Biophilic Design Elements
integrated into Colorado State University Biology Building
By Jennifer Cordes, Principal
Biophilic design is a fascinating approach to design that incorporates nature into the built environment and is said to enhance creativity and clarity of thought, reduce stress and improve healing, and improve feelings of well-being. Deliberately designing a building that incorporates biophilic elements may seem like a difficult task, but it is an increasing trend that higher education institutions can benefit from in specific settings.
Green, to extend the curriculum taught within the biology classes into the building to further articulate the relationships between nature, human biology, and the built environment. As shown in the list below, Terrapin Bright Green states that biophilic design can be organized into three categories:
1. Nature IN the Space
2. Natural Analogues
3. Nature OF the Space
The building needed to house over 153,000 square ft of teaching labs, research labs, faculty offices and student study spaces. We approached these program pieces with the idea that they could overlap and interact with each other, while trying to bring natural daylight and views of campus as deep into the core of the building as possible, with additional natural elements for the benefit of building users. We incorporated the framework of “14 Patterns of Biophilic Design”, developed by Terrapin Bright
What if the campus displays of plant and animal life moved beyond the traditional 1950’s natural history museum format of stuffed taxidermy in dioramas to more modern, interactive exhibits, celebrating nature as art? As the overall design for the Biology Building developed, opportunities to look at the building’s required program elements began to present themselves in new and engaging ways.
As our team set out to design the new Biology Building on the Colorado State University (CSU) campus, one of the directives was to break down the stereotype of research labs as bunkers with no natural daylight or views to the outside world.
Nature In
the Space
Natural
Analogues
Types of Biophilic Design
Nature of
the Space
nature in
the space
01
Visual Connection with Nature
02
Non-visual Connection with Nature
03
Non-Rhythmic Sensory Stimuli
04
Thermal & Airflow Variability
05
Presence
of Water
06
Dynamic &
Diffuse Light
07
Connection with Natural Systems
Lowered blood pressure & heart rate.
Improved mental engagement/attentiveness.
Positively impacted attitude & overall happiness.
Reduced systolic blood pressure & stress hormones. Positive impact on cognitive performance. Perceived improvements in mental health & tranquility.
Positive impact on heart rate, systolic blood pressure & sympathetic nervous system activity.
Oberved & quantified behavioral measurements of attention & exploration.
Positively impacted comfort, well-being & productivity. Positively impacted concentration.
Improved perception of temporal & spatial pleasure (alliethsia).
Reduced stress, increased feelings of tranquility, lowered heart rate and blood pressure. Improved concentration & memory retention. Enhanced perception & psychological responsiveness.
Positively impacted circadian system functioning. Increased visual comfort.
Enhanced positive health responses.
Shifted perception of enviornment.
natural analogues
Reduced systolic blood pressure & stress hormones. Positively impacted cognitive performance. Percieved improvements in mental health and tranquility.
Positively impacted heart rate, systolic blood pressure & sympathetic nervous system activity.
Observed & quantified behavioral measures of attention & exploration.
08
Biomorphic
Forms & Patterns
10
Complexity
& Order
Improved concentration, attention & perception of safety.
Introduced strong pleasure resonses.
11
Prospect
12
Refuge
13
Mystery
Resulted in strong dopamine or pleasure responses.
14
Risk/Peril
Reuced Stress. Reduced boredom, irritation, & fatigue. Improved comfort & percieved safety.
nature of the space
Lowered blood pressure & heart rate.
Improved mental engagement/attentiveness.
09
Material Connection with Nature
Nature as Art
CSU’s Department of Natural Sciences owns a large collection of animal, plant and insect specimens that had been stored away for many years prior to the opening of the new building.
Michael Antolin, Chair of the Biology Department, hoped that these items could finally have a new home and be on display for student, staff and visitors: One of the architectural themes in this building is ‘Science On Display’. “When we were working on the displays here, what we wanted to do was to echo what was going on in the labs and the classrooms. There’s a lot of glass here, so you’re always looking at live objects and we wanted this vibrance of students and researchers, which you’re seeing live inside of the rooms, to be echoed on the outside. And, so, I feel like the designers were really effective in helping us mimic some of those interior human elements in the displays as well.” - Joe von Fischer, Associate Professor, Department of Biology
The collective team from Hord Coplan Macht, CSU Facilities Management and the Biology department engaged the design services of Seth Frankel and his team from Studio Tectonic, an exhibit design firm based in Boulder, Colorado. Over several months, Seth and his designers brought together an eye-catching display concept that celebrates the Biology department’s specimen collection with a unique twist for a science building: nature as art.
The exhibits within the Biology Department
intend to inspire curiosity within the biological world. While the classrooms strongly hold the “hows” of science and learning, the displays compel the “why” – all biology’s simplicity, beauty, complexity and surprise. Displays are structured around underlying principles of biology and the way that science and students understand and organize, yet reference biological design, shapes and ideas.
"Students may spend hundreds, if not
thousands of hours passing these exhibits. This creates a particular relationship between observer and display.
