In a world increasingly dominated by sterile, lifeless buildings, one architect is on a mission to reawaken our innate connection to the natural world. Amanda Sturgeon, CEO of the Biomimicry Institute, is a passionate advocate for biophilic design - the practice of incorporating elements of nature into the built environment to enhance human health, wellbeing and productivity.
"Many of our buildings today are like barren tombs, where people's souls and creativity go to die," Amanda laments. Her own experiences working in windowless offices, devoid of natural light, fresh air and sensory stimuli, left her feeling disconnected and uninspired. This personal frustration fuelled her determination to transform the way we design the spaces we inhabit.
An award winning architect focusing on education projects that connect people and nature, she has created some of the world's most sustainable and regenerative projects. Amanda is also a global keynote speaker, including a brilliant TedTalk, Bringing Biophilic Design to Life. Amanda is author of Creating Biophilic Buildingsand her essay Buildings Designed for Life appears in the anthology All We Can Save: Truth, Courage and Solutions to Climate Change. She was elected as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 2013 and named as a US Green Building Council LEED Fellow in 2014. In 2015 Amanda was named as one of the top ten women in sustainability through a Women in Sustainability Leadership Award. In November 2023, Amanda Sturgeon became the CEO of The Biomimicry Institute.
Amanda's journey began with her childhood in a small English village, where she spent endless hours immersed in the outdoors. Travelling through Australia and Southeast Asia as a young adult further opened her eyes to the profound relationship between architecture, culture and the natural environment. "I saw buildings that were so in tune with the climate, responding to it in a way I'd never witnessed before," she recalls.
This epiphany set Amanda on a path to redefine the role of the architect, moving away from the "hero on a horse" mentality of individual, ego-driven design towards a more holistic, place-based approach.
Biophilic design, she believes, is not about simply adding a few plants or water features to a building, but rather deeply understanding the unique ecology, climate and community of a site, and weaving those elements seamlessly into the fabric of the structure.
Amanda points to the humble termite mound as a prime example of biomimicry in action - traditional architecture that mimics the natural ventilation systems of these industrious insects. "It's the same principle we see in biophilic design, creating buildings that are climatically responsible and connected to place," she explains. The benefits of this approach are well-documented.
Studies have shown that access to natural light, views of greenery and sensory connections to the outdoors can significantly improve health outcomes, productivity and learning. Yet, Amanda laments, the majority of our schools, hospitals and workplaces remain stubbornly disconnected from the natural world. "We've created this separation between humans and nature, which has allowed us to destroy ecosystems and indigenous cultures without remorse," she says. "Now, we need a revolution in the way we design and think about the built environment."
Amanda envisions a future where forests and green spaces reclaim the urban landscape, where buildings are designed to support not just human inhabitants, but all living systems. It's an ambitious vision, but one she believes is essential if we are to address the pressing challenges of our time, from climate change to biodiversity loss. "We have the knowledge and the tools to create buildings that are truly in harmony with nature," Amanda says. "What we need now is the collective will to make it happen."
Amanda has an unwavering passion and a lifetime of experience in the field, and encourages us all to create a biophilic, biomimetic future, one that reconnects us to the natural world and, in doing so, restores our own sense of purpose and belonging.
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