Have you ever felt extremely overwhelmed and felt much at ease after a walk in nature? Has it ever happened to you that sitting inside four concrete walls makes you feel suffocated and going out for a short while and basking in the sunlight makes you feel much better? If you are nodding vigorously to the questions above, you are not alone. Studies showcase that when humans connect with nature, it brings about a positive change in their mental, physical, and emotional well-being. This is not just the case with adults, these psychological and physical effects transcend across different age groups.
Given the growing population and deforestation done across the world, people have started to yearn for a special connection with nature that they don’t get in metropolitan cities with high-rise buildings and colliding flyovers. This is where Biophilic Designs come into play. With state-of-the-art facilities, Biophilic Designs attempt to bring about an essence of nature into the architecture. We have already covered other aspects of biophilic designs such as bringing nature close through farmhouses adopting biophilic designs, Check that out here - https://www.vanguarddesign.in/post/biophilic-designs-in-farmhouses
In this blog, we will be covering examples of some schools around the world that have incorporated biophilic designs.
Biophilic Designs in Schools
In an era where screens dominate classrooms and concrete structures often replace green landscapes, the concept of biophilic design emerges as a breath of fresh air, quite literally. Imagine a school where students bask in the soothing glow of natural light, their view framed by vibrant indoor plants; a place where outdoor learning environments seamlessly blend with the curriculum, and every nook and cranny whispers the secrets of the natural world. Welcome to the world of biophilic design in schools, where the boundaries between the built environment and nature blur, and learning becomes an immersive, eco-conscious adventure. In this blog, we will delve deep into the transformative power of biophilic design, exploring its myriad benefits for both students and educators, as well as practical strategies for implementing this harmonious approach in educational spaces. Furthermore, research shows that school attendance can be improved by roughly 3.5 days per year and the speed of learning can increase to 20 to 26% if the students are exposed to apt daylight. Trials have also found that the students who have plants in their classrooms have experienced a growth in their performance pertaining to spelling, mathematics, and science by up to 14%.
A study conducted in schools in Canada showed that biophilic designs incorporated in the form of mimicking the organic patterns like that on a giraffe’s skin and honeycomb in the classroom has brought down the stress levels of the classroom from 67% to 35% in just four months and also has resulted in an improvement in the test scores among the students. The effects of the biophilic designs not only benefit the students but the teachers also testified to experiencing a drop in their anxiety levels while in the classroom.
Some examples of Schools with Biophilic Designs
Schools across the world have adopted biophilic designs into their infrastructure and let the students be one step closer to nature. Here are a few examples from around the world:
1. Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School in Rajasthan, India
Credit: ArchDaily
Situated in the deserts of Rajasthan, this school has been built with special emphasis on providing a cool and inclusive environment to the students that enhance their learning capabilities. Again, built in an oval shape with an open roofed central courtyard that also serves as a playground, the classrooms have big windows and doors to allow daylight inside with good ventilation as well. Following a very soft color scheme, the building is an aesthetic marvel.
2. Ecokid Kindergarten in Vinh, Vietnam
Credit: ArchDaily
Designed by an architecture studio based out of Sydney, Stuttgart, and Berlin, This school is in the form of three semicircular triple-floor buildings that are connected to each other by bridges. The buildings do not have edges or corners in order to avoid accidents and abide by the primary color theories. The structure and the furniture on the premises are made with special attention to biophilia including an organic pattern.
3. Kakapo Creek Early Learning Centre in Auckland, New Zealand
Credit: ArchDaily
This can be considered a prime example of biophilic designs with a circular shape building and an open-roofed central courtyard. Located in Auckland, New Zealand, the school prioritizes ventilation by incorporating open-air rooms which results in a reduced carbon impact. The school is bordered by a small river on one of the sides. The materials used in the construction of this building were upcycled and the water that goes out of the school is filtered and let back into the river.
4. Eastern Bay Area Experimental School in Shenzhen, China
Credit: ArchDaily
Situated in Shenzhen, this school was built vertically instead of spreading across land due to the shortage of space. The school has terraced or stacked roof space in order to incorporate biophilia into the structure with minimal space usage. Open-air learning spaces and venues for outdoor learning such as outdoor seating and sports tracks are some of the features of this beautiful structure.
5. The Paul Chevallier School in Lyon, France
Credit: Dezeen
Situated in France, this school is surely an architectural delight. The walls of the building are covered with wooden cladding as tactile stimulation is proven to reduce stress and provide a relaxed environment while pulling the students closer to nature. The structure is also fitted with ceiling windows to let the daylight in among other facilities such as a vegetable garden and a woodland park surrounding the structure that offers mesmerizing views from the classrooms.
6. The Benenden School in Cranbrook, UK
Credit: The Benendon School
The classrooms in this school are made out of timber hence providing a sensory experience to the students which is known to reduce stress. The sedum roof insulates the room, thereby reducing the carbon footprint. Built like a beautiful palace amidst the former Victorian Water garden it's set in, it allows the students to consider the environment as an alternative to study in rather than cramming books in a closed room.
About Vanguard Design:
Established in 2010, Vanguard Design is a firm that focuses on urban design, architecture, and interior design. Our expertise lies in crafting inspirational, functional, and sustainable designs with a futuristic touch for a wide range of projects, encompassing product design, architecture, and urban planning. Our creations are guided by a blend of aesthetic and functionalist innovation.
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