Biophilic Design in Healthcare

Nature-inspired design features

Research has shown that the human responses associated with biophilia do not need to be literal components of nature. Design features that are reminiscent of natural landscapes, forms, patterns, and organisms can potentially achieve similar responses. This remains applicable whether they are presented in the form of replications, simulations, or abstractions.

For existing spaces that cannot be retro-optimised for access to daylight and views, nature-inspired design features can be some of the simplest and most feasible changes that can be taken on as part of biophilic office design efforts.

Some examples of biophilic design features are:^[2]

• Arches, vaults, and domes

• Shells and spirals

• Botanical motifs

• Oval and tubular forms

• Animal motifs

• Fluid, sinuous, curvilinear forms

Natural lighting

Artificial lighting advancements have enabled architects to develop larger and deeper buildings with numerous enclosed regions that do not rely on natural lighting for illumination at all. While these locations are habitable, they can have a detrimental impact on general well-being.

The presence of natural lighting as well as window orientation have been associated with shorter duration of in-patient stays, accelerated post-operative recovery, more effective pain alleviation, and boosted employee morale. Natural light plays a leading role in the human sleep-wake pattern (or the circadian rhythm), and access can help influence wakefulness and sleep patterns.

Various studies have clarified the importance of natural lighting in healthcare:

• In one prospective study of 89 patients recovering from elective spinal surgery, those assigned to brighter hospital rooms were exposed to 46 percent higher-intensity sunlight and used 22 percent less analgesic medication per hour than patients on the dimmer side of the same unit. They also reported lower perceived stress, slightly lower pain levels, and generated 21 percent lower pain medication costs. Other studies have similarly linked brighter rooms with shorter hospital stays, while darker rooms have been associated with poorer patient outcomes.^[3][4]

• Exposure to natural light may support recovery from painful medical conditions. An older 1998 retrospective study of myocardial infarction patients found that those recovering in brighter hospital rooms had significantly shorter stays than those in darker rooms. For women, average stays were 2.3 days in bright rooms versus 3.3 days in dark rooms. The study also pointed to a strong statistical trend toward higher mortality in darker rooms.^[4][5]

• Exposure to natural light may support recovery from painful medical conditions. A large 2018 study drawing on 15 years of hospital data compared patients admitted to beds near windows with those placed nearer the door in six-bedded hospital rooms. Across tens of thousands of patients, those assigned to beds near the window had shorter lengths of stay, including after matching for factors such as age, sex, and admitting department.^[6]

Access to nature

Integrating exterior views or therapeutic gardens has been a design strategy since at least Ancient Greece.^[7] Research has shown that visual access to nature can support recovery in healthcare settings, with studies linking natural views to shorter post-operative stays and reduced use of pain medication.

Natural materials

Natural raw materials like wood, bamboo, and stone evoke a feeling of being close to nature thanks to their association with environments like forests and parks.

Needless to say, wood is one material that has long been ubiquitous across interior spaces, and long, long before the emergence of evidence-based practices in interior design. But leveraging the material beyond its unpremeditated use into a strategic biophilic healthcare tactic might help increase its potential.

Greenery

For many, the interpretation of biophilia boils down to an abundant use of greenery. After all, unlike replications, plants are one of the few literal manifestations of nature that are feasible in interiors. And thanks to their vibrancy and visual contrast against other furnishings, plants and trees can be immediately noticed in interior environments.

Of course, introducing indoor plants into healthcare settings requires strict safety protocols, which is why artificial foliage is often used instead. In more stringent healthcare environments, pathogen-free planting systems may still be possible where advanced contamination control measures are in place.^[8]

Positive distractions

Alongside direct references to nature, other environmental stimuli such as carefully chosen visual art can also help reduce stress in healthcare settings. Spaces without these kinds of positive distractions, such as clinics with blank white walls, may leave patients more focused on fear, discomfort, or pain. Research has also suggested that positive distractions can influence physiological responses, including blood pressure.^[9]

Biophilic design as a healthcare strategy

As discussed above, biophilic design in healthcare is not limited to gardens or indoor planting. It can be applied through daylight, views, natural materials, nature-inspired forms, and other positive distractions that help make clinical settings feel less stressful and more supportive.

While the strength of evidence varies across interventions, research has consistently linked certain biophilic strategies, particularly access to daylight and nature, with improved patient experience and recovery-related outcomes. For developers and designers operating in healthcare design applications, the value lies in treating these moves not as decorative additions, but as practical design decisions that can contribute to well-being and overall quality of care.

With more than three decades of research continuing to explore these ideas, it is striking that biophilic design principles are still not more widely embedded across healthcare environments.

The more contemporary healthcare environments give proper attention to light, sensory comfort, visual connection, and the subtle cues of the natural world, the more they acknowledge something fundamental: wellbeing is influenced not only by treatment, but by the setting in which treatment takes place. That feels very much in line with the kind of thinking Edward O. Wilson helped bring into wider view.

See also: The Complete Guide to Healthcare Acoustics

Sources: 

^{[1] Ulrich, Roger. 1984. “View through a Window May Influence Recovery from Surgery.” Science 224 (4647): 420 – 21.}

^{[2] Heerwagen, Judith H., Stephen R. Kellert, and Martin L. Mador. 2008. Biophilic Design: The Theory, Science, and Practice of Bringing Buildings to Life. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.}

^{[3] Walch, Jeffrey M., Bruce S. Rabin, Richard Day, Jessica N. Williams, Krissy Choi, and James D. Kang. 2005. “The Effect of Sunlight on Postoperative Analgesic Medication Use: A Prospective Study of Patients Undergoing Spinal Surgery.” Psychosomatic Medicine 67 (1): 156 – 63. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.psy.0000149258.42508.70.}

^{[4] Malenbaum, Sara, Francis J. Keefe, Amanda C. de C. Williams, Roger Ulrich, and Tamara J. Somers. 2008. “Pain in Its Environmental Context: Implications for Designing Environments to Enhance Pain Control.” Pain 134 (3): 241 – 44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2007.12.002.}

^{[5] Beauchemin, Kathleen M., and Peter Hays. 1998. “Dying in the Dark: Sunshine, Gender and Outcomes in Myocardial Infarction.” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 91 (7): 352 – 54. https://doi.org/10.1177/014107689809100703.}

^{[6] Park, Man Young, Choul-Gyun Chai, Hae-Kyung Lee, Hani Moon, and Jai Sung Noh. 2018. “The Effects of Natural Daylight on Length of Hospital Stay.” Environmental Health Insights.}

^{[7] Gesler, W. M. 1993. “Therapeutic Landscapes: Theory and a Case Study of Epidauros, Greece.” Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 11 (2): 171 – 89. https://doi.org/10.1068/d110171.}

^{[8] Zandi, Abdolrahim, and Shu-Fen Wung. 2025. “Health Effects of Plants, Light, and Natural Elements of Biophilic Interventions in Confined Settings: A Systematic Review.” Frontiers in Physiology 16 (December). https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2025.1700518.}

^{[9] Dan, Bernard. 2016. “Rehabilitative and Therapeutic Neuroarchitecture.” Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology 58 (11): 1098 – 98. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.13246.}