For many years, I have viewed biophilic design as something quite distinct and separate. It was a type of architecture that would integrate natural elements into our built environments—a very niche approach to spatial design. But lately, I’ve seen biophilic design grow by leaps and bounds. It hasn’t just gotten larger; it has also gotten a lot more exciting. One of the reasons is that introducing biophilic design into our spaces has become a lot more transformative. Mixing the era of biophilic design with cutting-edge 3D technologies has resulted in an offer of new opportunities and what should be seen as the next big thing in architecture and wayfinding: biophilic 3D design.
In my own practice, I’ve had the privilege of working on several projects where biophilic 3D design has been used to enhance spaces in ways that were previously unimaginable. I count among these works a digitally fabricated structure in a public library that mimics organic forms, an immersive environment that brings a natural landscape into an interior space, and several prototypes of ecosystems that do the same thing in entirely different ways. What excites me about these projects is the way they embody the principle of living architecture—the idea that buildings can respond to the design conditions of organic life in real time and reflect the kinds of behaviors we once thought were exclusive to human beings.
Combining Biophilic Design with 3D Printing: A Natural Partnership
The intersection of biophilic design and 3D technology is, without a doubt, one of the most captivating aspects of the 3D printing realm. I spent the early part of my career producing work with traditional, warm materials—items carved from wood, stone, or clay, all of which have a direct connection to our planet and a natural, sculptural quality. So when 3D printing started to gain traction in architecture and design, I wondered whether we could use this emergent technology to support the biophilic principles that had long guided my work.
Before long, I was engaged in a project that involved 3D-printing structures of natural design. The client was a cutting-edge firm intent on having their office embody a sustainable and innovative spirit. Together, we designed and 3D-printed wall panels that could have been mistaken for works of art—if art were to be mistaken for something else. The panels were functionally part of an “acoustic comfort system.” They were supposed to help make open-plan offices more comfortable places to work.
3D printing offers biophilic design the chance to create forms that mimic nature more closely than traditional methods can. They can be sculptural while still being functional and can be made at any size, even wall-scaled. I once visited an office that had the walls of its conference room covered in a kind of coral that had been 3D printed. It was stunning. To the extent that any human-made environment can be, this particular space felt alive. Returning to the subject of sustainability, though, the 3D printer isn’t just a magical object capable of producing nature-simulating forms. The printer itself is a cutting-edge tool for producing biodegradable parts.
Crafting Engaging Environments Using 3D Visualization and Augmented Reality
A potent instrument within the biophilic 3D toolkit is the use of three-dimensional visualization and augmented reality (AR). In many of my projects, one of the largest hurdles has been helping clients see how biomorphic elements will fit together in their space. Folks often have a hard time getting from the 2D renderings or even the light, scale, and siphonic model of the AR tool to the final space, especially when we’re talking about integrating some natural element—living wall, water feature, large-scale light well, etc.—into an otherwise conventionally constructed space.
This is where 3D visualization and augmented reality come in. I recall a specific project where the clients desired a sanctuary-like home—a place they could retreat to from the chaos of urban life and reconnect with nature. They were struggling to envision how the biophilic features we had talked about—an indoor garden that spanned multiple floors and a large water feature—would work in their existing two-story home. We rendered the unbuilt space in 3D augmented reality so they could virtually walk through it and experience the kind of immersive environment that would be possible once construction was complete.
Using an AR headset, they could traverse the area and feel as though the structure was entirely finished. Sunlight streamed through the skylights, and they could hear the soft, flowing water that would soon fill the indoor garden—an oasis for both people and plants. Walking around with the headset, they interacted with the space and its envisioned occupants in a way that felt real, which made them more confident in the design and in the choice to go forward with it. It also made us way more confident in our real-time decision-making and adjustments to the outlined interior.
Integrating biophilic design with 3D visualization and augmented reality has completely transformed my studio. It’s one thing to discuss biophilic design principles and quite another to let clients virtually experience those principles in a real way. The experience of virtually inhabiting a space that incorporates biophilic design—even when the space is not yet built—reminds me of the profoundly simple truth about this line of work: Design influences human experience.
Three-dimensional design centered on biophilia can enhance public spaces in urban environments.
Biophilic 3D design has the potential to change how public spaces feel. It can make them more friendly and warmer, in much the same way that nature can bridge a divide between the built environment and our need for restorative places. Urban environments are the real test cases for biophilic design turned into public works. They require that restorative bridge more than any other sort of environment, yet they are the landscapes of human in harmony. Cities are where we most need parts of public space to feel inviting and friendly, and biophilic design offers that potential.
I was able to work on a public park project where biophilic 3D design was crucial. The park was in a jam-packed metro location that had no green space, and the ultimate objective was to create a retreat where people could get far from the thick of city life and enjoy the quiet, space, and some form of nature. To get there, we had to work with the design and the elements in the park. For the 3D forms in the park, we went with the idea of trees and natural forms above the human scale—like canopies and other elements found in the upper level of a forest. We also had to figure out where to park the natural elements in the overall design.
