Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2018 - 4

is the idea that we could be living in urban neighborhoods where we
are immersed in the sights and sounds and experiences of the natural
world. Equally important is the need to ensure a Just Biophilia-where everyone and every neighborhood benefits from nature, and
where investments in nature do not displace or economically harm
existing residents.
3. What do you think the most important drivers of BD are likely to
be in the future?
JH: Health promotion is a big driver in biophilic applications at
both the building and urban level. For many companies, biophilic
design and sustainability are perceived as a competitive advantage
in attracting a young, highly capable workforce. At the city level,
health benefits are also an important driver as is overall quality of
life. But there is also increasing interest in how biophilic design -
especially large trees - can aid carbon sequestration and improve
outdoor thermal comfort during summer heat stress.
JB: Equitable access. It's neither ethically responsible nor sustainable
from both an ecological perspective and from a community resilience
perspective to design beautiful natural landscapes that are not accessible to the community at large. The result of embracing the goal of
inclusive urban landscapes will result in broad stewardship of diverse
and interesting places. A desire for stewardship only results when
individuals feel a sense of connection and ownership with a place.
TB: Few drivers will be as potent as climate change and the need to
make cities more resilient. Whether through urban tree planting
or design of new dynamic shoreline parks that better absorb flood
waters, just about any project that could make a city more biophilic
will also enhance resilience. Desire for enhanced livability, and for
greater meaning in our lives, will also continue to be significant
drivers. We increasingly want to live and work in places that are
profoundly uplifting, delightful, magical. Nature provides that sense
of wonder and aliveness that many today feel is so missing in their
lives, and city design and planning in the future will increasingly
reflect this priority.

4. How does biophilic design relate to human health and well-being
in your view?
JB: The concept of biophilia refers to the evolution of humans in
concert with nature. A departure from a more symbiotic relationship has obvious consequences for the environment, but maybe
less apparent are the more personal consequences for humans as
individuals. Well-being is derived from a sense of safety and place
within your surroundings. If we can nurture our innate connection to
the natural world in the places that we inhabit, we are going to find a
sense of balance as opposed to stress, which is critical to our physical
and mental health.
TB: Biophilic design and planning play a critical role in enhancing
health in the future. There is mounting evidence about the healthenhancing and healing power of nature. Not just in hospital and
healthcare design, of course, but there is growing recognition of a
larger suite of community health benefits associated with contact
with nature (recent evidence, for instance, of the role of nature in
moderating depression).
5. How do green walls and roofs contribute to biophilic cities. How
important are they in the grand scheme of things?
JH: Both green walls and green roofs take advantage of unused or
underutilized surfaces to add green space in urban settings. This in
itself adds beauty and pleasantness to the concrete environment.
Green roofs have additional environmental benefits - attracting
pollinators, reducing heat gain in buildings, absorbing rain water,
and reducing the urban heat island effect.
JB: Green roofs and walls are critical tools to extend natural landscapes in cities of high density. When space is scarce they provide
an opportunity to expand the green footprint of cities to serve utilitarian functions like filtering air, sequestering carbon and capturing
storm water, but also to capture the imagination of urban residents.
Elements of cities that were previously devoid of life, such as walls
and roofs, become living landscapes where humans and other living
creatures are invited to occupy and experience.

"HEALTH PROMOTION IS A BIG DRIVER IN BIOPHILIC
APPLICATIONS AT BOTH THE BUILDING AND URBAN LEVEL."
- JUDITH HEERWAGEN

Sometimes
you can't
even tell
it's a roof.
Hampton
Place
Courtyard
- Newton,
MA
LIVING ARCHITECTURE
MONITOR
/ SUMMER 2018
/ 4

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