page_title: Biophilic design
section_title: Experience of space and place
hierarchical_section_title: Biophilic design / Dimensions / Experience of space and place
caption_attribution_description: Just outside Eureka Springs in the Arkansas Ozarks--itself a divine place--lies this small, peaceful, non-denominational chapel. Even as I feel the distance between the organized religion I was raised with and myself grow, places like this remind me of why the underlying faith meant and continues to mean so much to me. Designed by E. Fay Jones in 1979, completed in July 1980.
context_page_description: Biophilic design is a concept used within the building industry to increase occupant connectivity to the natural environment through the use of direct nature, indirect nature, and space and place conditions. Used at both the building and city-scale, it is argued that this idea has health, environmental, and economic benefits for building occupants and urban environments, with few drawbacks. Although its name was coined in recent history, indicators of biophilic design have been seen in architecture from as far back as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon
context_section_description: The experience of space and place uses spatial relationships to enhance well-being:
  Prospect and Refuge: Refuge refers to the buildings ability to provide comfortable and nurturing interiors (alcoves, dimmer lighting), while prospect emphasizes horizons, movement, and sources of danger. Examples of design elements include balconies, alcoves, lighting changes, and areas spaciousness (savannah environment).
  Organized Complexity: This principle is meant to simulate the need for controlled variability; this is done in design through repetition, change, and detail of the building's architecture.
  Integration of Parts: When different parts comprise a whole, it provides satisfaction for occupants: design elements include interior spaces using clear boundaries and or the integration of a central focal point.
  Transitional Spaces: This element aims to connect interior spaces with the outside or create comfort by providing access from one space to another environment through the use of porches, decks, atriums, doors, bridges, fenestrations, and foyers.
  Mobility: The ability for people to comfortably move between spaces, even when complex; it provides the feeling of security for occupants and can be done through making clear points of entry and egress.
  Cultural and Ecological Attachment to Place: Creating a cultural sense of place in the built environment creates human connection and identity. This is done by incorporating the area's geography and history into the design. Ecological identity is done through the creation of ecosystems that promote the use of native flora and fauna.
  Each of these experiences are meant to be considered individually when using biophilia in projects, as there is no one right answer for one building type. Each building's architect(s) and project owner(s) must collaborate to include the biophilic principles they believe fit within their scope and most effectively reach their occupants.
caption: Thorncrown Chapel is often seen as a model of biophilic design due to it having all three of Kellert's experiences.
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