you just feel more relaxed. When you bring that into a high stress environment, like an office or even a rehabilitation institution it is extremely important. “And I think we'll see this more and more as our healthcare system changes. And our education systems change as well.” Even a sightline view to the outdoors, we know there's significant benefits, you have reduced stress levels. Direct connection to nature is one of the most powerful of the Biophilic Design Patterns, being surrounded by something natural and green can boost productivity, enhance creativity and cognitive function, and ultimately that leads to increased sales so there's also ROI associated with that. “If people aren't sold on environmental or the aesthetic benefits, let's look at the ROI and try to push that conversation forward And then also just having a statement Living Wall in your lobby or office you're communicating this message of progressiveness and sustainability to your investors, your clients, your partners, everyone involved in supporting your company.” To find out more about Lily and her work visit: https://urbanstrong.com Her work features in our “Cities” issue of the The Journal of Biophilic Design, it is a case study of multi-sensory living wall that UrbanStrong installed in a corporate office in New Jersey. https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/shop/journal-of-biophilic-design-issue-4-cities-ebook To buy a copy of The Journal of Biophilic Design visit our website www.journalofbiophilicdesign.com or from Amazon. If you like our podcast and would like to support us in some way, you can buy us a coffee if you’d like to, thank you x Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts. Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds? Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/ Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsn LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/journalofbiophilicdesign/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/journalofbiophilicdesign

Tying in with Issue 6, our Blue Mind edition of The Journal of Biophilic Design we speak with Nick Hounsfield, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer at The Wave in Bristol. The Wave is an inland Surfing destination. After working in the healthcare sector and realizing that not only one of the key aspects for people was that they were lonely but that they also were missing a connection to nature, Nick wanted to create something at scale that would have a positive impact. He also wanted to reach out to people who didn’t have access to a private healthcare system. “How can we democratise this? How can we make it more accessible for more people?” Nick explains how he went on to create The Wave. He had a very clear purpose and mandate, wanting to appeal to everyone, be accessible in all seasons and ensuring he addressed barriers to accessing to green and blue space. “We have to break down those barriers through design, through great landscaping, a good business model, and also make sure that we're not destroying the planet and local ecology either.” Roll forward 10 years, and they’ve managed to build it and deliver exactly what they wanted to deliver blue and green spaces for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. So what is The Wave? If you could imagine a huge slice of the ocean or imagine a really amazing Cove down by the beach. It's like taking that cake slice of the ocean and lifting it up and dropping it right in the middle of the field. There are absolutely perfect surfing waves, and lighter ones just as you get at the beach, and then you've got really nice whitewater waves on the inside for people who just want to splash and play around or bodyboard. The water is Caribbean in colour so also looks perfect. People come just to walk the pier which stretches out across the waves to enjoy the sound of the waves. Nick and his team have created a beautiful space where people can connect with water as observers or enjoy an immersive and active connection. Being close to the city of Bristol, partnerships were an important part of the vision. Working with groups who do not have access to green and blue space and who have mental and physical health issues, they bring them to the wave. By growing the adaptive surf community they have made sure that the whole space was designed so it is truly accessible. And with surfing now part of the Olympics we might see that surfing will also be part of the Paralympics. “We've now got the most amazing training facility for these athletes, and have genuine medal contenders in our midst so hopefully that whole sport will grow which is good.” “That's the key thing, really, it's about that partnership because we will never profess to know everything about the challenges and issues that different sectors of society have. So, it's about partnering up with people who do really know what's going on, and we're just providing a facility. We break down the barriers together.” Why is that nature connection important? “It's everything.” Nick goes on to describe how we felt that nature was taken away from us during Lockdown, and even now “there are young families stuck in high-rise apartments with no access to green or space blue space at all, they walk along a concrete road to get to school and it's a concrete playground, there's no green space there. And that is their life. That just