Falling Water & Biophilia

“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature, it will never fail you.” -FLW

Frank Lloyd Wright coined the term Organic Architecture to describe his approach for integrating the built environment with the natural environment.  He believed that a building should be a sustaining system, interconnected with its site.  His goal with every project was to make the landscape more beautiful than it was before.  He consistently brought nature into his designs through material selection, color, texture, acoustics and of course space planning.

Biophilia has been a buzz word in the design community in recent years, however the concept is not new.  Erich Fromm, a psychoanalyst, first introduced the word “biophilia” in the 1970s when he hypothesized that human beings are biologically drawn to life and all that is alive.

Human beings have a universal appreciation for the natural world and living systems.  Focusing on fostering connection between nature and interior space fulfills a fundamental human need.  When we use the principles of biophilic design to inform a project we directly impact the way people experience their environment physically, but also emotionally.  As designers we can reconnect people with the outside world, improving occupant health and wellbeing, by incorporating nature into all our designs.