Who would want to live in a world that is not quite fatal?

So said ecologist Paul Shepherd in 1958, and quoted by Rachel Carson in “Silent Spring”. 

The Biophilic Design Conference this year has a theme of Policy, Place, Planet – Biophilic Design for a regenerative future. It has this theme for a reason. 

We are living in a ticking time bomb. Our planet is heating up, our climates are changing all over the world, our food security is at risk, our physical health is challenged not just by lifestyle and town planning but also by air and sound pollution inside and outside of the home and workplace, our crops are sprayed, our bees are dying, we are losing our pollinators, our skies are quieter, our living world is struggling to breathe and we are the culprits.

When I first learnt about Biophilic Design, it seemed to me a concept which if applied globally and on all facets of society we could go some way to reverse the ills we have inflicted onto ourselves and our planet. 

READ ON… 

Workspace Design Show (25 – 26 February 2026, Business Design Centre, London)announces the launch of the Workspace Design Awards, a brand-new awards programme dedicated exclusively to celebrating outstanding workplace design and its impact on business. The 2026 London edition of the Workspace Design Show will see the first awards take place on 25 February 2026, giving recognition to architectural innovation, user experience and creativity that is redefining how, where, and why we work.  

The RSPB will host a unique live event, ‘A Night of Nature’, at London’s Troxy on September 6, 2025. An audiovisual celebration of the natural world which is open to all, the one-off experience will blend cinema with the immediacy of a concert, thanks to live music synched to stunning footage of natural habitats and species, performed by multi-million selling vocal group (and X Factor finalists) G4 and the Vesper String Quartet.  

We talk about living buildings but what if a building could really be “alive”?

I attended a fascinating presentation of research at the Royal Institution, Professor Martyn Dade-Robertson revealed a future where buildings aren't just constructed—they're grown. Imagine foundations that heal themselves, walls that breathe, and roofs that respond to sunlight, all created by microscopic organisms working in harmony.

Robertson's research shows how bacteria can literally strengthen the ground beneath our feet. By introducing specially engineered microbes into soil, these tiny organisms can produce calcium carbonate crystals that bind soil particles together, creating foundations more resilient than traditional concrete methods.

Mycelium, the root network of mushrooms, is continually being celebrated as a revolutionary material for insulation, packaging, alternatives to plastics, but now, in experiments with NASA, Robertson's team have demonstrated how this fungal network could potentially create structures on Mars, growing insulation and structural components in resource-limited environments. A full-scale mycelium structure built in New York completely biodegraded within just four months of being dismantled.

The most fascinating aspect is the materials' ability to self-heal. Mycelium can "biologically weld" itself, fusing broken components back together. Bacterial cellulose can create surfaces that respond to light, changing colour like living skin—imagine walls that tan in sunlight or tiles that darken to provide shade.

These aren't just theoretical concepts. Robertson's team has already explored the waterproof nature of mushrooms. Hydrophobins are proteins which play a crucial role in mycelium's hydrophobicity (waterproofness!). They self-assemble at air-water interfaces, creating a hydrophobic layer on the surface of the mycelium. So the scientists have researched this hydrophobic behaviour and have tested coatings derived from bacterial proteins that can protect materials and make them fire-resistant. One experiment showed a piece of balsa wood treated with their protein coating survived a fire that would have quickly consumed an untreated piece.

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Biophilic Design helps us combat the plastic pollution. The Biophilia hypothesis helps decisions which are better for our planet and us.

Join millions of people reducing their plastic waste.

Plastic Free July™ is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. If you are implementing Biophilic Design as close as possible as you can to the original principles you will already have taken HUGE steps towards combatting how much plastic is in our environment. So thank you. Please encourage as many other designers as you can to look at the principles of Biophilic Design.

To coincide with the publication of Issue 15 of The Light issue of the Journal of Biophilic Design, light aficionado Xander Cadisch writes.

We live bathed in an ocean of light, yet rarely consider how its invisible waves shape our very biology. Modern research reveals what ancient healers intuited—that light isn't just something we see, but a vital nutrient that regulates our cells, hormones, and nervous system. The implications for how we design our spaces are profound.

