Biophilic Design Initiative
Biophilic Design is the practice of connecting people and nature within our built environments and communities.
The International Living Future Institute has seen a demonstrated need among the Living Building Challenge community for biophilic design resources that can take the practice from theory to reality. ILFI has made it a strategic organizational priority to accelerate access to the benefits of biophilic spaces.
Featured Case Studies
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Bertschi School
Seattle, Washington
Engaging the Senses The Bertschi School Science Wing serves as a hands-on earth science classroom for kindergarten through fifth-grade students. Consisting of a classroom, attached greenhouse and outdoor garden space, it was designed for—and in part by—elementary school children. The project demonstrates how biophilic design can be used to not only connect children with natural…
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Betty and Clint Josey Pavilion
Decatur, Texas
Immersed In Place Built to further the mission of the Dixon Water Foundation, the Betty & Clint Josey Pavilion educates its visitors, many of them children, on watershed protection through sustainable ranching and the restoration of damaged farmland to native tallgrass prairie. From the time they first started sketching ideas for the Josey Pavilion, the…
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Bullitt Center
Seattle, Washington
Practicing Biophilic Design Located in a dense urban neighborhood near downtown Seattle, the six-story Bullitt Center was the first commercial office building to be fully certified as a Living Building. The design team set out to create a building that would last at least 250 years—a lifespan closer to that of a tree than of…
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The Biophilic Design Toolkit
The Biophilic Design Toolkit is a robust collection of resources to help designers explore biophilic design and promote human-nature connection in the built environment. The toolkit provides guidance, inspiration, and support for key activities from introducing biophilic design to teams, to the planning and design stages, all the way through construction and occupancy.
The Biophilic Design Toolkit includes: Fundamentals of biophilic design, success stories, design guidance, biophilic design map, biophilic design activities and guidebook, and opportunities to go further.
Ready To Start?
What if we could experience the same physical, psychological, and emotional benefits moving through an urban landscape that we experience walking through a forest?
Get inspiration from award winning biophilic design projects by viewing the Stephen R. Kellert Biophilic Design Award winners.
Start your biophilic design journey by taking an online course and becoming certified in biophilic design.