Journal of Biophilic Design cover art

Journal of Biophilic Design

By: Vanessa Champion editor Journal of Biophilic Design
Listen for free

  • Summary

  • Welcome to our podcast series from the Journal of Biophilic Design, where we interview workplace consultants, futurists, interior designers, architects, urban planners and those working in healthcare, wellbeing and other industries to find out the latest on Biophilic Design. www.journalofbiophilicdesign.com
    Content copyright Journal of Biophilic Design, opinions copyright the speaker.
    Show More Show Less
Episodes
  • Tall Timber Buildings - are they the Future of our Urban Landscape?

    Tall Timber Buildings - are they the Future of our Urban Landscape?
    May 10 2024
    Andrew Waugh is an architect with a passion for using sustainable materials in construction projects. His practice, Waugh Thistleton Architects, is a London based architectural practice producing thoughtful and sustainable projects both locally and internationally. The practice is a world leader in engineered timber and pioneer in the field of tall timber buildings. Of particular renown is the Black & White building in London that has been short listed for a RIBA London Award in 2024. The build was described by RIBA journal as 'a major step forward for the development and construction industry’ and is the tallest engineered timber office building in central London.In 2023, Waugh Thistleton were named Architect of the Year in AJ Architecture Awards 2023. The Architect's Journal recognised the practise for their long standing advocacy for timber saying that 'In the face of the climate crisis, Waugh Thistleton is a worthy winner for its ability to work within the constraints of very challenging policy yet create cutting-edge, sustainable architecture. Not only that, it is also prompting the whole industry to raise its game.’In this podcast, Andrew explains the different types of engineered timber and how some have superior structural strength while others have the mass required to offer superior acoustic performance. The choice of materials, as he outlines, is determined by usefulness, cost and how they fit into an overall objective of using as few materials as possible.! Andrew’s passion for the use of sustainable materials shines through as he explains how the wood used is sourced from forests planted with biodiversity in mind. The forests are not monoculture forests, they are planted with FSC of PEFC licences, and the harvest used for producing construction materials is a long way short of the overall capacity of the forests to produce sustainable timber.From a biophilic design perspective, Andew details some of the many health and well-being benefits of using wood in the built environment. The better acoustics, the hydroscopic nature of wood creating better air quality and the calming properties of sawn timber are among the benefits discussed. He also describes how the external wood design, creates Solar shading on the building which reduces energy use for heating and cooling by about a third.Talking of the Black and White building, Andrew says:“IIt is important for us to ensure that this move towards low carbon construction, low carbon architecture is not a peripheral occupation. It is not just for birdwatching centres, and National Trust museums, it has to be mainstream. The entire building, which was built for a commercial company, Blackstone, is above the ground floor slab made of timber. So, it's timber staircases, timber, lift shafts, timber beams, columns, floor slabs, external wall curtain walling is timber, and the external cladding is timber as well. A completely timber building. It was built very quickly in 83 weeks. So very fast construction. It was cost equivalent to concrete. We were obliged to track the cost of the building all the way to tender with the main contractor against a concrete equivalent building and we were able to demonstrate that it was cost equivalent. So fast, inexpensive, and letting extremely well - the client’s very happy, which is really nice.”Each piece of timber has a QR code, so it can be placed exactly into place. So it’s not only fast but also quiet and clean. Put that against the usual cement trucks and building site cacophony. In fact the whole building took only 70 deliveriesThe overriding message from Andrew’s advocacy of sustainable building, using the example of the Black and White building, is that using these technologies and approaches is a positive advance in construction with myriad benefits. It is no longer necessary to wear a metaphorical hair shirt to build in a way that is sympathetic to the environment. Fast, quiet and quick construction of modern buildings filled with biophilic design is the route to happy owners and happy occupants. To find out more about the projects visit: https://waughthistleton.comTo download the free ebook he mentioned, click here:https://info.thinkwood.com/download/100-uk-clt-projectsHave you got a copy of the Journal? You can purchase a copy directly from us at the journalofbiophilicdesign.com or Amazon. If you like our podcast and would like to support us in some way, you can buy us a coffee if you’d like to, thank you xCredits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts. Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds?Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsnLinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/journalofbiophilicdesign/Instagram https://...
    Show More Show Less
    Less than 1 minute
  • NEW proof that Biophilic Design increases the Value (£) of the Workplace!

