At DP Architects, our commitment to design excellence in architecture that enrich the human spirit and experience in today’s context, has meant pushing architectural designs beyond standard aesthetics and functionalities to encompass principles of health and wellbeing. This follows the World Health Organisation’s definition of health as not merely the absence of illness but as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being”.
In our pursuit of holistic design, we have come to understand how and the extent to which the built form influences our wellbeing – from damp homes leading to respiratory complications in children to climate change detrimentally affecting food production. Indeed, statistics show that environmental factors may potentially cause up to 90% of cancers while genetics may account for as little as 10-15% of our health outcomes. What this means is: design matters.
We recognise that in order to empower end-users towards health and wellness, as designers, we must place design first. So, we’ve tapped into growing research literature. Learning from principles of well-being, we have formulated an evidence-based design methodology for creating spaces and places that promote human well-being and planetary health. This methodology is built on four principles: contemplation, community, biophilia and hapticity.
Each principle has characteristics that we have developed into a matrix to examine the holistic design credentials of existing buildings and support the design of new proposals.
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Our Design Methodology and Insights
Contemplation
Contemplation considers spatial design that enhances attentiveness and compassion in self and others by inducing either relaxation or focused effort.
The latter allows the mind to still and achieve clarity by pinpointing one’s attention on a particular subject or object, be that a mantra or one’s own breath, with the aim of achieving optimal levels of performance and minimising errors caused by distractions. The former encourages a calm state so that the mind is less likely to inhibit the body's healing process.
In order to sculpt spaces that nudge occupants into this contemplative state, we have adapted our research findings and formulated the following modes of spatial design:
Community
Community explores the concept of creating a sense of belonging and kinship through well designed spaces that facilitate group activities and educational moments. It is spaces for physical and mental well-being, where engagement as and of a group, activates the community and cultivates a culture of sharing and nurturing among its users.
Designing inclusively for all people, these places of Community become safe spaces of social equality and sustainability that we are more likely to identify with and desire to protect. In order to sculpt spaces that encourage community and fellowship, we have adapted our research findings and formulated the following modes of spatial design:
Biophilia
Biophilia looks at our inherent tendency to seek connection with nature. It considers spatial design that incorporates elements of nature, whether by bringing nature inside or creating visual and physical connections to outside, in order to generate a better sense of wellbeing. Biophilic design, in our research findings, can be formulated and expressed in the following modes:
Hapticity
Hapticity, in this context, refers to any sense that is more than sight; a world without light. This can include the tactile feel of a material, the warmth of sunlight streaming through a skylight, the tingle of the hairs as a summer breeze wafts through a well-ventilated room, the smell of lemongrass, the taste of the relaxing steam of a sauna.
Designers tend to design with their eyes, defining spaces using form and light. Hapticity moves away from the purely visual syntax and promotes design using all the senses and in doing so, creates sensory-rich spaces that engage more with the users. This incites more areas of the brain and make people feel more alive.
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