doesn't feel like it's a healthy existence.” It’s important to democratize that open space, green space, blue space, “just having some horizons around us to be able to lift your head, lift your mind, lift your spirits. If you're surrounded by things that have been designed to encapsulate you the whole time, that just creates such a closed-minded spirit as well as an attitude. And I think that's a real shame, particularly for the younger generation growing up in that space.” We need to re-establish those connections that have been lost and look back historically when that connection was intrinsic. “We are not better than nature, we are nature. And actually, nature has got so many of the cures for our ills. And we have to be mindful of that and get back to promoting it, that being natural isn't some kind of woowoo but that it is something for the people.” This is where biophilic design comes in, “if we want something to be sustainable for the long term, to have real longevity, we need to go back to nature for that design brief.” What is it about Blue Mind? There is some really good research now that shows how Blue Mind, Blue Health really has a positive impact on physical and mental well-being. From being around water to being in water and experiencing that feeling when gravity is taken away from your body. There is also that penetration of blue, which reduces heart rate and cortisol levels it calms everything down. What about Surfing? “There is a sort of ebb and flow where you're doing something incredibly focused, particularly an activity where you have to be in the moment and you can't think about anything else apart from having to catch this wave, you've got this locked in focused moment. It’s quite Zen-like, all those other worries in your world, just melt away because you're so focused. Then I love where there is the peaceful calm when the wave has passed, and maybe you're paddling back out, or when maybe you're down by the beach, and you're sat waiting for the next wave, you're just looking at the big horizon. There is that moment of calm, the sort of peacefulness with it. I love the juxtaposition of the two. And that's why surfing I think brings so much and especially wave riding, you don't have to stand up on a wave. It could be bodyboarding it could be just splashing around in the water. I think that's the lovely sort of ebb and flow of the emotions.” “…this is a place and a space for me to find the best version of myself.” Nick calls for similar concepts to spring up in other cities and other countries because he thinks “everybody should have an access to these kinds of facilities. So in terms of designing, master planning and huge developments, I think it's something that we should be mindful of going forward. Building a future that is much more sustainable for our society, learn from mistake, and incorporate really good design when master planning cities, towns and settlements in the future. I think what's been great is The Wave has demonstrated that actually, you can do that triple bottom line where you're doing right by the planet, you’re looking after the people along the way, and also having an economically viable model. I just would love that thinking to be replicated in other places, whether there's a Wave there or not, but that triple bottom line, philosophy really can work if it's if it's properly committed to.” The Wave could be coming to a city near you, watch out for developments, sign up to their newsletter, go visit, enjoy the food, music, camping, and go catch a Wave at The Wave visit: www.thewave.com

Building on an earlier conversation we had in 2020 with a co-founder of Skogluft, we speak today with Morten Kvam, CEO of Skogluft. Not only does it sound beautiful and uplifting, in Norwegian it means “Forest Air”. We talk about how plants are essential to have in the built environment and how the main founder of Skogluft Bjorn Virumdal was a mechanical engineer and realised that biological models were needed to explain the effects of nature indoors. NASA had conducted some research on how astronauts would be affected by the lack of nature. After speaking with them to explore their findings Bjorn then conducted further scientific research to prove how different plants and different light affected people in different working environments. His research looked at three main aspects: the feeling of being awake, headaches and respiratory problems and he took readings before and after the intervention. The results showed the positive effects of having nature indoors. Tiredness reduced by 40%, headaches reduced by 35% and concentration problems reduced by 16%. Morten says they have over 7.2kg worth of printed evidence that nature is good for us! There is evidence that plants in a room may reduce the dust level of the air, as found by Lohr and Pearson-Mims (1996). The dust content of the indoor air is often too high and might irritate mucous membranes in eyes and respiratory organs (throat, nose). When plants are healthy and are in your workplace, home, school or healthcare space, there is an increase in air humidity which may bind more of the dust, and as a result reduce some of the health complaints associated with dust (and maybe also pollen). The large leaf surface of plants probably promotes sedimentation of dust from the air, which will reduce the dust level. Just imagine if we place plants close to the computer – where both dust level and the level of static electricity is often high, we might see a reduction in irritations in respiratory organs. This could be really useful in healthcare environments especially receptions and schools. Feedback from users who have installed Skogluft say that one of the benefits is that acoustic levels really improve. They are also ideal in dentist waiting rooms, or anywhere you might feel stressed or anxious because the green walls create a feeling of calm. On the other side of the coin, there is a very large Skogluft wall in a library north of Oslo, who now want to implement it in all libraries in the city. We discuss how we could install green walls in university and study spaces. They have already installed many in the working spaces in Healthcare environments for the employees. If we think of all the halls, rest areas, outside treatment areas, receptions, and so on, there are many places we could implement green walls so many people receive the benefit. Morten shared that the Skogluft Green wall is a best kept secret for one of the Norwegian football clubs who feel it gives them the advantage to compete and win games. It is important for that club to feel the vitality and life of nature, instead of the usual naked walls you get inside clubs. The more plants you have the more positive effects you earn! For Skogluft, their plant of preference is the Golden Pothos, which research has shown that these are very positive and have a greater effect than other plants. One hypothesis is that they produce lots of chlorophyl per time unt per square inch. This is still a hypothesis, but it seems they are better than other green plants. Also they are very robust, look good, and are easy to maintain year after year. They survive even if you forget to water them for a week or two! We also talk about the importance of light. The positive effect of light reflecting on nature. “We are programmed to stay in nature, we have always been surrounded by plants and light together,” Morten says. “It makes people react more positively when we see light reflected on plants.” In his magic brush of biophilia, he says we should be looking to install nature everywhere, and “just like toilets are compulsory in buildings so should nature be compulsory nature indoors everywhere.” I think I’ll be sharing that last thought many many times. It’s straightforward and simple to grasp - nature should indeed be compulsory in every building. Skogluft creates living walls which are super simple to install and even has an app do you don’t kill the plants! We all have a choice when it comes to who we work with and the companies we represent. Morten tells us that while his background was not nature-based, he chose Skogluft because as a company they are making a difference to people’s wellbeing. To find out more about Skogluft: https://www.skogluft.com Have a listen to our the podcast we did with Stine Wettergreen way back in 2020 which this one today builds on that initial conversation! https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/podcast-journal-of-biophilic-design/skogluft-forest-air To buy a copy of The Journal of Biophilic Design visit our website www.journalofbiophilicdesign.com or from Amazon. If you like our podcast and would like to support us in some way, you can buy us a coffee if you would like to support us, thank you x Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts. Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds? Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/ Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsn LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/journalofbiophilicdesign/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/journalofbiophilicdesign To register your interest in attending our Biophilic Design Conference visit www.biophilicdesignconference.com

Leading Change in the Workplace Change is about people and when it comes to people, there is no formula and there is no one way, this is challenging and hard. For designers, architects, planners who are trying to convince people to do something different, to do something maybe that business has never done before, what tools do we need to help take our clients on that “change” journey with us?   I was lucky to catch up with the Change Master, Jennifer Bryan, who will also be speaking at Workplace Trends in London on 18th October 2023. Jennifer shares with us some tips to help you lead that change, for her there is “no change without learning and no learning without change,” and it has to come from a “people centric perspective.”   Jennifer, gives us some sound advice. She describes what she calls the “end person in mind approach.” If you think about the person who is the furthest away from the decision making room, when they first hear about the change (whether that the watercooler gossip or a town hall) if you can make that initial moment for that positive then you will have a positive initial moment for everyone else in between.   There are 8 different reasons why people resist change. Jennifer outlines some with us here. Sometimes it’s because they don’t understand the change, or it could be how they perceive it, it could be fear or emotional, or historical. If you want to fine tune your potential to lead change, get your hands on her book: “Leading People in Change”. Understand where that “resistance” might be coming from. Ask the questions so you might understand why they might be resisting. Take them on a bit of a journey. Help people understand the “so what”. We forget that other people aren’t in that same space, and we need to be able to articulate that “so what” but it has to be that “so what” for them.   