Did you know 10 million people watched the first episode of Planet Earth III – the same number who visit the Peak District annually? We're hungry for nature, even if we can't always access it directly.

Imagine escaping the concrete jungle without leaving your desk. What if your smartphone could transport you to a misty bluebell woodland or the thundering heart of an Icelandic volcano? Welcome to the future of nature connection – where technology becomes your gateway to mental restoration. We speak with environmental psychologist Dr Alex Smalley about his research on virtual nature and Tim Daniels co-founder of Portal, both are names to watch in this beautiful revolution in how we experience the natural world.

"We've always tried to bring nature indoors," explains Dr. Alex Smalley. From ancient cave paintings, ancient Roman wall paintings right through to modern digital experiences, humans have always craved a connection to the natural world.

But this isn't about replacing real nature. It's about expanding our understanding of how we can experience it.

For the stressed-out healthcare worker pulling a double shift, the burned-out student cramming for exams, or the city dweller trapped in a windowless office, digital nature offers a lifeline. Scientific research shows these experiences aren't just pretty pictures – they're powerful mental health tools. 

Alex’s research is proving that digital nature can actually change how our brains process pain and stress. In clinical studies, people experiencing virtual natural environments reported reduced pain perception and lower stress levels. It's like a mini-vacation for your brain, available at the touch of a button.

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"We're facing enormous challenges - climate crisis, biodiversity loss, social and economic inequity. These are complex, interlinked issues that we cannot solve by simply focusing on embedded and operational carbon." In the urgent battle against climate change, the built environment stands at a critical crossroads. Oliver Heath, well known global biophilic design expert, explains how Biophilic Design offers a transformative approach that goes far beyond superficial sustainability efforts.

Biophilic design represents a holistic solution, reimagining our built spaces as living, breathing ecosystems that support not just human health, but the wellbeing of all life. It's a radical departure from traditional sustainability approaches that narrowly target carbon reduction. 

Oliver argues that true sustainability requires a systemic approach. "We need to take a wider view, not just a carbon tunnel vision," he emphasises. This means considering interconnected challenges like resource scarcity, water crises, air pollution, and biodiversity loss.

The key lies in understanding our fundamental connection to nature. Biophilic design recognises that humans have an evolutionary inheritance - a genetic predisposition to connect with natural environments. By integrating natural elements, patterns, and sensory experiences into our buildings, we can create spaces that simultaneously support human health and environmental sustainability.

Nestled along Mexico's Pacific coast, David Leventhal's Playa Viva is redefining hospitality through a radical commitment to regenerative design. More than just a boutique hotel, it's a living ecosystem where architecture breathes, nature flows freely, and every material tells a story of sustainability.

Imagine waking in a treehouse suspended among palm trees, with no doors or windows—just an uninterrupted connection to the landscape. This is Leventhal's vision: hospitality that doesn't just minimise environmental impact, but actively regenerates it.

The resort's structures are poetry in natural materials. Bamboo "bones" form parabolic roofs, carefully woven and raised by hand. Shower floors become canvases of meticulously placed pebbles, each stone positioned with artisan precision. Wall pigments are sourced locally—rich oranges and browns extracted directly from mountain landscapes, mixed with unconventional ingredients like hay, horse manure, and even turtle eggshells.

"We're not just building rooms," Leventhal explains, "we're creating experiences that transform how humans interact with environment."

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This transformation begins with radical design choices. Solar panels provide 100% off-grid electricity. Air conditioning is minimised, with innovative systems like the "Evening Breeze" technology cooling only specific areas. The goal isn't comfort through separation, but comfort through connection.

If two people could combat our growing urban disconnection, it is Adam White and Andrée Davies of Davies White Limited. I met them at our first Biophilic Design Conference at the Barbican, and immediately warmed to their infectious passion for better landscape design. Design which helps reimagine spaces from playgrounds to hospitals through a beautiful and playful biophilic lens, pulling on our emotional responses to nature.

They construct, if you will, beautiful narratives of human-nature coexistence. Instead of viewing landscapes as static backdrops, they help encourage us to understand them as dynamic, living systems that actively shape human experience and ecological health.

I think it’s the creativity I love most about their work. The balance of science, planning and artistry. Their approach is rooted in a deep understanding of ecological systems and human psychology. With projects ranging from micro-forest playgrounds to hospital gardens, each is designed to restore our biophilic fundamental relationship with the natural world.  Take their recent West London micro-forest playground project. By densely planting trees and creating intricate ecological landscapes, they're not merely designing a play area, but constructing a living classroom. The project embodies their core belief: that understanding nature begins with immersive, tactile experiences…. READ ON and Watch the interview…

Cities face unprecedented environmental challenges, and it’s no secret that trees offer multiple solutions: reducing urban temperatures, mitigating noise pollution, improving air quality, and supporting mental and physical health. So why then aren’t we planting trees wherever there’s opportunity?

As Biophilic Design practitioners, we can help hold this door open to help explain why we need them and how to do it. Sue James is the Convenor for the Trees and Design Action Group (TDAG), which brings together individuals, professionals, academics and organisations from wide ranging disciplines in both the public and private sectors to improve knowledge and good practice to support the role of urban trees through better collaboration in the planning, design, construction and management and maintenance of our urban places. We chat through the challenges, the opportunities and also how Biophilic Designers can get involved and help transform society, health and ultimately our planet.

