I want to offer a few breadcrumbs of a new design force in the design trade that is and will-be a gee whiz true-value happening now and forever more; a topic I would like to discuss more in 2026. It’s an important and extraordinary doozy.
If we travel behind the scenes to 1984, we happen upon Professor Edward O. Wilson of Harvard University who wrote a book titled…..
“Biophillia.”*
(When I first encountered the word biophillia, no kudos from me. I thought it sounded like one more fancy term that would never be important to me or would ever interest me,— I was wrong.) As Professor Wilson explained, “…it may well tell us why individuals fill their homes with plants and pets and are instinctively drawn to certain landscapes.” In other words, it is a human tendency to commune with nature and be closely tied to other forms of life. Biophillia completely captured the attention of architects and designers with myriad bells & whistles.
Because the basic principles of this universal future trend features the affiliation of nature inside our homes and buildings. It offers a system of ideas intended to strive and explain how to recuperate, regenerate, and make people healthier by helping other life and even planetary systems actively introduce natural light, outside views, greenery and different techniques of construction. Bring the Outside In!
That is an important premise of the doctrine of “BIOPHILLIA.”
(One precept of this design phenomena is a return to the framing of buildings using the construction method of “mass plywood”.)
The aforementioned example shows the sensitiveness of Biophilia where this building used a linked network of exposed metal structures including staircases that were erected with minimal “on-site labor.”
Equally important in the above building is the employment of the “mass plywood” method where massed plywood architecture uses large portions of salvaged trees. It is more affordable and is a faster build.)
The architectural plans of the 2028 San Antonio Airport will include another component of the use of “mass timber” that shall contribute lightness and flexibility. An ideal method for fast and lean construction crews completion.
Biophillia has abundantly diverse and copious facets to delve into and my blog will explore more in the future.
In the spirit of showcasing the attributes of healthy wellness is the gift of beautiful outdoor scenery, I want to again turn back the pages, this time to the 1990’s and share a story and a poem that led me to being a teeny-tiny participant in a yearly art gallery show and I am not an artist!
My husband and I shared a friendship with a talented couple, one, a painter and his partner, a mat artist. They offered a yearly doozy of a fantastical art show in their home of a “thousand rooms”. Guests walked over bridges, around small pools and outdoor landscapes into gallery rooms throughout the property. Their presentations were genuinely thoughtful and engaging.
The artist asked me if I would write a poem that described a favorite painting of his for that year’s gallery show.
My poem is a Lilliputian expression of Biophillia where I hoped my prose would share a form of synchronization with the majestic outdoors of the natural world and lead us “into the gallery” through this artist’s artful vision.
“DESERT SHADOWS”
Nature’s monuments belong to the shadows and to the sun, to the rain, to the clouds, and to the wind, – where enchantment is spun
Noble canyons rise to rocky summits and stand alone venerable thickets of brush where chasms are honed the lure of the desert offers its dry river of stone
Glowing – a shaft of light
Celebrate the season – celebrate life!
Poem by Sheila Yates
My husband and I agreed, the whole event of writing my poem and attending the gallery show was a lovely and special celebration!
Sy’s Salient Points:
*The term biophilia was used by German-born American psychoanalyst Erich Fromm in The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness (1973), which described biophilia as “the passionate love of life and of all that is alive.”
I love walking around the grounds and park sides of my retirement facility. It reinforces pleasureful upbeat feelings and a sense of belonging to nature. I bring the feelings of being “outside back in” to my apartment.
I hope you enjoyed reading Desert Shadows and my wish to each and everyone is for all to have……A Harmonious and Festive and Safe Holiday Season!!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year My Darling Blaire