A collaborative effort between the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and the Yale School of Architecture, the Center for Sustainable Environmental Design is a pioneer in connecting environmental science and management with architectural design and engineering.

Various aspects of the modern impact on natural systems have converged to necessitate the development of this new profession: Approximately one-third of the world's energy, two-fifths of its material resources, one-sixth of its freshwater withdrawals, one-quarter of its timber harvest, half of its greenhouse gases, as well as a large proportion of global pollutants and toxicants can be traced to the construction and operations of the human-built environment.

While reducing resource consumption and avoiding damage to the natural environment is a major focus of sustainable environmental design, an equally important challenge is designing a built environment that enhances and enriches the human experience of natural processes, serving as a basis for physical, emotional, intellectual, and even spiritual development. The Center for Sustainable Environmental Design seeks to develop this new basis for constructing the human built environment — a basis that results in both less damaging and destructive impacts on natural systems, yet also offers a more positive vision of mutually beneficial contact between people and nature.

In the fall of 2006, Yale University inaugurated a JOINT DEGREE PROGRAM with the Schools of Forestry and Environmental Studies and Architecture by enrolling the first students. Four years of study will earn them their masters' degrees in both architecture and environmental management. It is anticipated that the program will expose future architects to biophilic design concepts and strategies, as well as low environmental impact priorities.

Recent Activities

The Center for Sustainable Environmental Design has been actively developing an emerging professional paradigm capable of addressing modern society's global environmental crisis. The Hixon Center for Urban Ecology provided funds in 2006 to support the Sustainable Environmental Design Program in the following activities:

  • Biophilic Design Symposium
  • Sidwell Friends School Research
  • USGBC Greenbuild
  • Video

Biophilic Design Symposium

A major international symposium was held May 9-12, 2006 at the W. Alton Jones Whispering Pines Conference Center managed by the University of Rhode Island on the subject of biophilic design. Forty-five experts in the fields of architecture, biology, ecology, conservation, psychology, land development, medicine, neuroscience, and urban planning attended. Twelve graduate student applicants from the Yale Schools of Forestry and Environmental Studies and Architecture were selected to assist at the conference. The symposium was structured to expose experts from a number of diverse fields to work done by their counterparts, to create a synthesis of idea through panel discussions with 6-8 panelists representing a range of disciplines, and to allow for opportunities for informal and spontaneous discussion.

Symposium participants were chosen, and the conference agenda created, to address four primary goals: (1) Definition and Importance - Biophilic design as a concept in it infancy, (2) Details - Starting from the theory of biophilic design, it is necessary to identify and describe the elements of a highly biophilic site, (3) Research - How can the proponents of the significance of biophilic design inspire, guide, and fund research which will both confirm its importance in future architectural design, and inform the design professional community as to how to do it effectively?, and (4) Change - How can the developing knowledge of biophilic design be leveraged to create change in the industry?

Participant responses to the symposium were uniformly enthusiastic. For example, James Wines, a prominent green architect with an international clientele and reputation, commented: "This was the most comprehensive and illuminating conference I have ever attended. I feel that the variet and urgency of the messages delivered, plus the unified sense of mission in this particular symposium, is the beginning of something new." All participants felt that this original effort to examine Biophilic Design from many diverse viewpoints was highly successful. A number of participants departed having made plans for future collaboration with newfound colleagues.

A major stated intention of the symposium was the production of a significant edited book on Biophilic Design. Symposium organizers Stephen Kellert, Judith Heerwagen, and Martin Mador are the editors. The 25-chapter book tracks the individual presentations given at the symposium. Symposium presenters developed their material into substantial chapters during 2006 and early 2007. The completed book was submitted mid April, and will be published in late 2007.

Sidwell Friends School Research

We are also conducting research on the effects of biophilic design to determine the ways in which it enhances the occupant experience. The middle school at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC was chosen as the first study site. Several years ago, the Quaker school, with a long history of promoting environmental stewardship, decided to build a new middle school.

Steven Kieran, an architect known for his environmental priorities, and one of the symposium participants, was chosen as the project architect. His design called for numerous biophilic elemnts, such as the use of visible wood, a green roof, visible rainwater handling, extensive daylighting, and a constructed wetlands for water treatment. Last year, while the school waas still using the older building, extensive questionnaires were administered to students, teachers, and staff. Numerous questions probed their awareness of the building, satisfaction, and environmental sensitivity. The questionnaires, now data-entered, will for the baseline for the study.

The new building was opened in the fall of 2006. A second round of surveys will be administered in 2007, with a third round to follow in 6-12 months. This data will provide the first analytical examination of the effect of biophilic design on occupant satisfaction and performance.

Subject to availability of funding, up to a dozen additional buildings will be chosen for similar studies. A computer catalog of over 200 major buildings in the US and Europe has been created recently. These buildings, which include commercial office buildings, public and civic buildings, secondary schools, and higher education facilities, have been examined for their potential as study sites.

USGBC Greenbuild

We are also endeavoring to bring Biophilic Design to the design professional community, and make this a priority in the design and construction of the built environment. Because of their mutual connections with the natural world, the linkage between Biophilic Design and green or low environmental impact design has been important.

Following a meeting with Richard Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chairman of the US Green Building Council, Dr. Kellert was invited to lead a half-day workshop on Biophilic Design at the organization's Greenbuild conference in Denver in November, 2006. There, a panel of several notable speakers, chaired by Dr. Kellert, discussed Biophilic Design and conducted a question and answer session with the unexpectedly large audience of approximately 400 Greenbuild attendees.

Video

We are alos seeking to communicate the elements and benefits of Biohilic Design to various audiences. We have begun efforts to create a video which will explain the elements of Biophilic Design. The Video will incorporate portions of the symposium presentations, additional interviews with participants and other experts, and footage of highly biophilic settings. Discussions are underway with Tamarack Media to fund, script, and produce this video.

For more information, please contact Stephen Kellert, Director of PSED.