Nature in architecture

One of the most debated and addressed topics in recent decades is undoubtedly that regarding sustainability and its application in all fields of knowledge.

Specifically, in architecture, the sustainable design It has become one of the cardinal principles that has guided the work of many masters in the sector, who have made an important contribution to the knowledge of the relationship between building and environment, no longer understood only as a mere concept.

However, it is good not to confuse thearchitecture sustainable with that biophilic. In fact, these are two approaches that are similar in principle but different in terms of the actors involved.

If the first one places the building in close dependence on the environment, the second one focuses on the relationship between the anthropized environment and the natural environment and therefore has as its ultimate goal that of recover the man-nature relationship. 

Attention to the environment

Today's scientific and technological progress has allowed everyone to develop a greater awareness of the importance that the built environment has on our planet.

For this reason, one of the key principles underlying the design of recent years is the respect for the artifact inserted in the specific context.

In order to return to future generations a humanized environment that does not negatively impact the ecosystem, it was necessary to design buildings according to specific guidelines. First of all, the intelligent management of energy and the exploitation of renewable resources, followed by the use of natural and local materials, aimed at containing costs and CO2 emissions.

However, in addition to being very important to operate according to sustainability criteria, it is revealed it is essential to pay attention also to the needs of man and to his goodness health.

The goal is to guarantee citizens, who live in the built environment every day, healthy spaces that are able to promote well-being through the inclusion of green areas, vertical gardens, vegetable gardens, play areas with plants and recreational areas aimed at the socialization of condominiums in residences and workers in offices and companies. This is a modus operandi that is already widespread in some Asian countries and that is arriving late in Italy.  

Green in architecture

Green architecture, green in architecture and again green-building integration, are all concepts that share the same meaning and the same objectives.

At the base, the principle of a design that opens the artifacts to the outside, opening the perimeter walls towards terraces and green spaces that develop in elevation and make the envelope more permeable.

Integration between what is artificial and what comes directly from the natural environment: a fusion aimed at promoting social cohesion, psycho-physical well-being and connection with nature to alleviate the risks from the impact of the built environment and increase biodiversity.

New technologies involve an intelligent integration of greenery into the building, where plant species are not merely decorative elements but solutions capable of making the air cleaner, improving the climate inside living spaces and recovering a sociality oriented towards encouraging activities linked to the natural world. Furthermore, it is proven that housing models of this type have a particular social impact: the idea of ​​a residence as a block built and intended for a single function fades away. People are eager to live in spaces that become shared, where exchange and aggregation are the masters and thanks to which the quality of life increases. 

However, it is important not to confuse two increasingly used and similar solutions: vertical green hanging green. The first typology is spreading in urban contexts, in correspondence with the vertical walls of buildings. These are easy-to-manage solutions that involve the installation of plant species rooted in systems anchored to the building envelope, with an autonomous water system. This type of greenery contributes to the improvement of the internal microclimate of the building and to the increase of the air quality in the city.

The green roof instead, consists in the recreation of a real natural environment inside areas without natural soil. Its maintenance is more complex, as it is necessary to manage the layers that compose the system, in order to develop the plant species.

To learn more about vertical gardens click here

Biophilia: A Way of Life

It is therefore clear that sustainable architecture now represents a necessity and almost a practice, but it is important to point out that it mainly deals with the relationship that the artifact must have with the context, partly neglecting the well-being of the person.

The latter is favored by the awareness of how the building must contain within itself solutions designed and measured for man. Designing according to this last principle generates and develops examples of biophilic architecture.

“Biophilia”, from the Greek βίος = life and φίλος = friend, indicates the love for life and nature understood as a primary necessity of human existence. From this concept derives the intrinsic meaning of biophilic design, that is, to give the user healthy environments connected to the natural world, through the choice of eco-compatible materials, large windows that let natural light flow, plants placed in the external and internal space of the building.

Open space at high altitude where the use of natural materials is the master.

By following these simple guidelines it will be possible to obtain environments that are closer to natural ones and with a higher quality than the standards of anthropized ones. It is well known, in fact, how the presence of plant species in daily life can bring benefits from a psycho-physical point of view, favoring a real regenerative process. It is about recovering the relationship between man and the environment, too often lost in urban and metropolitan realities, through the insertion of natural elements in buildings and urban spaces, according to an ecological design approach.

To this end, similarly to sustainable design, conducted by analyzing the built environment according to evaluation scales (LCA, EDP, Ecolabel), for biophilic architecture one can refer to BQI (Biophilic Quality Index). This index allows to analyze the building in relation to the context and in each of its external and internal components. The artifact inserted in the environment will be evaluated for its exposure and its orientation, the individual internal areas with the intended use and their position, the level of permeability of the spaces with respect to the outside and the visibility of the surrounding context. And again, natural lighting and air quality, the presence of green species and the use of natural and local materials.

