Biophilic Design for Sustainability: Development of a Design Framework Using Bio-inspired Processes

As sustainability challenges in the built environment intensify, there is an urgent need to adopt Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) that moves beyond conventional energy efficiency and toward regenerative, nature-integrated solutions. Biophilic design, which seeks to restore connections between people and nature in the built environment, offers a promising pathway. Current BD practice tends to emphasise sensory perception and human–nature connection, while ESD practice is more performance-oriented, focusing on measurable outcomes such as energy efficiency, water management, and material optimisation. This paper introduces the Biophilic House Guide, a design framework developed to bridge these two approaches by integrating natural processes as common ground for design innovation.

The framework is structured around five categories: Earth (materiality and resource cycles), Water (hydrological systems), Air (quality, ventilation, and thermal comfort), Fire (energy and light systems), and Habitat (biodiversity and social inclusion). Within each category, bio-inspired strategies were identified from ecological processes and translated into practical design criteria that can simultaneously enhance building performance and strengthen biophilic qualities. For example, Earth strategies draw on soil regeneration to inspire circular material flows, Water strategies model natural wetlands to improve stormwater management, Air strategies adapt termite mound ventilation to achieve passive cooling, Fire strategies emulate plant morphology for solar capture, and Habitat strategies replicate forest edge conditions to foster multispecies living environments.

This paper discusses both the methodological development of the guide and its practical implications. Findings highlight that integrating BD and ESD through bio-inspired strategies allows designers to move beyond aesthetic or symbolic uses of nature towards regenerative solutions that are grounded in ecological performance and human well-being. This novel framework, the Biophilic House Guide, offers a replicable model for residential architecture, bridging human sensory experiences with sustainability outcomes and demonstrating how biophilic processes can support the transition to regenerative design practices.