Intuition tells us that views of and exposure to the outdoors are good for the human mental state. In recent years, a handful of scientific studies—most notably Heschong Mahone’s daylighting in schools research—has provided AEC teams with important data to back up design decisions around daylighting, views, biophilic design, and a stronger connection with nature.
As a result of these early studies—and our improved understanding of the human mind—building owners and real estate developers have invested considerably to inject nature into their building projects. From hospitals to schools to office buildings, nature has become big business in new construction and renovation work. Landscaped terraces, rooftop gardens, nature meditation rooms, living walls, healing gardens, on-site parks, walking paths, therapy gardens—these are de rigueur in the modern built environment.
But how much “nature” is needed on projects? Is more always better when it comes to these features and spaces? And what types of nature-inspired design elements are most effective? Considering that these components often require special maintenance procedures and staff and ongoing operational investment, it’s important to explore these questions.
New research from King’s College London, published in the peer-review journal BioScience, sheds some light on the subject. It also provides a method by which AEC teams can assess the effectiveness of nature-inspired features.
Using a custom smartphone app, Urban Mind, the research team monitored the momentary mental well-being of 108 city dwellers, who completed 3,013 “ecological momentary assessments” during a one-week period. Each participant was asked to complete seven assessments per day. Questions included: Are you indoors or outdoors? Can you see trees? Can you see the sky? Can you hear birds singing?
Among the findings: There is a “significant” lagging effect of nature on momentary mental well-being. That is, nature has a lasting positive effect on the mind.
How long exactly? It depends. The data shows, for example, that seeing trees and seeing the sky during an assessment had a statistically significant effect on momentary well-being in the next subsequent assessment, which took place an average of two hours and 25 minutes later. For those “feeling in contact with nature,” the positive mental well-being spike lingered as long as four hours and 50 minutes. Same for “hearing birds singing.” The lingering benefit of “seeing or hearing water” was not as statistically significant.
Obviously, more research is needed in this area, but the study’s basic conclusions could help AEC teams make better-informed decisions about nature-inspired design. For instance, can building design features amplify or extend this lagging positive effect? Is a three-acre healing garden overkill when one acre will do? Do we need more birds chirping inside buildings (please, no!)?
Related Stories
| Mar 21, 2013
Best Firms to Work For: Enermodal Engineering is green to the core
At Enermodal Engineering, there’s only one kind of building—a sustainable one.
| Mar 19, 2013
New LEED for Neighborhood Development and Historic Preservation guide released
A new guidance manual, LEED for Neighborhood Development and Historic Preservation, outlines strategies geared towards helping building teams incorporate historic resources into their developments.
| Mar 14, 2013
25 cities with the most Energy Star certified buildings
Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Chicago top EPA's list of the U.S. cities with the greatest number of Energy Star certified buildings in 2012.
| Mar 10, 2013
Walgreens to build first net-zero energy retail store
Walgreens announced plans last week to build one of the nation's first net-zero retail stores. The Evanston, Ill., location will utilize solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal technology, LED lighting and ultra-high-efficiency refrigeration to produce energy equal to or greater than the building consumes.
| Feb 25, 2013
HOK sustainability expert Mary Ann Lazarus tapped by AIA for strategy consulting position
Mary Ann Lazarus, FAIA, LEED® AP BD+C, has accepted a two-year consulting position with the American Institute of Architects in Washington, DC. Her new position, which begins March 1, will focus on increasing the AIA's impact on sustainability across the profession. The St. Louis-based architect will continue consulting at HOK.
| Feb 20, 2013
CoreNet Global to real estate execs: 'Move forward on net-zero'
CoreNet Global, a major international association for corporate real estate and workplace executives, has released a public policy statement advocating adoption of net-zero energy buildings.
| Feb 13, 2013
Fast Company selects 'most innovative' architecture firms
Business innovation magazine Fast Company has released a list of 10 "most innovative" architectural practices, worldwide.
| Jan 23, 2013
USGBC Releases 2012 List of Top 10 States for LEED
The per-capita list is based on 2010 U.S. Census data and includes commercial and institutional buildings certified under LEED.
| Jan 7, 2013
Jerry Yudelson's issues his "Top 10 Green Building Megatrends" for 2013
Yudelson, a Contributing Editor to Building Design+Construction, says, “It looks like a good year ahead for the green building industry. Based on our experience, it seems clear that green building will continue its rapid expansion globally in 2013 in spite of the ongoing economic slowdown in most countries of Europe and North America. More people are building green each year, with 50,000 LEED projects underway by the latest counts; there is nothing on the horizon that will stop this Mega-trend or its constituent elements.”