Terrapin Report
Biophilic Design with Wood
in British Columbia
Drawing from the latest cross-disciplinary research, we are reimagining standard practices in the built environment. Collaborating with researchers in diverse fields ranging from psychology to materials science, we publish reports, white papers, and articles to engage the community and inform our clients’ projects. This work brings together human wellbeing, the built environment, and the life sciences to create innovative solutions for a changing world.
in British Columbia
Why designing with nature in mind makes financial sense
Migliorare la Salute e il Benessere nell’Ambiente Costruito
Una Risorsa per i Professionisti della Progettazione Biofilica
An exploration of the science on biophilic responses to wood
A resource for practitioners of biophilic design
A Biophilic Design Guide
Recommendations for a Fire-Resilient, Resource-Efficient and Affordable New Home
Economic & Bio-Inspired Perspectives on Indoor Air Quality Management
Psychoacoustic Strategies for Workplace Distractions & The Bottom Line
Improving Health and Well-Being in the Built Environment
Why designing with nature in mind makes financial sense
An environmental analysis of the 1958-1973 Manhattan Office Building
The Future of Energy, Innovation, and Business
Healthy Principles For Designing the Built World
שיפור הבריאות ותחושת הרווחה בסביבה הבנויה
Mejorar la salud y el bienestar en el entorno construido
Améliorer la santé et le bien-être dans l’environnement bâti
Concevoir avec la Nature : un atout économique
Biophilic Design in Hospitality
Greening NYC’s Historic Buildings
The promise of algae biofuels
Improving the urban experience
Eco-Diplomacy in Operation (2nd Ed.)
Increasing productivity through energy-efficient design
Performance Parameters for Health
Taking a holistic approach to biophilic design can help support seniors' specific health issues
Sustainability in the Built Environment: Biophilic Design
Linking Theory + