Colour, Light, and Materiality: Biophilic Interior Design Presence in Research and Practice

Article Sidebar

PDF

Main Article Content

Issue Vol. 5 No. 1 (2022)
Published Jan 30, 2022
Section Articles
Article downloads 3941
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7454/in.v5i1.189
Submitted : Sep 30, 2021 | Accepted : Dec 24, 2021
Beth McGee
Georgia Southern University, USA
blsmcgee@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8399-2898
Nam-Kyu Park
University of Florida, USA
npark@ufl.edu

Abstract

The biophilic design hypothesis uses nature-based environmental design for optimising people’s health and well-being. Stephen Kellert in 2008 developed a list of biophilic attributes that was further refined in the Biophilic Interior Design Matrix (BID-M) to specifically support the interior application of biophilic design for health and well-being. The present study further investigates biophilic interior design using the BID-M language and the key interior design components colour, light, and materiality. The first part of the study reviewed four decades of literature related to biophilia and colour, light, and materiality to investigate a total of 19 publications. The second part of the study explored the perceptions of 23 design practitioners' and the use of biophilia related to colour, light, and materiality in their practice. For the first time, evidence was identified about colour, light, and materiality being linked to biophilic design and the attributes in the BID-M. The study results showed colour preferences were the most frequently identified theme, and practitioners used a variety of biophilic attributes in their practice. The top attributes shared by both the literature review and practitioners were the abstraction of nature, composition, natural light, and natural materials. This finding shows that there is a focus on biophilic attributes in both research and practice, however, there are still many attributes that have not been linked to research and are not being used in practice. Further inquiry is needed to better understand how biophilic design can be more diversely integrated for optimal nature-like interior environments.

Keywords: colour, light, materiality, biophilic interior design, practitioner’s perception, biophilic interior design matrix

Article Details

How to Cite
McGee, B., & Park, N.-K. (2022). Colour, Light, and Materiality: Biophilic Interior Design Presence in Research and Practice. Interiority, 5(1), 27–52. https://doi.org/10.7454/in.v5i1.189
Author Biographies

Beth McGee, Georgia Southern University, USA

Beth McGee is an Assistant Professor at Georgia Southern University in the School of Human Ecology. Her PhD degree is from the University of Florida in the College of Design, Construction and Planning with a concentration in interior design. She has passed the NCIDQ exam and is also a LEED AP. Her personal focus areas for teaching, scholarship, and service are through service learning and biophilic design (nature-inspired). She follows a mission to do good through design by working with students/stakeholders/users to integrate diverse perspectives into the design process from the beginning. This is to increase beneficial choices, reduce waste, and increase the opportunity for voices to be heard with the optimal outcomes including greater place attachment and more environmentally responsible actions.

Nam-Kyu Park, University of Florida, USA

Nam-Kyu Park is an Associate Professor in the Department of Interior Design at the College of Design, Construction and Planning. She is a LEED accredited professional and NCIDQ certified interior designer. Also, she possesses Evidence-based Design Accreditation (EDAC), and a LC-Lighting Certificate. Her principal areas of research address the impact of lighting in interior environments and environmental design for special needs populations. She also examines cultural dimensions of the built environment defining environmental and social sustainability. Currently she is serving as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Interior Design.

References

Abkar, M., Kamal, M., Maulan, S., & Mariapan, M. (2010). Influences of viewing nature through windows. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 4(10), 5346–5351.

Alimoglu, M., & Donmez, L. (2005). Daylight exposure and the other predictors of burnout among nurses in a university hospital. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 42(5), 549–555. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2004.09.001

Almusaed, A., & Almssad, A. (2014). Natural lighting efficiency by means of sun-skylight-tubes. International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology, 3(3), 16–20.

