Ninth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

Studies show how the presence of natural elements in buildings can reduce stress, enhance creativity and clarity of thought, improve well-being and expedite healing. This paper explores some of the ways nature has been successfully integrated in buildings and discusses the health benefits that have been shown to occur due to its presence. The author conducted systematic observation and analysis of environmental conditions featuring direct sensorial contact with nature in three buildings from Spain, Mexico, and the United States. The examples come from settings in both mild climates that allow total connection to the exterior, and harsher northern climates where separation between interior and exterior is a necessity. Conditions were systematically recorded and a two step a priori coding process was used to distinguish overall themes and to interpret them. The focus was primarily in instances of direct sensorial contact with nature through the presence of vegetation, water features, natural air, natural sounds and scents, and animals although examples of indirect connection to nature (involving mimicking to produce a biophilic human connection) were also recorded.