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Light that Nourishes

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Light that Nourishes

To coincide with the publication of Issue 15 of The Light issue of the Journal of Biophilic Design, light aficionado Xander Cadisch writes.

We live bathed in an ocean of light, yet rarely consider how its invisible waves shape our very biology. Modern research reveals what ancient healers intuited—that light isn't just something we see, but a vital nutrient that regulates our cells, hormones, and nervous system. The implications for how we design our spaces are profound.

At the heart of this revelation lies a simple truth: different colours of light act as distinct biological signals. Take red light, for instance. With wavelengths between 630-700 nanometres, it penetrates deep into our tissues, stimulating mitochondria—those tiny power plants within our cells. This isn't speculative science, it's therapy approved by regulatory bodies like the FDA, now used to accelerate wound healing and ease arthritis pain. Hospitals are beginning to harness this knowledge, installing red light panels in recovery rooms where patients benefit from its regenerative properties.

Read on….

Designs with Distinction - Workspace Design Awards to Launch at the 2026 London Edition of Workspace Design Show!

Designs with Distinction - Workspace Design Awards to Launch at the 2026 London Edition of Workspace Design Show!

Workspace Design Show (25 – 26 February 2026, Business Design Centre, London)announces the launch of the Workspace Design Awards, a brand-new awards programme dedicated exclusively to celebrating outstanding workplace design and its impact on business. The 2026 London edition of the Workspace Design Show will see the first awards take place on 25 February 2026, giving recognition to architectural innovation, user experience and creativity that is redefining how, where, and why we work.  

Workspace Design Show is a must-attend event for the commercial interiors community and this new awards programme expands the Workspace Design Show offering, creating a new platform to honour both completed workplace projects and visionary designs.  

What sets the Workspace Design Awards apart is its commitment to real end user impact and evaluation, as such the judging panel will be exclusively composed of corporate occupiers, developers, and project management firms, bringing a rounded assessment of entries. Judges include, Steve Wright, Director of Workplace Design & Change Management, GSK, Helena Hughes, Director, Global Occupier Services, Savills, James Stratford, Head of Workplace, AXA XL, Sarah Audsley, Partner, Knight Frank and others. 

The awards ceremony will be hosted by Alys Bryan, Editor, Design Insider and Anna King, CEO and Founder, Informare and will be held in a beautifully designed feature space within the show, brought to life by leading architects and designers. Guests can expect an evening of celebration, complete with drinks, canapés, and a lively atmosphere, coupled with the opportunity to connect with the industry. 

READ ON and ENTER THE AWARDS

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SURFACING BRANDS WITH SOUL - a report on the Surface Design Show 2024

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Get your jazz hands ready and lets celebrate sustainable design. Surface - the annual design showthat takes place in London’s Design hub in Islington each February, was a vibrant showcase ofbrands - international, as well as domestic, being creative in their mission to help our planet.

 As Nickie West, Managing Director of Surface Design Show explains: "The theme for 2024focuses on the ambition to design well while doing good – with a conscious effort to protect our planet by aiming for zero waste manufactures and sustainable alternatives.

The natural world remains a key influence on the design industry, inspiring new techniques andprocesses, as well as offering a wealth of material substitutes."

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Surface Design Show 4- 6 February 2025, London

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Surface Design Show 4- 6 February 2025, London

EMBRACE THE WORLD OF MATERIAL INNOVATION

Join thousands of professionals from across the A&D sector, and be inspired by 180 exhibiting companies, dedicated to furthering material innovation.

4-6 February 2025 at the Business Design Centre, Islington, London.

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Chatham House Climate and Energy Summit 18-19 March 2025

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Chatham House Climate and Energy Summit 18-19 March 2025

On the road to COP30, join governments and businesses for two days of interactive discussion exploring strategies to secure a resilient future. Two days of high-level panel dialogues, networking sessions and an interactive workshop under the Chatham House Rule will focus on multi-stakeholder collaboration for increased ambition, action and impact.

Join us!

Chatham House Climate and Energy Summit
18-19 March 2025 | In-person and broadcast live

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Designing Healthy, Sustainable BIOPHILIC Buildings for the Future

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Designing Healthy, Sustainable BIOPHILIC Buildings for the Future

As the climate crisis and mental health challenges collide, the built environment has a crucial role to play in supporting human wellbeing. In a wide-ranging discussion, hosted at Anticipate London, and chaired by Dr Vanessa Champion, founder and editor of the Journal of Biophilic Design, experts from the fields of architecture, sustainability, and design explored how green buildings can nurture both physical and mental health. Watch the discussion with Rob Buckley, Head of Sustainability at QODA Consulting, Astrid Hugo, Senior Sustainability Specialist, at Gensler and Anthony Thistleton-Smith, Co-Founder of Waugh Thistleton Architects.

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The inaugural Biophilic Design Conference 2024

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The inaugural Biophilic Design Conference 2024

London’s iconic Barbican conservatory couldn’t have been more fitting for a conference dedicated to the immense benefits of a world designed with biophilic principles. Visionaries, designers, architects, lawyers, academics, entrepreneurs, advocates and professionals across various walks in life, came together to share their perspectives for one full day in a series of talks. 

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How the Construction Industry Can Help Make Biophilic Design More Popularized

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How the Construction Industry Can Help Make Biophilic Design More Popularized

A greater global emphasis on sustainability has caused biophilic design to gain mainstream attention, but the construction industry also has a part to play. Here’s how construction professionals can help take biophilic design’s popularity to the next level.

High-Profile Biophilic Projects

The simplest way the construction industry can popularize biophilic design is by exposing it to more people. Most of the population lives in big cities, so these locations are the most practical places to start. Greenifying our urban centres will improve the quality of life and give city dwellers a much-needed dose of nature.

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Pioneering Research study aims to prove The Value of Biophilic Design in the workplace.

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Pioneering Research study aims to prove The Value of Biophilic Design in the workplace.

Biophilic Design - the use of plants in providing cleaner air and connecting us with nature, coupled with natural light, certain colours, acoustics, and fragrances - has long been proven to have a positive effect on both mental and physical well-being. For over 25 years, expert horticulturalists Benholm Group have pioneered the use of plants for interiors, not only as an eye-catching focal point, but also to promote the natural health benefits that being surrounded by plants can bring.

This concept has now been brought to the forefront of a new research study led by Sustainability Lead at House of Commons + PhD Researcher, Joyce Chan-Schoof to question if we can apply a social and economic value to biophilic design.

Can biophilic design add value to the workplace - not only through improving air quality and aesthetics, but can it have a tangible impact on employee productivity, retention, absenteeism, satisfaction, engagements and up-skilling?

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Why we should live together - Part 1 . PLANTS & AIR

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Why we should live together - Part 1 . PLANTS & AIR

You may have heard of the “sick building syndrome” where the actual building we live and work in is making us sick. There are a mass of chemicals that are hidden in the paint we use, the cushions and chairs we sit on, the clothes we wear, the carpets we walk on… it can cause everything from coughs, allergies, skin problems, dry eyes, right down to cancers and inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract.

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Sound Without Walls – Considering room acoustics in hospitals as an integral aspect of biophilic design

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Sound Without Walls – Considering room acoustics in hospitals as an integral aspect of biophilic design

Sound may not be one of the first things we think of in biophilic design but what most people want from the auditory environment is intrinsically linked to nature.

Our hearing is often key in our perception of the world around us; it helps us to interact, communicate and be aware of what is happening and impending change. It is designed for the outside, a world without walls and other hard reflective surfaces that focus sound and allow it to build up to levels where it affects our concentration, increases levels of anxiety, negatively affects performance and interrupts our sleep….

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Biophilia, Five Elements and Wabi Sabi

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Biophilia, Five Elements and Wabi Sabi

Biophilia finds its way in most of my projects

It is only recently I asked myself the question “Why is it that everything I do encompasses biophilia in one way or another?

I do “Interiors with a Purpose” - mostly for workspaces - and I always invite nature into the spaces I create. It’s the most obvious way to create an environment that thrives and engenders wellbeing I believe.

It worries me whenever I see an office environment in a bad state. Of course, I like designer furniture, art ,etc. But even more I appreciate when people make an effort - when you feel that the surroundings have been taken good care of and you feel a good atmosphere. The best atmosphere is when nature is present. Humans have an innate tendency to seek connections with nature…

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We Are Who We Were

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We Are Who We Were

Many things have changed for humans since their early days as a species—how excited do you think early Homo sapiens would have been by heating, air conditioning and weather tight structures to install them in, for example?

Not everything is different, however. We still have fundamentally the same brains as the first creatures we would recognize as “one of us.” That means we process and respond to the basic sensory inputs we see, hear, feel, taste, and smell today as our earliest human ancestors did….

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Changing your environment and mindset with actor and leadership coach, Paul Ryan

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Changing your environment and mindset with actor and leadership coach, Paul Ryan

Theatre, TV and film create simulations of environments to transport the audience somewhere else. Similarly here at The Journal of Biophilic Design and those who work using biophilic design, we create harmony by mimicking nature to bring about a simulated environment of an outside space to bring peace and calm to workplaces, healthcare and so on….

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Biophilic Design for the Workplace

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Biophilic Design for the Workplace

The benefits of biophilia are increasingly being accepted by workplace designers and managers as not only adding to the visual attractiveness of a workspace, but also by enhancing the wellbeing and happiness of its staff and visitors. We all know that this in turn results in increased productivity, creativity, attendance rates, stress levels and fatigue, and ultimately increased workplace performance. Read more…

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Even mainstream media is saying how nature is good for you

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Even mainstream media is saying how nature is good for you

How many times have I written, “it’s not rocket science…nature is good for you?” Well for the umpteenth time, I’m saying it again, and so is NBC. A recent NBC article discusses why natural scenery improves your mood and makes you more productive. They quote the results of an article published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology which outlines the benefits of having just 40 second green views can have on sustaining attention, less errors and more consistency. This is because it boosts sub-cortical arousal and cortical attention control.

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Noise at Work - how to improve results

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Noise at Work - how to improve results

Croner-i published an article announcing the launch of the new UK Association formed to promote hearing conservation in the UK. The UK Hearing Conservation Association (HCA) claims that current noise risk at work management programmes are not working, and that improvements are needed in several key areas.

We are particularly interested in that their focus will be on preventable causes of hearing loss and hearing health impact “through common sense, cost effective, evidenced solutions”.

Preventing the £100 billion loss to the British Economy

Preventing the £100 billion loss to the British Economy

70 million working days are lost each year due to mental ill-health, costing Britain £70-£100 billion, according to the Mental Health Foundation, with a 24% increase to the number of working days lost in the past 6 years the number of working days due to stress, depression and anxiety. How do we improve this? The solution is closer and cheaper than you think…

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