It would be good to include, when possible, vegetable gardens and gardens that, in addition to improving living conditions, will promote the well-being of the individual and socialization with others. It is interesting how much a model of this type has therapeutic effects and can also be useful in contexts other than residential ones, such as hospital facilities and housing complexes for the elderly. In fact, some recent studies have shown how outdoor recreational activities and gardening have beneficial influences on individual and collective health.   

In conclusion, there are many advantages of this type of approach to architectural design: what is obtained is a clear improvement in internal climatic conditions and air quality in addition to an increase in user well-being. It is trivial to point out that biophilic architecture goes hand in hand with sustainability, as it is both able to reduce pollution and the “heat island” effect and to encourage energy saving and consequently economic savings.

Projects

We have now understood how important it is that design considers numerous aspects related to the recovery of the relationship between man-environment-building. However, not all areas of the planet have the privilege of enjoying buildings designed specifically for man and in full respect of the environment.

Some countries boast world leadership in terms of architecture with integrated greenery, one of these is the Malaysia with its spectacular buildings built in Singapore.

Moshe Safdie – Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore, 2019

A mix of different functions and nature inserted into the artifact: a one-of-a-kind airport, which hosts one of the highest waterfalls in the world. The Jewel Changi Airport, designed by Moshe Safdie is one of the most famous examples of biophilic architecture, thanks to the inclusion of green walks and technological solutions aimed at connecting with nature. The building boasts a transparent skin which, in addition to using high-performance glass, guarantees an abundant influx of natural light into the spaces and promotes the growth of plants and plant species present inside it.

The latter constitute a real forest spread over five floors, in correspondence with the terraced spaces and formed by multiple types of plants and shrubs. The building also includes a water recovery system: the accumulation tanks are designed to exploit the rainwater that filters from the open oculus on the roof and is used for the waterfall and for the irrigation of the green inserts. The internal microclimate is maintained in optimal conditions for the plants, through the openings in the facade and on the top of the building, in addition to a treated ventilation system.

Bjarke Ingels GroupCarlo Ratti Associati – CapitaSpring, Singapore, 2019

A building distributed in height, the result of the long re-functionalization of an area that hosted a parking lot and a covered food market. Today, the skyscraper is conceived as a green lung, the peculiarity of which consists in the organization of the plant species inside it, which have decreasing dimensions towards the top. The choice arises from the fact that the foliage of the plants grows faster if in direct contact with the sun's rays. It is a sort of green pyramid which starts from a base that hosts a square and develops along paths suspended in height.

Defined as “new hanging gardens” of Singapore, inside they host spaces with different functions: offices, commercial establishments, corners for restaurants, residences and many green areas accessible to all. The latter are characterised by the roof-garden and by real oases inside the building, which blend in with the spaces in a balanced way, creating paths and trails aimed at transmitting the feeling of being immersed in nature.

To view the technical drawing of a garden roof click here

The Italian case

And what if all this became a widespread reality in Italy too? What should we expect in a country rich in history, where the built environment is the result of a millenary activity and where today the idea of ​​a sustainable architecture designed for man is spreading, with a bit of a delay, which represents the very purpose of architecture?

Certainly, it is important to recover an active relationship with nature, especially within urbanized contexts where the quality of life is often decreasing, in favor of increasingly dense and standardized spaces.

The biggest challenge is to promote the diffusion of greenery in architecture, using the most advanced technologies but with a always keeping an eye on the past and the archetypes of the place. In fact, distorting an environment means producing a consequent reaction in the people who live in that environment. It is therefore necessary to revisit in a green way the architectural tradition of one of the richest countries in history, in order to raise the level of comfort of users and guarantee healthier environments shared by all.

Sometimes, it is good to admit that multifunctional skyscrapers do offer multiple services but they do not reflect the idea of ​​recovering a slower and healthier lifestyle that we all need today. It is the idea of ​​a less frenetic daily life, where even work can become a pleasant activity and conducted in open and green spaces.

This last concept is similar to what generated “Welcome feeling at work” a reality that should land on Italian soil thanks to the mastery of the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma and the experience of the biologist Stefano Mancuso.

A new idea of ​​work spaces designed not only to optimize employee performance but also to improve their lives and encourage social interaction.

Starting from the redevelopment of the former Rizzoli industrial area of ​​Milan, the project involves the creation of a building in which greenery integrates, completes and gives value to the office complex. A biophilic modus operandi that not only demonstrates coherence of intent, through the real use of natural materials and renewable energy, but also promotes a new pro-natural mentality for those who will frequent the spaces designed in this way.

It is therefore essential that construction activity places man at the centre, who must find balance with himself and with the environment that surrounds him, thanks to visual, tactile and olfactory contact with green, in a world where slowness, quality and health too often take a back seat.  

Cover: EDEN tower in Singapore by Heatherwick Studio – Photo by: Andrew Tan/luxplush

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