It is important to understand how we can bring nature more into our world within our own homes and workplaces in order to stay connected and not feel so disconnected with our natural world. Here we can learn how we can help lesson our anxieties and stressors and reflect upon biomorphic forms and designing can be greatly beneficial in helping those connections and lessoning our anxieties.
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'Biophilic design promotes a sense of significance and meaning to a particular location and a sense of responsibility for our environment. Opportunities for meaningful connections can produce place attachment.’ According to rootedinnature.org
Meaningful connections are essential as we generally have three places that we co-exist in ,- in our home, our workplace, our modes of transport such as a car or public transport and we need to understand that our external world is constantly changing, but we need to stay connected with our natural environment.
We say co-exist because we are sharing this world and our space within our environment with others, and the animal kingdom and are not separate and we forget that we evolved with nature and not separate.
As humans we have evolved and existed intertwined with nature since our beginning and we have adapted to it in very deep ways and it is this connection that we need to cope with the stressors and lesson our anxieties and we often forget.
Something else happens to our neurological system and senses when you spend time viewing or immersed in what feels more natural and exploring our senses in different spaces where we are able to connect or recall that deep down we are very much connected to nature and it is essential to how we act and feel.
Our disconnection from nature has real and measurable impact on us which is discussed in our other article on Biophilic design, and here according to www.rootedinnature.org
‘Biomorphic forms are those that represent natural forms often in an abstract way, relying on contour, patterns, and textures to draw a connection to nature. This can appear in architectural or structural form, or in smaller, more decorative applications.’
It is important to understand that we can make small improvements to our surroundings like having an item on the desk that is sculptured or curved or made of a element that reminds you of a vacation or positive even and something that evokes more joy or literally ‘brings you back down to earth’ when you are stressed
A stress ball is one thing but something that genuinely reminds you or helps you to be more immersed in nature is what biomorphic forms are all about, like,
‘the material your desk is made out of, and what is resting on it, how we position it, or what it looks like or represents to us is very important if we are spending 8 hours literally touching it and being pinned to it daily’
According to www.rootedinnature.org it is important to establish a sense of being placed in a location, region, or community through a variety of means including geographic, ecologically and through personal connections.
We feel that this means that we can utilise a variety of ways to promote biomorphism into our homes, vehicles, places of work or surroundings where our senses can embrace these aspects and, this can further be described as how we refer to the world to incorporate;
1. Geographical – mountains, lakes, rocks, rivers, landscapes, etc.
2. Historical - creating a connection to the passing of time, evoking a sense of continuity to the present and future with maps or specific photographs
3. Ecological – sustaining a deep connection to the environment and all that this means in the natural world on our planet and others
4. Personal Connections – embracing all that this means to create positive connections to your space
5. Natural Materials – the use of local, natural and immediate materials
Biomorphic design in architecture means forms that are made to make us see, feel and think about nature itself to draw us into a connection with nature and in a world of rising carbon and climate change it is important to gain the greatest connection with nature that we can and reduce our carbon footprint.
Examples of design and architecture include things like looking at how an office lobby or office uses abstracted geometrical shapes at the top of a room to make it look like a tree canopy to infer a more nature like ceiling. Here we can simply embrace it in our own office by placing a design on the ceiling or near windows.
'Decorative examples of this come in other ways for example where smaller, more decorative applications can be seen in banisters or railings, furniture, floor mosaics, window details, fabrics, and wall paper designs as with the desk example.'
Likewise a curved seating can evoke a biomorphic form helping us to feel like wanting to move through the space which evokes the feeling of being in space, as with the look of planets or space itself.
Lighting fixtures that look like clouds or mimicking the movement of wind help us to feel more connected even when we are inside to the outside world and all of this is to help our senses to feel more at ease and connected.
Slow moving fixtures creating patterns on the floor or walls to immolate more movement and slight shifts in lighting help us to sense more movement especially important as nature itself is always moving.
Arches or reflective features helping to give a sense of movement of like that of the water or anything that helps to draw in our connection with nature is considered biomorphic in design.
How we bring nature into our worlds, work and personal life is an important aspect of the world around us is essential to how we live and breathe and can be as simple as having a round sculpture made of wood that we can touch or look at.
Different textures and how we embrace them in everyday life that reflect nature are highly important to us not being stuck touching the plastic keyboard all day long but rather something that embraces nature at first glance or touch.
We can also learn how to create a connection to the passing of time, evoking a sense of continuity to the present and future with items relating to history pieces of art, fittings or furnishings.
‘The basics of a biophilic strategy is also to have a Interdependence which is achieved when no item stands alone, each supports and is strengthened by the others such as humans and relationships being important to one’s life with relationships, communication and supporting great mental health.’
Nature itself functions as an ecosystem in deep synchronicity with every other part of the ecosystem, no one thing stands alone, each affects the other which is the same as life itself with people, communication and relationships.
With anxiety it is often not easy to understand it’s true origins but an integrated approach can be utilised where one can explore their sub-modalities and sense of contentment or joy in doing certain tasks or being in certain places to truly understand how that space affects them.
According to www.commercialsilk.com
Biomorphic patterns can be introduced in the form of rugs, wallpaper, fabrics, and more. Free-standing sculptures, woodwork, masonry, and wall decals are other types of designs that fall under the Biomorphic category as well.
A biophilic interior design may incorporate biomorphism but not all biomorphic designs are necessarily biophilic.
Both phenomena are rooted in the common philosophy
– we belong with nature’
Integration implies a connection to our environment that is multi-faceted just as in order to resolve a problem we need to analyse what we are doing just like we need to analyse the spaces we exist in.
In the modern world we can often feel anxious and not realise that it is because something in our immediate surroundings is reminding us of a past negative situation, and our immediate space that incorporates nature alone can often help to distract us in a positive way to feel a more soothing sense and nourishment.
‘In an ideal space each element makes sense for the overall purpose of the space and there is a connection in the way that rooms, furniture, plants and spaces imply a connection to the people who use them.’
With interdependence with the biophilic strategy it is applied and developed in conjunction with the other strategies so they feel as though they cannot be separated such as in a space which feels so connected to nature but is indoors.
Understanding how to embrace more biomorphic forms can help us to view our anxieties differently and cope better with our stressors in what see, feel and hear and that we and our sensory networks can learn to embrace natural ways of being and nature itself to help support our mental health better.
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