    NEW proof that Biophilic Design increases the Value (£) of the Workplace!
    Apr 12 2024
    Did you know for every £1 you spend on even simple Biophilic Design enhancements, you could get £2.70 back? So reveals the new research conducted by Joyce Chan Shoof Architect and Sustainability Lead at the UK Parliament. Using a scientific approach with control environments, adding biophilic design elements to test the effect and then removing them to further test the effect of their absence, Joyce explains the rigorous approach she took over a seven-year period to arrive at her conclusion.This is a phenomenal breakthrough for those of us working in Biophilic Design.You can read the whole report here: https://plplabs.com/reap-what-you-sow-2/And come and see Joyce present the research in person at Workplace Trends in London on the 18th April 2024 https://workplacetrends.co/events/wtrs24-prog/We often have struggled trying to articulate the economic benefits of Biophilic Design, this research can be used to support arguments why businesses need it in the workplace. Joyce has also developed a framework to help designers work out what we need and the impact it will have. Using existing frameworks, like the Flourish model (as advocated by Professor Derek Clements Croome) and others, she has woven a great new model we can all hang our designs on.From a career as a practicing architect, Joyce explains that transferring to the client side within the Parliamentary Estate has been transformational in the way she sees building design from feasibility study through to construction. The change and the opportunity it gave her has inspired her to incorporate multidisciplinary approaches and to study the impact of taking a biophilic design on efficiency, productivity and well-being within the workplace.Just like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, one interesting outcome that she highlights during the podcast, the study concludes that an immersive approach to incorporating Biophilic Design in the workplace is less effective overall than a more measured approach. But she explains that the immersive effect was preferred by people. The results showed that the moderate Biophilic Design intervention (that which we could normally advocate) seems to be the best.Joyce sees academic rigour as an important part of her role when leading a complex development. Since 2017, she has been conducting this doctoral research with the Design School at Loughborough University, focused on Sustainable Well-being in the workplace with a particular interest in biophilic and social value. She is a keen advocate of how Architects can make positive impacts towards allowing people to live happier and healthier. Her team sits within the Design Authority who are a group of design professionals and specialists who are managing the estate in Westminster, and their objective is to inject new thinking into the adaptive use of new and heritage buildings within the Parliamentary Estate – a UNESCO site. Parliament’s vision is amibitious; it aims to set an example to lead the early adoption of Zero Carbon (Scope 1, 2 & 3), Healthy Buildings, Social Value and Circular Economy through our own refurbishment projects and procurement. The team manages the design, construction and operations of the Parliamentary Estate of 20 buildings including the Palace of Westminster. Joyce discusses her study of the economic benefits of incorporating a biophilic design approach to workspace and gives many insights into her approach and into how she found a way of attributing economic value to the benefits.Her wish is that we reconnect with nature, the sources of food, the feeling of being part of nature rather than living lives that separate us from the natural world. She wishes that all of us benefit from an improved environment, and her research is a massive and welcome step in that direction. To register for Workplace Trends and meet Joyce in person on the 18th of April 2024: https://workplacetrends.co/events/wtrs24-prog/Reap What You Sow: What’s the value (£) of Biophilic Design? (14.40)– Joyce Chan-Schoof (RIBA), PhD Research Researcher, Loughborough University and Sustainability Lead, UK ParliamentGiven employees are the largest cost for a business, to what extent can biophilic design save companies money by ensuring that staff are healthier and happier at work? We explore these questions by delving into the monetary benefits of biophilic design. This presentation presents new ways to capture the tangible well-being and environmental values of connecting with nature in the workplace. This project is part of a doctoral research project at Loughborough University in collaboration with PLP Architects, Benholm and Reading University. Joyce’s research is funded by the Design Star (AHRC), and the BCO sponsored the pilot study.Read more and follow up on the research:https://plplabs.com/wearables-in-the-workplace/https://www.bco.org.uk/Research/Publications/Use_of_Wearables_In_The_Office_-_A_review_and_examples_in_practice.aspxHave you got a copy of the ...
    Show More Show Less
    51 mins
  • Creating Eden

    Creating Eden
    Apr 11 2024

    The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries and this fact is yet another reason we need more Biophilic Design included into urban planning, architecture, design, and every environmental facet of city and town life. Robert Delius, Associate Director, Architect and Head of Sustainability at Stride Treglown is doing just that. Aiming to maximise biodiversity through design, Robert has a passion to create an Eden, where buildings and landscapes come together and there's a feeling of abundance, where there's nature and birdsong and insect life and a powerful sense of well-being. Robert’s background in housing design and master planning has set him up in good stead to create good design and great places. Distinctiveness and place making are a thread through his career. He also has a particular interest in regenerative design and how great design can have a measurably positive impact on climate, ecology and people. In short, he is a brilliantly creative proactive advocate for Biophilic Design. He believes that forging a closer connection to the natural world, is extremely good for our well-being as well as being good for the planet and good for nature, and his passion for Biophilic Design is life-long. One of the projects he discusses is his Great Bow Yard project in Somerset from 2008. This had gained media attention because it had been flagged as the most energy efficient scheme in the UK. Having recently revisited the project, Robert notes that residents, are not only pleased with the low energy costs, but were actually most enthused by the shared garden and the feelings of well-being that stem from it being a beautiful spot. In this podcast, Robert talks of his background and upbringing and how that has led him to his passion for living in harmony with nature. He discusses how on his projects, and those of his colleagues, he always looks to introduce as many opportunities as possible for planting in designs, both internally and externally to reduce hard space and introduce a softer more natural element. This passion is carried through to the present day. As we said at the beginning, Robert is concerned to note that the UK is the most one of the most nature depleted countries in the world and this fact has inspired him, and others, to create a public event “Code Red for Nature” (link below), a funeral for nature in Bath on 20th April 2024. The event is open to all, even Chris Packham will be there supporting and Dan Pearson design studio will also be taking part. Great Bow Yard: https://stridetreglown.com/projects/great-bow-yard/ Code Red: https://www.coderedfornature.uk/ 2pm on Saturday 20th April 2024 in Bath, TAKE PART IN ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL AND AMBITIOUS PIECES OF STREET THEATRE YET TO BE ENACTED ON BEHALF OF BIODIVERSITY LOSS If you like this, please subscribe! Please register for our newsletter on our website https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/podcasts-journal-of-biophilic-design Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts. Did you know our podcast is also on Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Stitcher, vurbl, podbay, podtail, and most if not all the RSS feeds? Facebook https://www.facebook.com/journalofbiophilicdesign/ Twitter https://twitter.com/JofBiophilicDsn LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/journalofbiophilicdesign/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/journalofbiophilicdesign
    Show More Show Less
    36 mins
Psychology Hygiene & Healthy Living History Social Sciences Science
Show More Show Less

What listeners say about Journal of Biophilic Design

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.co.uk reviews

Amazon reviews
No Reviews are Available