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The emergence of Covid-19 and its epidemic features have affected many people around the world. Regardless of the physical and psychological problems caused by it, people must isolate themselves from their surroundings. This problem is more intense in urban areas where people live in crowded apartments and high-rise buildings. During the lockdown, residents of such buildings suffered from disconnection from nature, in addition to the lack of communication with others. As most multi-story apartments and residential complexes do not have separate green spaces and do not provide a safe connection to nature for occupants, it is very tough for the residents of these buildings to endure the disease, and occupants are more vulnerable to disease. Accordingly, this study proposes the biophilic design as an effective approach to provide a secure connection with nature in residential complexes and high-rise apartments.

The questionnaire method was used in this study to analyze the raised hypotheses. Two types of residential zones were selected for the survey and comparing the results. One is apartment units without dedicated green space, and the other is villa houses with private green space. Size of the sample population include 300 people (150 residents of an apartment block and 150 residents of villa homes).

Strict restrictions during the pandemic have prevented people from connecting with nature, especially in urban areas, owing to the lack of separated and dedicated green spaces, whereas connection with nature can be healing and lead to relieving anxiety and stress in this era based on the approved research. Accordingly, applying a biophilic approach to the design process would be helpful.

The lack of a biophilic project to observe was one of the limitations of this study. Being an available biophilic project in the surroundings could be very helpful to observe and acquire comprehensive knowledge and experiences from the handlers and users of biophilic buildings.

This study can be beneficial for patients, individuals and occupants of apartments and residential complexes in urban areas who suffer from distance from nature and green spaces during the restrictions of pandemics such as Covid-19.

This study proposes the use of biophilic architecture in the design process of residential complexes and high-rise apartments to provide isolated and dedicated green spaces for occupants, especially during the lockdown when people have been deprived of parks and public green spaces.

The Biophilic Interior Design Matrix (BID-M) was created to assist designers with identifying biophilic interior design features for optimizing nature integration for evidence-based design. The BID-M was developed and tested with interior design practitioners in the United States. There was a need to further develop the BID-M for other cultures along with understanding the designers' perceptions of biophilia.

A mixed methods approach was used with 101 interior designers/architects practicing in China using a pre- and post-questionnaire surrounding a room assessment using the BID-M.

The Chinese translation of the BID-M was perceived as beneficial to design practice, evaluated as reliable and valid. The Chinese designers perceived a significant increase in knowledge and importance of biophilia after using the BID-M and it was useful in assisting all parts of the design process. The designers had some prior experience with biophilic design and clients have been requesting suitable natural and artificial light features.

The BID-M was seen as a human centered design tool that is useful to evaluate biophilic design features in the built environment.

Overall, the BID-M appears to be useful throughout the design process to ultimately support well-being. The participants' cultural background expands use of the BID-M and provides opportunities for additional cultural applications of biophilic design and future research. The BID-M offers additional language for incorporating biophilic design as well as serving to educate and guide feature selection.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a holistic way of incorporating biophilic building design that creates a restorative environment attractive to prospective urban hotel employees. This study additionally examines the role of perceived well-being from nature attributes and associated impacts on emotions and likelihood to choose to work for a hotel with nature attributes.

This study used a conjoint analysis to detect the most resotrative individual and combinations of biophilic attributes that can improve employee well-being. In addition, nature attributes influence on emotions and intentions to work for a hotel were analyzed.

Results showed that not all nature attributes are equally evaluated by urban hotel prospective employees. In this study, the authors found that natural lighting, outdoor green views and indoor landscaping are important factors in the evaluation of an urban hotel with biophilic features. However, this tendency varies when the sample was divided by prospective employees’ who perceived higher or lower levels of well-being would be influenced by nature attributes.

Unlike previous studies, the authors tested a multiattribute design and results demonstrate the perceived restorative effect of nature attributes in an environment on prospective employees. In addition to extending the biophilic design in hospitality literature, the authors provide practical suggestions to urban hotels incorporating biophilic design and propose that specific elements have the propensity to enhance the well-being of prospective employees and reinforce positive emotions and intentions to work for urban hotels that incorporate them.

Studies related to biophilic design (BD) have not clarified the user's role in applying its elements and features to improve quality of life (physical and mental health). This paper aims to highlight the users' role (experience, practice, and advice) when utilising aspects of BD in the interior environment of modern houses (MH) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as a case study.

A study of users' experiences was conducted through a qualitative approach by analysing semi-structured one-to-one interviews with a representative sample from Jeddah (12 heads of the family) using an adapted Biophilic Interior Design Matrix. An inductive approach was applied by extrapolating the users' role in employing BD elements in the MH's interior environment based on their experience in employing various biophilic elements.