The design and organization carries embedded relevance that may not be obvious at first. Then, what was initially just visually striking becomes understood and decoded."
– Seth Frankel, Studio Tectonic
Colorado State University – Biology Building Lab
The result of the design is main floor hallways of the Biology Building filled with displays showcasing collections that focus on the amazing shapes, textures, patterns, colors and symbiotic relationships of the natural world. The displays are layered with interesting questions, facts and humorous elements (a Volkswagen ‘Beetle’ model car is displayed alongside actual beetle specimens found in Colorado). This contemporary take on the 1950’s diorama format provides a welcome and fresh spin on traditional collection displays.
The main “Idea Space” in the Biology Building is another design feature that emphasizes the idea of nature as art. “Idea Spaces” were an important part of the building’s program–seeking to provide flexible collaboration zones where students could meet to work on group projects, study independently or meet with faculty. Located in the main lobby at its southwest entrance, the main “Idea Space” incorporates a full-height living green wall showcasing an ever-changing display of plants.
Adjacent to this area is a 3,000-gallon aquarium featuring fresh and salt water fish species, as well as the Biology Department’s living mascot, Clancy the Sea Turtle. Study spaces adjacent to the aquarium enjoy the soothing visual of the movement of the fish and the dappled light that the aquarium produces in the hallway.
Elements of Nature
The story of Colorado’s forests and the battle with the pine beetle is also told throughout the Biology Building and allowed Hord Coplan Macht to incorporate beetle-kill pine wood as a finish throughout the building.
“The wood presented itself as a nice way to not only warm up the clean laboratory feel of the Biology Building, but also to subtly overlay the story of the struggle that Colorado’s forests faced during the beginning of the 21st Century. Transforming this devastation of our trees into a positive outcome allows everyone to appreciate the beauty of the wood and the amazing part that trees play in our everyday lives.” – Jennifer Cordes, Design Principal, Hord Coplan Macht.
The Biology Building’s biophilic elements became an important piece of the project’s LEED certification. HCM’s sustainability team saw an opportunity to highlight the building’s biophilic approach as part of the building’s LEED Gold certification process as an innovation credit:
“Early on, the project team engaged in the exploration of the biophilic design potential and connecting people to the natural environment which made the project a great fit for pursuing an innovation credit towards the LEED certification. USGBC agreed, awarded the innovation credit and the building has been certified LEED Gold.” – Sustainability Team member, Hord Coplan Macht.
Key design concepts incorporated into the Biology Building represent elements of biophilic design intended to surround building occupants with influences of nature and provide health and wellness benefits. A post-occupancy evaluation of the space will seek feedback from building users specific to the biophilic design elements to further document
the positive influence on the building users. In the meantime, we are confident that we have designed a built environment that includes features, colors and shapes that tap into our basic need for connection to our natural world.
The Biology Building delivers a highly flexible, engaging and healthy facility for generations of students, faculty and staff to come.
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As our design evolved, faculty offices were placed around the perimeter of the building, providing direct views to the surrounding campus and mountains to the west. Full height glass between both the offices and the graduate student spaces across the hallway allowed ample daylighting and visual connection to go another layer deep into the building’s central core. An additional third layer of glazing brings the light into the building on the second through fourth floors in the completed research lab spaces.
Visual Connections with Nature
Colorado State University – Biology Building
Another amenity and biophilic design element is a large outdoor patio on the building’s west side, facing the mountains, designed as a flexible space that can serve as a sunny eating area or home to the annual alumni barbecue event. Easy indoor-outdoor flow from the building’s second floor “Idea Spaces” have already made the west patio a campus favorite.
Daylight & Exterior Views for All Lab Spaces
The following are a few highlights and techniques we implemented to incorporate biophilic design elements into laboratory space at CSU Biology
Visual Connections
Interior & Exterior Views
Visual Connections
Interior & Exterior Views
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Visual Connections
Interior & Exterior Views
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nature in
the space
Lowered blood pressure & heart rate.
Improved mental engagement/attentiveness.
Positively impacted attitude & overall happiness.
Positively impacted comfort, well-being & productivity. Positively impacted concentration.
Improved perception of temporal & spatial pleasure (alliethsia).
Enhanced positive health responses.
Shifted perception of enviornment.
Reduced systolic blood pressure & stress hormones. Positive impact on cognitive performance. Perceived improvements in mental health & tranquility.
Reduced stress, increased feelings of tranquility, lowered heart rate and blood pressure. Improved concentration & memory retention. Enhanced perception & psychological responsiveness.
Positively impacted circadian system functioning. Increased visual comfort.
Positive impact on heart rate, systolic blood pressure & sympathetic nervous system activity.
Oberved & quantified behavioral measurements of attention & exploration.
01
Visual Connection with Nature
02
Non-visual Connection with Nature
03
Non-Rhythmic Sensory Stimuli
04
Thermal & Airflow Variability
05
Presence
of Water
06
Dynamic &
Diffuse Light
07
Connection with Natural Systems
