Architectural Psychology and Biophilia in Healthcare FINAL - Flipbook - Page 5
Moreover, savanna‐scape is considered to be
deeply imprinted in the primitive human brain. This
idea first appears in the paper, “Evolved Responses
to Landscapes,” by Gordon Orians and Judith
Heerwagen. They assert that savanna‐like views
should be preferred by modern humans because
savannas were superior during evolution for
providing primary necessities such as food, water,
and security: “Through the millennia, this reaction
to the patterns embedded in the savanna‐scape became intuitive and influenced the
neuronal growth of the primitive brain, effectively encoding intuitive reactions into our
genetics.”
Apart from preferences, this evolutionary theory is also important for explaining why
certain types of nature views and content (vegetation, water, sunlight) should have
stress‐ reducing and helpful influences. As Steven Pinker asserts in his book The Blank
Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature (2002): “Our perceptual systems are
designed to register aspects of the external world that were important to our survival.”
The patterns studied in architectural psychology have one thing in common:
They all appear in nature, and it is because of this that they are said to
bring about feelings of well‐being, especially if they were associated with
life‐sustaining commodities in our early human existence. This is not a
contemporary concept.
The “golden mean” or “divine proportion” is perhaps one of the earliest recognized
mathematical patterns found in nature and studied by mathematicians, philosophers,
and architects for centuries. The ratio (1.618) is found repeatedly in nature, and like
the fractal, it is found self‐repeating at various scales.
While the ubiquity of these patterns in nature is undeniable and to study them is truly
fascinating, there is little imperial data regarding a direct connection between specific
human psychological responses and the experience of these patterns in our
environment. Nevertheless, a myriad of data exists regarding applications of biophilia
in healthcare settings.
Biophilia (Nature, Gardens and Light):
Nature Views: While the connection between savanna‐like views and feelings of
well‐being may not be scientifically proven in specific, the concept of nature views
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