The use of 3D printing let us make truly bespoke pieces that met the specific demands of each location, and we took full advantage of it when creating not only the park’s seating but also its climbing structures. The first act of biophilic design took place when we arranged the organic forms of the climbing structures to guide plant life up and around the park while also giving it the tethering support needed to make it reach new heights. These structures not only offered the perfect opportunity for a minimalist living sculpture; when you combined them with the park’s seating, you had a recipe for the best park ever.
I think that as urban areas expand, biophilic three-dimensional design will be increasingly pivotal in determining how we experience city life. In using forms that stimulate sensory engagement and almost tactile visual intimacy, I see an opportunity to reconsider how we make close-to-nature spaces, even in the midst of an urban environment.
Harnessing 3D Biophilic Design to Nurture Sustainability
Throughout my years of designing spaces, one insight has crystallized: sustainable design and biophilic design are inseparable. And in my quest to embrace these allied principles, I’ve been fortunate to harness the power of 3D technology, which allows not only for awesome visualization but also for awesome precision. And when you achieve awesome precision, you reduce waste. And when you reduce waste, and make visualizations so compelling that clients change their behaviors in making project decisions, you lower carbon footprints.
Consider a project I undertook that concerned a commercial building intending to be as environmentally friendly as it could be. We, the designers, used 3D printing to create wall panels that could be easily taken out and replaced or put back in without making too much trash, as one would with conventional construction. We made the wall panels out of a compostable material that looks and feels so much like natural stone that you might even mistake it for the real deal. These panels enhanced the biophilic appearance of the building and its sustainability.
Another benefit of 3D printing was the opportunity to build the shapes right at the construction site. This eliminated a good deal of transportation and associated emissions. I don’t know the numbers, and they weren’t given in the article, but it seems like printing the parts on-site made sense. And that adds to the efficiency, decreases the waste, and aligns with biophilic design principles.
An exhilarating trend in biophilic 3D design is the employment of sustainable, organic materials in the printing process. Nowadays, researchers and designers are using mycelium (a type of fungus) and algae—among other materials—to assemble 3D-printed structures that are not just biodegradable but also capable of regenerating and growing over time. Living in a home with 3D-printed walls made of such organisms and capable of supporting local ecosystems would mark a new frontier in biophilic design, one that 3D technology is helping to make an actual thing.
Three-Dimensional Biophilic Design in Healthcare: Making Nature Part of the Healing Process
The profound impact of biophilic 3D design is most apparent in healthcare settings. Studies have shown that nature in any form can drastically improve patient outcomes, reduce stress, and sometimes even expedite healing. For the most part, biophilic design can comfortably cohabitate with 3D technology in anything that resembles nature—whether that’s an environment that is literally or digitally enhanced.
I’ve been fortunate to have worked on a number of healthcare projects where biophilic design in 3D form was used to create environments that not only heal patients but also provide a supportive atmosphere for staff. One project that I worked on was an atrium for a hospital. We used 3D printing to make the forms of the features in the atrium, and the main focus in the atrium was a set of panels that were inspired by coral reefs. We used 3D printing to make the panels, and the panels were behind a vertical garden that our landscape architect designed. We used both the physically calming aspects of the forms (the structures were made in such a way as to have all of the calmness and restorative qualities of being in a space filled with organic shapes) and the living (but low-maintenance and thus stress-free) garden as a way to help heal the patients and provide a more supportive environment for the staff.
This design had an immediate effect. People often stopped in the atrium, captivated by the natural beauty surrounding them. Comments from nurses and doctors pointed to a lessening of stress associated with passing through the space. Even some patients noted the area as one of “reflection and peace.” The atrium, then, signals a potent reminder of just how powerful nature can be in the act of “healing” an environment. This instance further suggests that biophilic design, when enhanced and expressed using contemporary 3D technologies, has something meaningful to say about the future of well-being environments.
Conclusion: The Biophilic 3D Design Will Live On
I look back at my journey with biophilic 3D design and can’t help but feel excited for the future. Such a novel, transformative approach to design not only allows us but also encourages us to explore the new possibilities of nature integration into our built environments. Our spaces can now be biophilic in more ways than we ever thought possible — from 3D-printed organic structures to immersive AR (augmented reality) experiences. The very tools at our disposal are pushing biophilic design’s limits.
I believe the next few years will bring even more progress in biophilic 3D design. With the push toward “Greening” Architecture, the imperative of sustainability will drive even more toward creation of vernacular structures that veer toward ecotones—those human-made spaces that mimic the edges of ecosystems. And the Odum brothers’ idea that nature is an architect will be applied in even greater measure. “New materials, techniques, and technologies will be explored, making the link between nature and design ever stronger,” says Robert W. Comet, a retired architect.