Beute, F., & Kort, Y. A. W. (2014). Salutogenic effects of the environment: Review of health protective effects of nature and daylight. Applied Psychology: Health and Well‐Being, 6(1), 67–95. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12019

Blumberg, R., & Devlin, A. S. (2006). Design issues in hospitals. Environment and Behavior, 38(3), 293–371. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916505281575

Bosch, S., Bledsoe, T., & Jenzarli, A. (2012). Staff perceptions before and after adding single-family rooms in the NICU. Health Environments Research & Design, 5(4), 64–75. https://doi.org/10.1177/193758671200500406

Bringslimark, T., Hartig, T., & Patil, G. G. (2009). The psychological benefits of indoor plants: A critical review of the experimental literature. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29(4), 422–433. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.05.001

Campbell, D. E. (1979). Interior office design and visitor response. Journal of Applied Psychology, 64(6), 648–653. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.64.6.648

Carabelli, G. (2020, October 19). House plants were our link with nature in lockdown—now they could change how we relate to the natural world. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/house-plants-were-our-link-with-nature-in-lockdown-now-they-could-change-how-we-relate-to-the-natural-world-147637

Center for Disease Control. (2003). Guidelines for environmental infection control in health-care facilities. https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/environmental/index.html

Daneshgarmoghaddam, G., & Bahrainy, H. (2014). The role of architecture-nature interaction in the quality of place attachment, case study: House-gardens in Hamedan, Iran. Armanshahr Architecture & Urban Development, 12, 107–117.

Dalke, H., Little, J., Niemann, E., Camgoz, N., Steadman, G., Hill, S., & Stott, L. (2006). Colour and lighting in hospital design. Optics & Laser Technology, 38(4–6), 343–365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optlastec.2005.06.040

Derr, V., & Kellert, S. (2013). Making children’s environments "R.E.D.”: Restorative environmental design and its relationship to sustainable design. EDRA44: Healthy + Healing Places. Providence, RI.

Dijkstra, K., Pieterse, M. E., & Pruyn, A. (2008). Stress-reducing effects of indoor plants in the built healthcare environment: The mediating role of perceived attractiveness. Preventive Medicine, 47(3), 279–283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2008.01.013

Dittmar, M. (2001). Changing colour preferences with ageing: A comparative study on younger and older native Germans aged 19-90 years. Gerontology, 47(4), 219–226. https://doi.org/10.1159/000052802

Eisen, S. L., Ulrich, R. S., Shepley, M. M., Varni, J. W., & Sherman, S. (2008). The stress-reducing effects of art in pediatric health care: Art preferences of healthy children and hospitalized children. Journal of Child Health Care, 12(3), 173–190. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367493508092507

Elliot, A. J., & Maier, M. A. (2014). Color psychology: Effects of perceiving color on psychological functioning in humans. Annual Review of Psychology, 65(1), 95–120. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115035

Gesimondo, N., & Postell, J. C. (2011). Materiality and interior construction. John Wiley.

Gillis, K., & Gatersleben, B. (2015). A review of psychological literature on the health and wellbeing benefits of biophilic design. Buildings, 5(3), 948–963. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings5030948

Gray, T., & Birrell, C. (2014). Are biophilic-designed site office buildings linked to health benefits and high performing occupants? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 11(12), 12204–12222. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph111212204

Greene, J., Caracelli, V., & Graham, W. (1989). Toward a conceptual framework for mixed-method evaluation designs. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 11(3), 255–274. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737011003255

Hidayetoglu, M. L., Yildirim, K., & Akalin, A. (2012). The effects of color and light on indoor wayfinding and the evaluation of the perceived environment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 32(1), 50–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2011.09.001

Kahn, P., & Kellert, S. (Eds.). (2002). Children and nature: Psychological, sociocultural, and evolutionary investigations. MIT Press.

Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S. (1989). The experience of nature: A psychological perspective. Cambridge University Press.

Kellert, S. (1993). The biological basis for human values of nature. In E. Wilson & S. Kellert (Eds.), The biophilia hypothesis (pp. 42–69). Island Press.

