Natural Dimensions - Transforming Schools with Biophilic Design

There is strong evidence that strong green environments can improve educational outcomes as well as improving focus and concentration restoration levels, and for Nicholas Artherton, a chartered Landscape Architect and qualified Urban designer, Biophilic Design is a core tenet to create connections with natural elements and outdoor spaces through diversity, movement and multi-sensory interactions.
Nick is founder of Natural Dimensions, a multi-award-winning landscape architecture and urban design practice. For Nick, Biophilic Design is: “a way of incorporating into design a balance of ecological planning and planning for mental well-being and responding to systems which encourage human health.”
One of Nick’s most celebrated designs was for Merstham Park School where, Natural Dimensions were appointed to design extensive ground around a ground-breaking new pathfinder secondary school that is a template for low carbon technology and biophilic landscape principles.
From the entrance to the school and throughout the grounds, Natural Dimensions created a beautiful space with varied spaces incorporating many different habitats, spaces and an overall feeling of the school sitting within nature.
With a rich variety of planting, and so much thought gone into choosing a mix of species that change throughout the seasons, the school is nestled in a beautiful “hug” of colour, shapes and biodiversity. But not only is the landscape beautiful, with the deciduous trees, it maximises solar heating in winter and solar cooling in summer. Nick has also optimised the use and preservation of rainwater through some clever tech under the permeable pathways and planting areas which is then used for irrigation and recycling it for toilet flushing.
Nick shares his passion for increasing the awareness of Biophilic Design and believes it should be adopted as the de facto approach to design. In fact, he explains that he can't think of a better location into which to bring biophilic design than schools. With kids being super aware of environmental issues, Nick believes there is no better place for them to be really engaged in really well-designed schools, which represent those values for them, and encourage them to engage with environmental stewardship.
His view is that if you are advocating for responsible behaviour towards climate issues, and also mental well-being, it makes complete sense for schools to be the locations for that advocacy. He believes that they can act as community hubs because they are representatives of spaces where there is a focus for environmental stewardship, and that could reach out to the rest of the community.
Nick’s personal mission is to enable landscape architecture and urban design to be at the heart of development, with the many benefits it brings for all, including an increasingly important positive ecological impact. Natural Dimensions aims to help companies, organisations, communities and individuals reap the rewards of design in the form of landscape aesthetics and features, natural systems, environmental enhancement and the wellbeing of citizens.
With every design, new build, school refit or refurb we have a choice to make, and I think that Nick’s passion for creating well thought out, meaningful spaces and enlightened planning through the adoption of Biophilic Design prove that we can transform public sector design.
Come and hear Nicholas Atherton speak at the Biophilic Design Conference: www.biophilicdesignconference.com or pick up a copy of the Education ISSUE of the Journal of Biophilic Design journalofbiophilicdesign.com/...
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[@lizziebodenham1410]

What an exciting & inspiting project👌