Think of this podcast as the essential spanners in your “Toolbox of Persuasion.” There’s a lot of good advice in this podcast for those involved in bringing Biophilic Design into the mainstream. We can help leaders and managers understand that Biophilia is not just fluff, help them to visualise a positive outcome and from a different angle.     Jennifer says there are three key questions you need to consider, and when you know the answers you have to articulate the solutions from the heart.  Firstly, what is it you’re trying to do, secondly why now, and finally how are people going to think and feel about it?   Remember we all have the passion within us to bring about change, learning how to lead that change is a skill, which is why advice from consultants like Jennifer are helpful in encouraging your clients build that change muscle internally.   Why not come and meet Jennifer in person on 18th October 2023 in London, where she will be speaking about “Adopting Foresight” at Workplace Trends event, and presenting results from a research project with Henley Business School. To register your place at the event visit: https://workplacetrends.co/events/wt23-programme/ USE CODE JBD20 for 20% off the published delegate rate at https://workplacetrends.co/events/wt23/ To find out more about Jennifer, visit linkedin.com/in/jennifer-l-bryan abchangeconsultancy.com  JenniferLBryan.com (Portfolio) inspirationalspeakers.co.uk/speaker/jennifer-bryan/ (Portfolio) And don’t forget to buy her book  “Leading People in Change” To buy a copy of The Journal of Biophilic Design visit our website www.journalofbiophilicdesign.com or from Amazon. If you like our podcast and would like to support us in some way, you can buy us a coffee if you would like to support us, thank you x Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts.  Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds? Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/ Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsn LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/journalofbiophilicdesign/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/journalofbiophilicdesign

Are you an agent for change? What is the barrier to designing better? Sometimes it is the apparent complexity of legislation governing ecology, planning and design that prevents people from discovering the best way of doing something. Fortunately, there is a simple award scheme that helps developers, builders, planners and designers navigate the myriad of paperwork and advisory bodies. We speak with Dr Gemma Jerome, Director of Building with Nature, which helps define what good looks like in terms of green infrastructure (the way planners talk about nature). What I particularly love about Building with Nature is that it also helps give nature a seat around the table, especially at the beginning of the planning process and helps nature become a specification driver in planning and development. Building with Nature has an open-source Standards Framework, a one-stop-shop for all sectorial knowledge and expertise including Nature recovery, Sustainable water management through nature-based solutions, wellbeing, access and inclusivity to open and green spaces. Gemma is also an environmental planner with a specialism in the design, delivery, and stewardship of green infrastructure. She is a Fellow of the Landscape Institute and co-chaired the British Standards Institute panel for the BS8683:2021 Process for designing and implementing Biodiversity Net Gain, and recently supported the RTPI/RSPB design code. In addition, Gemma has sat on various government roundtables and advisory panels offering expertise on design quality and is currently supporting the development of the Natural England Green Infrastructure Standards Framework. We talk about how planners and designers can use the Building with Nature Award Scheme as an external verification to tell the story of what they’ve done, to share learning, and to reassure key stakeholders who want better outcomes for people and wildlife. For instance, if you need to reassure communities that the developer has thought about all these things, or the local authority needs external verification, or investors need assurance. The Award Scheme is measurable and so offers this metric-based assurance to help you demonstrate to stakeholders you are planning and designing with the goal of reaching net zero, supporting nature recovery, as well as supporting people’s health and wellbeing. In an ideal world, before we build, we would watch a space for a year. This would be best practice to understand constraints. But we rarely do that with development, there is always a real rush to approve the master plan, to construct and implement. But then when it’s all done, most of the stakeholders leave, and other people (mainly the residents) have to develop a relationship with it and steward it over time. Gemma encourages us to focus on the front end, let’s start with nature rather than trying to consider it at the end of the process, where it can often cost more money to rectify should issues arise. In the podcast we also look at retrofitting and how it can be done incredibly well. Gemma shares with us as a case study, the Queensland Court in Glasgow https://www.buildingwithnature.org.uk/project-list-blog/2022/9/29/queensland-court-amp-gardens-cardonald There are many more more case studies on their website which showcase best practice and the successs of the Building with Nature Award scheme; visit “projects” and you can filter them by region www.Buildingwithnature.org.uk