Kellert, S. (2008). Dimensions, elements, and attributes of biophilic design. In S. Kellert, J. Heerwagen, & M. Mador (Eds.), Biophilic design: The theory, science, and practice of bringing buildings to life (pp. 3–19). Wiley.

Kellert, S., Heerwagen, J., & Mador, M. (Eds.). (2008). Biophilic design: The theory, science and practice of bringing buildings to life. Wiley.

Kim, I. T., Choi, A. S., & Sung, M. K. (2017). Development of a colour quality assessment tool for indoor luminous environments affecting the circadian rhythm of occupants. Building and Environment, 126, 252–265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2017.10.009

Kilmer, R., & Kilmer, W. O. (2014). Designing interiors (2nd ed.). John Wiley and Sons.

Kjellgren, A., & Buhrkall, H. (2010). A comparison of the restorative effect of a natural environment with that of a simulated natural environment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(4), 464–472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.01.011

Klepeis, N. E., Nelson, W. C., Ott, W. R., Robinson, J. P., Tsang, A. M., Switzer, P., Behar, J. V., Hern, S. C., & Engelmann, W. H. (2001). The National Human Activity Pattern Survey (NHAPS): A resource for assessing exposure to environmental pollutants. Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology, 11(3), 231–252. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jea.7500165

Koranteng, C., & Simons, B. (2012). An evaluation of natural lighting levels in students’ hostels in a suburb of Kumasi, Ghana. Advances in Applied Science Research, 3(1), 548–554.

Korpela, K., Borodulin, K., Neuvonen, M., Paronen, O., & Tyrväinen, L. (2014). Analyzing the mediators between nature-based outdoor recreation and emotional well-being. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 37, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.11.003

Kwallek, N., Woodson, H., Lewis, C. M., & Sales, C. (1997). Impact of three interior color schemes on worker mood and performance relative to individual environmental sensitivity. Color Research & Application, 22(2), 121–132. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1520-6378(199704)22:2<121::AID-COL7>3.0.CO;2-V

McGee, B., Park, N., Portillo, M., Bosch, S., & Swisher, M. (2019). DIY biophilia: Development of the Biophilic Interior Design Matrix as a design tool. Journal of Interior Design, 44(4), 201–221. https://doi.org/10.1111/joid.12159

Merriam-Webster. (2021). Color.https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/color

Merriam-Webster. (2021). Light. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/light

Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., The PRISMA Group (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. PLoS Med, 6(7), e1000097. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed1000097

Livingston, J. (2014). Designing with light: The art, science and practice of architectural lighting design. Wiley.

Louv, R. (2011). The nature principle: Human restoration and the end of nature-deficit disorder. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.

McCoy, J. M., & Evans, G. W. (2002). The potential role of the physical environment in fostering creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 14(3–4), 409–426. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326934CRJ1434_11

Nanda, U., Zhu, X., & Jansen, B. H. (2012). Image and Emotion: From Outcomes to Brain Behavior. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 5(4), 40–59. https://doi.org/10.1177/193758671200500404

Nightingale, F., Calabria, M. D., & Macrae, J. (1994). Suggestions for thought. University of Pennsylvania Press.

Nyrud, A. Q., Bringslimark, T., & Bysheim, K. (2014). Benefits from wood interior in a hospital room: A preference study. Architectural Science Review, 57(2), 125–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/00038628.2013.816933

Odabaşioğlu, S., & Olguntürk, N. (2015). Effects of coloured lighting on the perception of interior spaces. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 120(1), 183–201. https://doi.org/10.2466/24.PMS.120v10x4

Ohly, H., White, M. P., Wheeler, B. W., Bethel, A., Ukoumunne, O. C., Nikolaou, V., & Garside, R. (2016). Attention Restoration Theory: A systematic review of the attention restoration potential of exposure to natural environments. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B, 19(7), 305–343. https://doi.org/10.1080/10937404.2016.1196155

Olguntürk, N., & Demirkan, H. (2011). Colour and design: From natural patterns to monochrome compositions. Optics & Laser Technology, 43(2), 270–281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optlastec.2009.06.014

Orr, D. W. (1993). Love it or lose it: The coming biophilia revolution. In S. R. Kellert & E. O. Wilson (Eds.), The biophilia hypothesis (pp. 415–440). Island Press.