At the heart of this revelation lies a simple truth: different colours of light act as distinct biological signals. Take red light, for instance. With wavelengths between 630-700 nanometres, it penetrates deep into our tissues, stimulating mitochondria—those tiny power plants within our cells. This isn't speculative science, it's therapy approved by regulatory bodies like the FDA, now used to accelerate wound healing and ease arthritis pain. Hospitals are beginning to harness this knowledge, installing red light panels in recovery rooms where patients benefit from its regenerative properties.

Read on….

Workspace Design Show (25 – 26 February 2026, Business Design Centre, London)announces the launch of the Workspace Design Awards, a brand-new awards programme dedicated exclusively to celebrating outstanding workplace design and its impact on business. The 2026 London edition of the Workspace Design Show will see the first awards take place on 25 February 2026, giving recognition to architectural innovation, user experience and creativity that is redefining how, where, and why we work.  

Workspace Design Show is a must-attend event for the commercial interiors community and this new awards programme expands the Workspace Design Show offering, creating a new platform to honour both completed workplace projects and visionary designs.  

What sets the Workspace Design Awards apart is its commitment to real end user impact and evaluation, as such the judging panel will be exclusively composed of corporate occupiers, developers, and project management firms, bringing a rounded assessment of entries. Judges include, Steve Wright, Director of Workplace Design & Change Management, GSK, Helena Hughes, Director, Global Occupier Services, Savills, James Stratford, Head of Workplace, AXA XL, Sarah Audsley, Partner, Knight Frank and others. 

The awards ceremony will be hosted by Alys Bryan, Editor, Design Insider and Anna King, CEO and Founder, Informare and will be held in a beautifully designed feature space within the show, brought to life by leading architects and designers. Guests can expect an evening of celebration, complete with drinks, canapés, and a lively atmosphere, coupled with the opportunity to connect with the industry. 

READ ON and ENTER THE AWARDS

Biophilic influence from the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show Something that could be perceived as outdated, yet still prevails, is that many people visit the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show expecting to be wowed by the grandness of the gardens, much like they were in days of old; when the big corporates sponsored designers to build extravagant, potentially unachievable (to us mortals) works of art, with very little thought around the environmental impact of materials used, construction methods and certainly not a whisper of sustainability - gasp, what even is that? Thankfully, the tide has truly turned and we now see more focus on what is going on behind the scenes with an insistence on rehoming the gardens and a strong encouragement on using sustainable materials, planning clever water capture methods and building with minimal ground disturbance. This year, it was also wonderful to see so many of the planting schemes blending foraging, feeding and biodiversity needs, using companion planting and showing an in-depth knowledge of ecosystems, thus demonstrating how we as mere consumers can future-proof our own green spaces. I felt visitors were given renewed confidence that experimenting is actually okay, and gained vital inspiration in ways to interact with their own garden. READ ON….

For us Biophilic Design is ESSENTIAL for third age design. Check out the interview we did with Lori Pinkerton-Rolet, one of the leading names in older care interior design, and someone every Biophilic Desiner should follow. Lori is speaking at the new Care Innovation Summit, taking place on 19 June 2025 at the Business Design Centre, London.

Though new in name, the event will feel familiar to many. It brings together two of the sector’s most respected conferences - The Future of Care Leaders Conference and Dementia Summit - organised by Broadway Events, a leading name in care sector events since 2011. In response to the growing number of industry events, Broadway Events has streamlined its offering, merging these flagship events into a single three-stream conference, making it easier than ever for care professionals to access key insights in one place.

Alongside dedicated content on the Future of Care and Dementia Care, the event introduces a Healthcare Design & Build stream, bringing together decision-makers, innovators and frontline professionals to explore the future of care, its challenges and its opportunities.

READ ON AND BOOK TICKETS

Get your jazz hands ready and lets celebrate sustainable design. Surface - the annual design showthat takes place in London’s Design hub in Islington each February, was a vibrant showcase ofbrands - international, as well as domestic, being creative in their mission to help our planet.

 As Nickie West, Managing Director of Surface Design Show explains: "The theme for 2024focuses on the ambition to design well while doing good – with a conscious effort to protect our planet by aiming for zero waste manufactures and sustainable alternatives.

The natural world remains a key influence on the design industry, inspiring new techniques andprocesses, as well as offering a wealth of material substitutes."