Documentary about Biophillic Design Features Arcosanti

Bill Finnegan came by and took some footage of Arcosanti for his documentary about Biophilic Design. Finnegan has a production company called Tamarack Media.

Biophilic Design is a term coined by the neo-Darwinian ecologist E O Wilson who has sought to demonstrate the links that humans have with their environment and consider design processes that reinforce more conscious living through Biophilic Design.

Biophilic Design is quite similar to Ecological Design concept developed by Sim Van Der Ryn and also the Biomimicry concept developed by Janine Beynus, but with a focus on how buildings call actually promote more thoughtful interactions with nature.

The documentary is a companion to the book published by Wiley and editted by Stephen R. Kellert, Judith Heerwagen and Martin Mador titled Biophilic Design : The Theory, Science and Practice of Bringing Buildings to Life.

From the GreenArchitect.com blog post about Biophilic Design:

Biophilic Design: The Theory, Science and Practice of Bringing Buildings to Life is an incredible new resource from Wiley to advance the art and science of this emerging design practice in architecture. As the book states, “Biophilic design is a new approach to sustainable development that incorporates the positive experience of nature into the design of the built environment.”

Chapter 2: The Nature of Human Nature (Edward O. Wilson)Chapter 3: A Good Place to Settle: Biomimicry, Biophilia, and the Return of Nature’s Inspiration to Architecture (Janine Benyus)

Chapter 12: The Extinction of Natural Experience in the Built Environment (Robert Pyle and David Orr)

Chapter 13: Biophilia and Sensory Aesthetics (Judith Heerwagen and Bert Gregory)

Chapter 17: Towards Biophilic Cities: Strategies for Integrating Nature into Urban Design (Tim Beatley)

Chapter 19: The Greening of the Brain (Pliny Fisk)

Chapter 22: Transforming Building Practices through Biophilic Design (Jenifer Seal Cramer and William Browning)

Chapter 23: Reflections on Implementing Biophilic Design (Robert Fox and Robert Berkebile)

Related Articles and Research:

• AIA Newsletter article about: “Biophilia in Practice: Buildings that Connect People with Nature“

Arcosanti Visitor Provides Insights about Baja, Ecological Design and Healthy Living

Being a tourguide at Arcosanti provides a chance to interact with the diversity of people passing through.

The other day a guy from Mexico came by and took a tour with me – Peter. His family is from Spain but he has spent much of his time in USA. Somehow we got to talking about the Yestermorrow Institute and I said a friend was thinking about going. He said he interned at Yestermorrow and that it is a great program for hands-on learning about Ecological Design. He also mentioned that he had been working on a designing a project with Tony Brown; a local Prescott based architect that founded the Ecosa Institute (which I attended in 2000). Tony was helping him to plan out a project in Baja California that was to be a center for ecological design in the region where he lives. Unforunately, one of the financial backers of the project pulled out at the last minute. Peter currently runs a organic restaurant and community center in San Jose del Cabo in Baja California Sur, Mexico. He says the community is a diverse place and some are open to alternative health, healthy eating and living…although the urban built environment sounded a bit dismal and what you would expect in a Mexican coastal tourist community.

He told me that on his way across the country he stopped to meet artist Alex Grey which he said was one of the highlights of his trip.

Peter also mentioned staying about six months in Auroville during 2001. My friends David Tollas and Nadia Begin also spent a year there in 2005 (or around that time) so I introduced Peter to them and they had a chance to connect and it turned out they had some mutual aquaintances including Daniel Greenberg of Living Routes (which as a learning program that goes to Auroville).