The findings demonstrate the importance of the user's role when incorporating biophilic elements in living spaces. The levels of employment of BD elements of various kinds in the interior environment of the MH as a whole are considered high. A high percentage was observed regarding the availability of BD elements in the 40–59 years age group (87%), and a relationship was observed between housing type (villas vs apartments) and availability of BD elements. Additionally, a relationship was observed between the use of a professional designer when designing the house and the availability of biophilic elements. However, the sample did not have a grasp of several BD concepts. The application is generally made without knowing the positive impact on mental health. The user matrix was compiled as a reference that reflects the features and elements that are easily enjoyed in activating BD and enhancing the users' role in raising the level of BD in their homes. An initial classification of BD features was elaborated regarding the physical structure (PS) of a building, features regarding the user under control (UUC) and features regarding the user out of control (UOC).

The classification was preliminarily based on PS, UUC, and UOC. Future research is required to confirm what has been communicated through advanced and in-depth research for housing analysis to confirm and enhance the user's role. This approach is a quick alternative solution to employ biophilic elements.

The authors focussed on the immaterial aspect of BD in interior spaces from the user's experience. BD-related studies have focussed on the physical aspect of architectural space.

The study aims to explore how including biophilic elements in the architectural and interior design of assisted living facilities can improve the well-being and quality of life of older people. This research paper explores the concept of biophilic design and its potential benefits for assisted living facilities.

A total of 39 peer-reviewed articles were reviewed. The research involved a comprehensive review of databases such as Scopus, EBSCO, Elsevier, JSTOR and Google Scholar using keywords and Boolean operators with reference to the study. The study’s inclusion criteria for articles were restricted to academic articles published between 2013 and 2022. The analysis of the current research will offer insights into the concept of biophilic design research and its impact on the well-being and quality of life of baby boomers in assisted living facilities.

The research advocates the benefits of biophilic design to enhance the psychological well-being and quality of life of baby boomers dwelling in assisted living facilities. Biophilic design is a strategy that blends natural elements into built environments to improve our connection with nature to enhance the physical and psychological health of older people. In the context of assisted living facilities, where residents commonly experience a variety of physical and psychological health concerns, adopting biophilic design in architecture holds enormous promise.

The research focuses on applying biophilic design in assisted living facilities and its holistic approach to the overall well-being of older people. The conceptual model proposed in the study has defined the positive aspects of the biophilic design on the psychological and physiological health of older people. Few studies have been done on the impact of biophilic design, specifically on baby boomers.

With the goal to indicate the importance of human–nature connection in designing workplaces, the authors investigated the effects of direct and indirect biophilic indicators on the well-being and performance of employees of an organization. The main question is what is the effect of biophilic components on the well-being and performance of employees.

To answer the research questions, the authors designed and validated an instrument to evaluate correlation between biophilic components with well-being and performance. The participants include 160 employees of one organization. For the data analysis, both descriptive statistical and inferential statistics were used. Pearson's correlation test and ANOVA were conducted to explain the relationship between variables.

The results indicated that biophilic components have significant positive relationships with the well-being of the employees, but no significant relationship was found between biophilic components and the performance of the employees. Using the ANOVA test, biophilic indicators that have a positive and significant effect on the well-being and performance of employees were determined. The natural scenery and warm colors has significant positive effects on social well-being, and the usage of natural landscape posters in the working rooms has a positive and significant relationship with psychological well-being. The natural lighting has a positive and significant relationship with the employees' counterproductive work behavior.

Most of the questionnaires of this research were filled electronically because of the health protocols during pandemic. Almost 70% of the organization's employees had less than 5 years of work experience, which can be considered one of the interfering factors. In addition, the authors only used the questionnaire as a tool for collecting information in this study. There are other forms of information that can be explored through observations, interviews or experiments. Another limitation of this study is the lack of significant diversity in the investigated environments. Finally, the numbers of male and female participants of this study were not equal. The authors suggest studying both genders with an almost equal ratio so that the differences and needs of both groups can be understood.

The designed questionnaire is a validated instrument that can be used by other researchers to evaluate the biophilic design of workplace. These findings can also be useful for managers, companies and organizations in making decisions to improve the working environment and increase the well-being and performance of their employees.

The social effects of biophilic design in the workplace are significant as well. The use of biophilic components can foster a sense of connection between employees and their workplace, creating a positive social environment that supports collaboration and communication. Additionally, a biophilic workplace can promote a positive company culture that values the health and well-being of its employees, which can contribute to employee retention and satisfaction.

In this study, to determine the effects of the biophilic indicators on dimensions of employees' well-being and performance, an instrument is designed and validated.