Park, N.-K., & Farr, C. A. (2007a). Retail store lighting for elderly consumers: An experimental approach. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 35(4), 316–337. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077727X07300096

Park, N.-K., & Farr, C. A. (2007b). The effects of lighting on consumers’ emotions and behavioral intentions in a retail environment: A cross-cultural comparison. Journal of Interior Design, 33(1), 17–32. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-1668.2007.tb00419.x

Park, S. -H., & Mattson, R. H. (2009). Ornamental indoor plants in hospital rooms enhanced health outcomes of patients recovering from surgery. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 15(9), 975–980. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2009.0075

Pati, D., Freier, P., O’Boyle, M., Amor, C., & Valipoor, S. (2016). The impact of simulated nature on patient outcomes: A study of photographic sky compositions. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 9(2), 36–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/1937586715595505

Pilotti, M., Klein, E., Golem, D., Piepenbrink, E., & Kaplan, K. (2015). Is viewing a nature video after work restorative? Effects on blood pressure, task performance, and long-term memory. Environment and Behavior, 47(9), 947–969. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916514533187

Portillo, M. (2009). Color planning for interiors: An integrated approach to designed spaces. Wiley.

Raanaas, R. K., Evensen, K. H., Rich, D., Sjøstrøm, G., & Patil, G. (2011). Benefits of indoor plants on attention capacity in an office setting. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 31(1), 99–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.11.005

Raanaas, R. K., Patil, G. G., & Hartig, T. (2010). Effects of an indoor foliage plant intervention on patient well-being during a residential rehabilitation program. HortScience, 45(3), 387–392. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI.45.3.387

Rossin, K. J. (2010). Biomimicry: Nature’s design process versus the designer’s process. 559–570. https://doi.org/10.2495/DN100501

Sanati, L., & Utzinger, M. (2013). The effect of window shading design on occupant use of blinds and electric lighting. Building and Environment, 64, 67–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2013.02.013

Tavsan, F., & Sonmez, E. (2015). Biomimicry in furniture design. Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences, 197, 2285–2292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.255

Theodorson, J. (2018). North v. south: The impact of orientation in daylighting school classrooms. SOLAR 2008: Catch the Clean Energy Wave. https://www.academia.edu/8568609/North_V._South_The_Impact_of_Orientation_in_Daylighting_School_Classrooms

Tofle, R. B., Schwarz, B., Yoon, S.-Y., Max-Royale, A., & Des, M. E. (2004). Color in healthcare environments: A research report. Coalition for Health Environments Research. https://www.healthdesign.org/sites/default/files/color_in_hc_environ.pdf

Totaforti, S. (2018). Applying the benefits of biophilic theory to hospital design. City, Territory and Architecture, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40410-018-0077-5

Ulrich, R. (1992). How design impacts wellness. The Healthcare Forum Journal, 35(5), 20–25.

Vouchilas, G., & Ulasewicz, C. (2017). Millennial exploration of good design: Perceptions of the elements of design through images and language. The International Journal of the Image, 8(4), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.18848/2154-8560/CGP/v08i04/39-50

Wilson, E. O. (1984). Biophilia: The human bond with other species. Harvard University Press.

Wise, B. K., & Wise, J. A. (1988). The human factors of color in environmental design: A critical review. NASA. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19890006161

Yin, J., Zhu, S., MacNaughton, P., Allen, J. G., & Spengler, J. D. (2018). Physiological and cognitive performance of exposure to biophilic indoor environment. Building and Environment, 132, 255–262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2018.01.006

Author(s) retain the copyright of articles published in this journal, with first publication rights granted to Interiority.