When we design spaces, we need to consider how beautiful a place looks, how useful it is, is it fit for function and so on. We should also consider how the sensory elements of the space also stack up. In other podcasts and also in the Journal itself, we look at how our senses are impacted by sound, light, smell, even the haptic elements (those things we touch), smell (is the air fresh and clear) and many other things. All of us are affected by the impact our environment has on our senses, some of us more than others. In this episode, we speak with Dr Keren MacLennan, Assistant Professor in Neurodiversity in the Department of Psychology, Durham University. Her research focusses on understanding how autistic people’s sensory processing differences relate to their mental health and experiences of different environments. She is co-producing research to support mental wellbeing to make environments more enabling for autistic individuals. We walk about how we all process sensory experience slightly differently, and how those of us who are neurodiverse might find certain sensory environments really challenging. So what is Sensory Reactivity? Where ‘Sensory Processing’ looks at what’s happening actually inside the brain, ‘Sensory Reactivity’ looks at people’s reactions to the space, and therefore we can then make inferences about what’s going on in the brain itself. Keren talks about ‘Sensory hyper-reactivity’ where people might react more strongly to sounds, taste, touch, who might find some as overwhelming or painful. From this negative response we can infer that something is processing differently in the brain than others might process it. In her research autistic people shared that a lot of environments are disabling because of the sensory input. If you think about public transport, healthcare, restaurants, supermarkets, these can be heavy sensory burdensome environments. The Sensory landscapes in those places are challenging, lots of sounds, people, smells, lights, colours. It is important to design with the people who are using it in mind. In cities we can reduce sound and cacophony, creating zones and spaces for people to take a moment, to take a break and recover. If we look at the spatial design avoiding having just enclosed spaces, include also open spaces so people aren’t going to get funnelled through. There is a high prevalence of sensory sensitivity among autistic people, but it also prevalent among people with ADHD as well as PTSD, OCD or who are experiencing anxiety. For instance someone who is anxious is in a state of fight or flight all the time, and therefore might over process their environment, and so might react to the various stimuli in a similar way. How can we bring in Biophilic Design to support neurodiversity and autistic people? 22 mins From her research we know that the top enabling spaces, are outdoors places like parks, beach, woodlands. The effects of nature on autistic people are positive, and especially for children they help support sensory, motor and social developments. If we also bring in natural elements in design, we are making the spaces more enjoyable. Biophilic colour schemes and patterns tend to be more aligned to our innate processing, for instance, we process nature and natural patterns easier. There is a new BSI Design guide for neurodiversity, which outlines advice on how to make spaces sensory inclusive, and it mentions biophilic design on a number of occasions, suggesting more greenery in spaces, which of course absorbs sound, and our brain enjoys processing nature information. Also in a pilot study she did, videos and sounds from nature were rated as being very enjoyable for autistic people. As always, when designing, don’t just go in with theory, which of course is a good starting point, make sure you also consult the people who are going to engage in that space. Is this going to be a beneficial space for them? Make sure engage with the stakeholders to make sure it is going to work for everyone. There are always different skill sets in a business, and of course these also can be quite varied in personality types, and everybody has expertise. Co-design, collaborate, everyone who shares that spaces, everyone should have that input. To connect with Dr MacLennan, https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/keren-maclennan/ To read her research: “It Is a Big Spider Web of Things”: Sensory Experiences of Autistic Adults in Public Spaces https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/aut.2022.0024?journalCode=aut Buy the Cities issue Ebook download https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/shop/journal-of-biophilic-design-issue-4-cities-ebook Printed copy https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/shop/journal-biophilic-design-c-design-magazine-cities-biophilia Watch our other podcasts https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/podcasts-journal-of-biophilic-design