🌍 Biophilic Design Around the World: Culture, Health, and the Power of Place

Where we live shapes who we are — not just emotionally, but biologically. Across the world, cultures have long understood that the relationship between people and nature is central to health, identity, and belonging. Today, as designers rediscover this wisdom through the lens of biophilic design, it’s becoming clear that reconnecting people to nature is not only about sustainability — it’s about cultural and collective well-being.

A Universal Language of Nature

Biophilic design is often defined as the practice of integrating natural systems and patterns into the built environment. But around the world, this idea has always existed in indigenous and traditional design philosophies.

• In Japan, Shakkei — the principle of “borrowed scenery” — brings distant landscapes into harmony with architectural composition, creating a seamless dialogue between built and natural forms.

• In Scandinavian cultures, the concept of Friluftsliv (“open-air living”) reflects a deep respect for outdoor experiences and daylight, influencing architecture that prioritizes human-nature immersion even in cold climates.

• In Africa, vernacular compounds are built with local materials, oriented toward prevailing winds, and shaded by native trees — a design language rooted in ecological intelligence and community cohesion.

• In Indigenous North American cultures, sacred site orientation and the use of natural elements in gathering spaces reinforce the spiritual bond between humans and the land.

  
  

These practices share a common thread: a recognition that nature is not separate from culture, but integral to it.

Biophilic Design Meets Global Health Research

In recent decades, global research has confirmed what these cultural traditions have long practiced — that contact with nature supports mental, physical, and social health across all demographics.

• The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies access to nature as a social determinant of health, linking green spaces to lower stress, improved cardiovascular health, and increased social cohesion.

• A 2022 cross-cultural study from The Lancet Planetary Health found that urban green infrastructure correlates with higher community trust and reduced health disparities, especially in marginalized neighborhoods.

• Research in Environmental Health Perspectives shows that even visual exposure to natural landscapes — such as murals, indoor plants, or daylight — can improve mood and cognitive function across cultures.

  
  

These findings illustrate that while biophilic design takes many cultural forms, its impact on human resilience and collective identity is universal.

Cultural Health and Placemaking

Placemaking rooted in biophilia doesn’t just make spaces greener — it makes them meaningful. When nature is integrated through the lens of local culture, it reinforces community pride and well-being.

• In Singapore, the “City in a Garden” initiative combines biodiversity corridors, vertical greenery, and public art to create a national identity around urban ecology.

• In Mexico City, the restoration of Xochimilco wetlands reconnects residents to ancestral agricultural traditions while improving air quality and water systems.

• In New Zealand, Māori-informed design practices use traditional materials, symbols, and spatial relationships to express the sacred link between people, place, and ecology.

  
  

This convergence of ecology and identity is reshaping the built environment into something richer than sustainability — it’s a return to cultural wellness.

WELL, LEED, and the Global Standard of Well-Being

Modern certification systems are increasingly incorporating cultural and

ecological well-being into design performance:

• The WELL Building Standard recognizes biophilic design integration and cultural context as essential to human experience, especially in community and education spaces.

• LEED v4.1 rewards site-specific design, natural material use, and restorative landscapes that reflect regional identity and ecological performance.

• Emerging frameworks such as the Living Building Challenge go further — asking projects to act as “positive cultural agents” that restore both environment and community connection.

  
  

These frameworks formalize what global traditions have always known: healthy design is culturally and ecologically grounded.

A Global Future Rooted in Local Nature

The next evolution of biophilic design is place-based and culturally adaptive. It’s about more than bringing plants indoors or opening up views — it’s about designing spaces that honor the ecological and spiritual relationships that have sustained communities for generations.

As researchers continue to link biophilia, cultural heritage, and collective health, one truth stands out: When we design with nature and culture in harmony, we design for the well-being of both people and planet.