This is the behind-the-scenes of my 'Assistive Technologies In 2050' project, you can find the final story here.
Statement of intent
The United Nations predicts that 68% of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050 (United Nations, 2018). I believe this rapid urbanisation will lead to a disconnect between us and the natural environment. I aim to raise levels of wellbeing and reconnect children in 2050 who are living in urban areas with the natural environment by transforming their educational settings using assistive technologies with biophilic designs. Children living in cities will have little opportunity to reconnect with nature in their daily lives. My classroom design will enhance their fundamental abilities to feel, think, and act by fostering a connection to nature and stimulating their creativity and learning abilities.
What is biophillic design?
Humans have developed to live in harmony with our natural surroundings; due to this, we have an innate need to connect with nature on physical and emotional levels. This theory is supported by biologist Edward Wilson who popularised the term ‘biophilia’ in the 1980’s meaning ‘love of nature’. Wilson recognised that this connection is directly linked to our inter and intrapersonal well-being. Moreover, he found that many psychological problems created by societies departure from rural life and move to cities can be resolved using biophilic assistive technologies.
Images via Unsplash
What are the benefits of biophilic design?
Empirical studies have reported that direct and indirect experiences of nature have a multitude of positive effects on our overall wellbeing. Studies found that visual connections to nature improved mental engagement/ attentiveness (Biederman & Vessel, 2006) positively impacted attitude and overall happiness (Barton & Pretty, 2010). Additionally, material connections with nature Improved creative performance (Lichtenfeld et al., 2012) and dynamic and diffused light positively impacted circadian system functioning ( Figueiro, Brons, Plitnick et al., 2011; Beckett & Roden, 2009). Moreover, boredom, irritation and fatigue were reduced by the prospect of nature in space (Clearwater & Coss, 1991). The quantifiable benefits of biophilic design ideally merge with my aim to reconnect children in future cities the natural world and improve their overall wellbeing.
What does biophillic design look like in 2050?
The future of design is to integrate with nature holistically and turn a concrete urban environment into a tranquil oasis. The digital technologies of future cities and classrooms will bring about a desire for emotional and physical engagement with the world around us. Biophilic assisitve technology elements include the use of natural shapes and forms, light and space, processes and patterns, and environmental features which combine to create quantatative positive impacts on wellbeing. Utilising these elements, I intend to revitalise 2050 classrooms by integrating connections to nature into student interactions.
Biophilic designs from the story:
- The textured carpet features tactile and visual elements of natural patterns analogous to the forest floor.
- The ceiling design casts natural light across the classroom, which helps regulates students circadian rhythm.
- The exposed grain wooden desks create visual and tactile elements of nature.
- The cubby holes are an interactive design analogous to honeycomb.
- The green wall uses visual, tactile and physiological elements to benefit students.
The future of biophilic assisitve technologies is to integrate elements which adapt to changes in conditions as nature does—for example, the changes in daylight and biorhythms of our seasons. Designs which capture this continual flux in states give us a feeling of freedom and release from the permanent structures we live in. Emerging technologies in this field include Dynamic Glass (View, 2020) which adjusts to reduce sunlight glare while maintaining the view. Moreover, Boeing has introduced a Sky Interior (Modak, 2016) design which projects clouds onto the aircraft ceiling. I have envisioned designs which merge technology and nature to capture a sense of changing states.
Further designs from the story:
- The 3D printed biocomposite wallpaper of the story mimics the structure of a spiders web while its shape and colour give a cocoon-like look. The biocomposite material lightens and darkens in response to changes in humidity and heat resulting in an indoor feature which changes with the seasons, enriching students experiences of nature throughout the year.
- In the story, Astrid describes how changes in light make her school uniform shift from white to shades of green. Her uniform is made of photochromic leuco dye which changes colour when exposed to UV rays. This design makes students more aware of changes in their environment.
Perspectives on biophilic design
Biophilic assisitve technologies can enhance the positive impacts of our social fabrics, especially in education and schooling. However, there are positive and negative views of biophilic design to take into consideration:
- Incorporating living organisms such as plants into schools and offices is unfeasible. Plants need sufficient sunlight to photosynthesise; however, many indoor environments do not have many natural light sources. Plants also need care and maintenance to survive, and this means institutions must hire a gardener to preserve their plants which can be expensive and time consuming.
- Biophilic design reduces reliance on electricity and non-renewable energy. Indoor plants will purify the air as well as aid ventilation and thermodynamics, replacing mechanical alternatives which use electricity and non-renewable resources. Additionally, sourcing local materials to create Biophilic designs will eliminate the energy used in outsourcing materials.