This study explores the difference in occupants' satisfaction with biophilic features in high-rises, townhouses, and villas in Dubai to identify new strategies that promote more human-nature connections. The study also serves as a benchmark for applying Biophilic Design in the Gulf region and bridging between biophilic theory and practice.

A mixed-mode approach was used, combining surveys from occupants and interviews with experts (3 policymakers, a developer, and a biophilic design educator). The survey collected occupants' satisfaction and acceptance of proposed strategies, and the interviews validated the potentially accepted solutions.

The results indicated high overall satisfaction with biophilic features despite neutral/low satisfaction with specific features. In high-rise buildings, respondents showed high acceptance for different proposed strategies; 76.4% for adaptive control of balconies by season, 82.7% for utilizing outdoor roof gardens, 78.9% for indoor gardens, and 71.8% for vertical farming. Additionally, respondents accepted social strategies; 63.6% agreed to join clubs promoting environmental events, and 75.4% accepted participating in outdoor recreational activities accompanied by local environmental education. The interviews showed an inclination toward incentive programs instead of obligations.

Unlike former studies that assessed indoor environmental qualities without referring to biophilic theory or limited reference to biophilic design, this study provides a novel approach for bridging theory and practice by integrating biophilic design into residential buildings for Dubai's future developments. Additionally, the authors suggest validated proposals to enhance the occupants' biophilic living experience, serving as a benchmark for biophilic application in the Gulf region.

This chapter focuses on the physical work environment, in particular, the possibilities and limitations of biophilic design in hotel office space. Biophilic design has already gained attention in directly influencing the guest experience, but little focus has been given to workspace. Traditionally, the hospitality industry places employees' office spaces in parts of the hotel not appropriate as guest space due to lack of daylight and windows. Many studies have shown that improving the workplace with nature-based features can play a role in increasing employee well-being. Data collected from employees with both extensive managerial and back-of-house hotel experience established that employees would welcome the opportunity to work in such an environment and currently find back-of-house design basic and lacking any aesthetically pleasing elements. An understanding of the obstacles in initiating such changes was shown as well as employee initiatives to improve work spaces. This initial exploratory study concludes that the needs of employees in terms of comfort, wellbeing, motivation and work satisfaction are often overlooked when considering back-of-house spaces. There is a general understanding and expectation that management needs to develop awareness and practical initiatives to address the deficits of the physical work environment. Biophilic design can be influential in promoting a calming and restorative environment at the workplace and thus positively impacting employee motivation and performance.

There is a growing interest in applying the principles of biophilic design to hotel lobbies to enhance positive user experiences. However, there is little empirical research in this area, particularly for abstract or indirect biophilic approaches. The current study analyzed the biophilic strategy of “organized complexity” (which entails structured hierarchical patterns) in a hotel lobby in relation to attention restoration outcomes.

A virtual reality approach was used to create three lobby designs, differing only in their degree of organized complexity. A between-subjects study was conducted with 91 participants, evaluating reactions to the lobby designs in terms of perceived attention restoration, perceived environmental complexity and environmental preferences.

A strong positive relationship was found between participants' perception of environmental complexity and feelings of restoration. However, no statistically significant correlation was found between restoration and the objective measures of organized complexity. This suggests that individual preferences or baseline responses may play a crucial role in the benefits associated with this aspect of biophilic design.

The findings suggest a novel possibility – that responses to organized complexity may not be universal but may instead depend on an individual’s background and personal preferences. While the study found that perceived complexity was associated with restoration, the objective features of the environment that incited these perceptions were different for different participants. This indicates that more research is needed into potentially relevant personal factors.

There has been limited investigation into how “biophilic design” (i.e. the integration of nature within the built environment) can be effectively used within the workplace to facilitate the process of psychological restoration. The purpose of this study was to focus, in particular, on the effectiveness of biophilic “restoration pods” in promoting recovery from stress.

A randomised field experiment was conducted. A total of 32 employees from a participating organisation completed two tests replicating typical office work (proofreading and arithmetic) and subjective ratings of stress, anxiety and task-load both before and after a 10-minute micro-break, taken in either the regeneration pods (treatment group) or an ordinary meeting room (control group).

The results showed that participants who took their break in the regeneration pod reported lower post-break anxiety and perceived task-load, and higher post-break arithmetic task performance, than the control group.

The findings suggest that purpose-built spaces for restoration within office buildings will be effective for helping employees to proactively manage their stress levels while at work. Biophilic design principles will enhance the effectiveness of these spaces, and this does not necessarily need to involve direct exposure to plants or views of nature.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first randomised field experiment to test the effectiveness of a purpose-built space for restoration within offices. Additionally, this paper explores different forms of biophilic design than previous studies.