One of the primary obstacles to widespread urban tree planting, according to Sue, is the perceived maintenance burden. Councils and developers often view trees as costly and complicated. However, TDAG research demonstrates that with strategic planning, tree maintenance can be minimal and cost-effective.

"If you plant the right tree in the right place, with proper initial care, maintenance becomes remarkably simple.” Do have a look at the practical guides TDAG have developed to help communities and professionals navigate tree planting challenges.

If you are wanting to share the benefits of urban trees, which extend far beyond environmental considerations, learn a bit more about how tree-lined streets can benefit society. For instance they increase property values, reduce urban temperatures by up to 4 degrees, potentially save the NHS money through improved public health and of course the obvious one, create more attractive, liveable and desirable urban spaces.

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The concept of eudaimonia, rooted in Aristotelian philosophy, is more than just happiness. Eudaimonia represents a state of good spirit and the realisation of one's full potential. It's about creating environments that support individuals in becoming their best selves across different life stages and circumstances. I sat down with Jenna Mikus to explore the concept and find out how we can weave this into Biophilic Design.

Jenna is founder of the Eudae Group and an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne, and focuses on this concept, bridging engineering, philosophy, and design to create spaces that truly support human flourishing.

Eudaimonia manifests itself in Jenna's recent projects across healthcare and educational settings. In hospitals, she challenges traditional design creating spaces that support all users of the space, staff, patients and families. Imagine healing environments with dedicated family zones, access to natural views, and carefully curated sensory experiences that help process difficult emotions. All of this will resonate with Biophilic Designers.

Jenna’s own professional journey is anything but conventional. With a background in mechanical engineering, art history, and business, she represents the antithesis of traditional siloed thinking. Her career trajectory—from government consulting to architectural design—reflects a deep commitment to understanding how environments can profoundly impact human experience.

In educational spaces, Jenna advocates for neuro-inclusive design. We need classrooms with varied lighting zones, comfortable materials, and flexible spaces that accommodate different learning styles. The goal is to create environments that inspire learning by understanding how space can activate creativity and engagement. All these things are also woven into Biophilic Design.

In our conversation she shares that we can all bring these large-scale learnings into small-scale real-world situations. When her father… CONTINUE READING and WATCH the PODCAST

Nestled in the Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia, is Serenbe, the biophilic community leading the wellness real estate and agrihood movements. It is a neighbourhood focused on wellbeing, full of fresh food and fresh air. This community is set among acres of preserved forests and meadows with miles of nature trails that connect homes and restaurants with arts and businesses.

 Importantly it is a real-world example of Biophilic Design in a community development that can help us reimagine urban and town planning.

We speak with Steve Nygren, Founder and CEO who shares with us his love of biophilia and how this is woven through Serenbe, a beautiful and practical reimagining of how we can live in harmony with nature. More than just a development, Serenbe is a living, breathing testament to Biophilic Design and the profound connection between human well-being and the natural world…

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Architects are increasingly recognising that our built environments do more than shelter us—they fundamentally shape our physical and mental wellbeing. Dr Tuwanda Green, a leading expert in biophilic design, an architect, and who sits on the board of the Biophilic Institute, has over 32 years of architectural experience including working for government design projects, and holds a doctorate in architecture from Virginia Tech. She  argues that thoughtfully designed spaces using the principles of Biophilia can actually alter our genetic expression and improve generational health.

Tuwanda is an expert on Epigenetics—a field of genetic research. In our conversation she explains how environmental factors can switch genes on and off without changing DNA sequences. Think of epigenetic markers like "gumballs" stuck to our genetic code, potentially influencing everything from stress responses to disease susceptibility.

"These markers can be passed down through generations," explains Tuwanda. "A stressful, nature-deprived environment could potentially transmit negative genetic expressions to our children, while nurturing, nature-connected spaces might help reverse these markers."

Recent scientific studies support this perspective. Research has consistently demonstrated that exposure to green spaces correlates with significant health improvements

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Garden designer Lisa Norton has been pushing forward a beautiful biophilic approach to learning spaces that puts nature at the heart of education. For her, biophilic design is proving that our built environments can profoundly impact children's well-being and learning potential. Her journey from corporate sales to garden design was driven by a deep-rooted connection to nature, inspired by childhood days spent in her father's vegetable garden. Now, she's transforming schools into living, breathing environments that support children's mental and physical health.

"We are doing our children a disservice right now," Lisa says passionately. We need a change in the way we design schools. In a recent project at a Special Educational Needs (SEN) school, Lisa demonstrated the transformative power of biophilic design. By incorporating natural materials, organic shapes, and abundant greenery, she created spaces that fundamentally changed how children experience learning. The results were remarkable. "Some children came off medication," she reveals. "One child told me, 'I can think more clearly and breathe more deeply.'"

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Biophilic design is not just an aesthetic choice, but a critical evolution in workplace design. As work becomes increasingly digital and flexible, the traditional office is transforming into a dynamic, nature-integrated environment. We speak with Jeremy Myerson, design writer, co-founder of WORKTECH Academy and Professor Emeritus in the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal College of Art, who argues that the future workplace must move beyond sterile, industrial spaces to create settings that support human well-being, align with natural rhythms, and enhance productivity. This means incorporating elements like natural light, green spaces, vertical gardens, and designs that connect workers with the natural world. The post-pandemic workplace is no longer about containing workers, but about creating flexible, health-affirming spaces that recognize humans as part of a living ecosystem. Biophilic design, in Jeremy's vision, is the key to reimagining work as a holistic experience that nurtures both human potential and ecological connection.

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