- Biophilic spaces must be made accessible to all to ensure equality. If access to these enhanced classroom spaces is limited to private schools, the rich will gain greater access to its wellbeing benefits while the poor will not.
Personal perspective
I believe biophilic design will be a savour for all people living in our future cities. The simplistic nature of biophilic assistive technologies makes them highly accessible to all and very easy to incorporate into everyday life. Bringing elements such as natural patterns, colours and living organisms into our spaces does not require complicated processes, making it highly achievable to create simple and impactful improvements everyone’s wellbeing.
Image via Unsplash
Reflection
This project has been an interesting challenge, the unique brief to design a 'future assistive technology' was very daunting as I felt we were given the challenge to invent something never seen before. Utilising the flexible interpretation of assistive technologies as 'processes and products that enhance our fundamental abilities to feel, think, and act' I focused on the concept of biophilic design which indirectly assists human capabilities in many quantitative ways.
I found it difficult to follow the structure of the assingment through the lens of biophilic assistive technologies. The final designs I created are not what you would usually picture as 'assistive tech' however, they feature biophilic elements which combine in a classroom environment to assist the future students of 2050 not only to achieve in school to the best of their abilities but also to reconnect with nature.
Overall, I found this assignment difficult to work with as the guidlines around what our assistive technologies should be like were very vague. However, I enjoyed the process of researching and learning about the concept of biophilic design, one which I had never heard of before. This project has inspired me to study biophilic architecture in the future and seek out designers who share my green vision.
References:
14 Patterns of Biophilic Design. (2014, September 12). http://www.terrapinbrightgreen.com/reports/14-patterns-of-biophilic-design/
Amanda, S. (2019, January 6). Using biophilic design to heal body, mind, and soul. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAmbZCtNC9U
Balmat, N. (2015, April 13). Photochromia, a futurist apparel responding to shades & lights. Futur404. https://futur404.com/photochromia/
Barton, J. & J. Pretty (2010). What Is the Best Dose of Nature and Green Exercise for Improving Mental Health. Environmental Science & Technology, 44, 3947–3955.
Beckett, M. & L.C. Roden (2009). Mechanisms by which circadian rhythm disruption may lead to cancer. South African Journal of Science 105, November/December 2009.
Biederman, I., & Vessel, E.A. (2016). Perceptual Pleasure and the Brain A novel theory explains why the brain craves information and seeks it through the senses.
Clearwater, Y.A., & R.G. Coss (1991). Functional Esthetics to Enhance Wellbeing. In Harrison, Clearwater & McKay (Eds.). From Antarctica to Outer Space. New York: Springer-Verlag, pp410.
Color Changing Apparels, Photochromic Dyes, Chameleon Clothing, Conventional Printing Methods, Fibre2fashion—Fibre2Fashion. (2009, February). https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/3911/color-changing-apparels-with-photochromic-dyes
Figueiro, M.G., J.A. Brons, B. Plitnick, B. Donlan, R.P. Leslie, & M.S. Rea (2011). Measuring circadian light and its impact on adolescents. Light Res Technol. 43 (2): 201-215.
Heath, O. (n.d.). Biophilic Design—Connecting with nature to improve health & well being—Oliver Heath. https://www.oliverheath.com/biophilic-design-connecting-nature-improve-health-well/
Lichtenfeld, S., A.J. Elliot, M.A. Maier, & R. Pekrun (2012). Fertile Green: Green Facilitates Creative Performance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38 (6), 784-797.
Oakley, D. (2017, October 12). Technology-Inspired Trends Emerging in Biophilic Design. DesignIntelligence. https://www.di.net/articles/technology-inspired-trends-emerging-biophilic-design/
Products. (n.d.). View, Inc. Retrieved September 3, 2020, from https://view.com/product
Sebastian, M. (2016, October 3). Boeing Wants to Project Clouds and Stars Into Its Airplane Cabins | Condé Nast Traveler. https://www.cntraveler.com/story/boeing-wants-to-project-clouds-and-stars-into-its-airplane-cabins
Tirelli, G. (2019, April 2). Top 10 Benefits of Living Green Walls. Ecobnb. https://ecobnb.com/blog/2019/04/living-green-walls-benefits/
Zahnzinger, M. (2015, May 3). Photocromia: Color-Changing Garbs Are Back in the Sunlight. Reviewed Laundry. https://www.reviewed.com/laundry/features/shedding-some-light-on-photocromia-clothes
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