Of its large customers, Unilin is a pulse reader. The company never undervalues the relationship between nature and mankind. Enhancing the advantages of that connection is the goal of biophilic design. This well-founded design concept aims to improve sustainability, productivity, and well-being by incorporating nature into our daily lives. These ideas inform the design of many Unilin products.
“Biophilia” literally translates to “love of nature.” Both indoor and outdoor areas can include natural features and ideas through biophilic design. And for good reason—many studies have been conducted on the positive impacts of nature on people. For instance, the stress reduction theory demonstrates that a natural setting lowers stress and elicits pleasant feelings.
Using nature as an inspiration
Unilin’s well-being is enhanced by indoor plants, organic shapes, natural materials, and vistas of water or greenery. “We have spent 95 per cent of our evolutionary time scale in nature. We only recently started living in houses, so it makes sense that we feel our best in environments that reflect nature,” Laurens describes. As a result, Unilin considers nature to be an inspiration when creating interior materials. Examples include vinyl tiles that mimic natural stone, laminate flooring that mimics the appearance and structure of real wood floorboards, and ornamental wall panels that perform better than oak planks.
From the very beginning of the development of a new product, the Unilin R&D teams adopt a biophilic design approach. This includes the actual product as well as its design, which draws inspiration from nature. They make Unilin’s laminate floors and wall panels as sustainable as possible by using as much recycled material and recovered wood as they can. Since it would not be sustainable to install real oak flooring in every structure, laminate flooring that is identical to real parquet flooring is also a victory for the environment.
Win-win-win with biophilic design
Increased focus, creativity, and satisfaction are the results of biophilic design in workspaces and educational settings. “People feel happier, are more productive, and call in sick less often. These are gains on a human level, but on an economic level as well: personnel costs account for 90 per cent of a company’s total costs. For every euro you invest in biophilic design, you get 2.7 euros back.”
In the fields of healthcare and education, there are also noticeable advantages: children learn better, people recover faster, and bullying is reduced. Even problems that are generally associated with the West, like obesity and burnout, are believed to benefit from biophilic design. And in the travel and tourism industry? “People are willing to pay up to 20 per cent more for a break in nature,” Laurens adds.
From local ecology to flora
Three primary pillars can be used to classify biophilic design:
- Direct interaction with nature: this includes vegetation, daylight, water features, and verdant vistas. “Even in urbanised environments, we are increasingly aware of this,” Laurens adds. As an illustration, consider green criteria like the 3-30-300 rule, which states that there should be three trees in the area, 30% green space nearby, and 300 meters or less of nature.
- Indirect interaction: this includes natural materials, including wood, wood-like textures, colours, and even natural imagery. “Wood as a material is always a success.”
- The sensation of space: open areas, cover, and patterns with natural forms, such as a honeycomb structure. “Steve Jobs chose the trendy rounded corners for the iPhone mainly because they feel more natural and therefore appeal to more people,” Laurens reveals.
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