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New book promotes "harmony and reconnection"

A new book from Island Press is exploring the links between buildings, nature and people.

Written by Stephen R. Kellert, a Professor of Social Ecology at Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, 'Building for Life' is aimed primarily at planners, designers and architects, as a way of understanding buildings and spaces that can help people reconnect with nature.

Looking at urban and rural spaces in Connecticut and throughout the world, Kellert steps back to consider how we bond so deeply with nature as children... and how architecture can bring back that connection when we are adults.

As Kellert argues:

"All around us are examples of buildings and spaces, ancient and modern, that reconnect people to their natural surroundings. These structures restore our souls as well as our communities, and we should look to them for the future of architecture.

"As children, we grow up with an innate sense of wonder for nature. Increasingly, however, young people are unable to experience the natural world directly: through a walk in nearby woods, for example. By the time we reach adulthood, we are convinced that buildings are meant to be a bulwark against nature, a protection from the environment and other individuals.

"Building for Life shows that it is possible to reverse this trend. The solution is biophilic design, architecture that not only minimises environmental impact, but also actively promotes a sense of harmony between people and nature. Elevated greenways inside Paris, the Sydney Opera House, the neo-Gothic style of traditional college campuses, the Chrysler Tower - these are but a few of many ways in which buildings and spaces can evoke nature, play, movement, and the longing every person has to reconnect."

Published at Sapling.info: November 2005

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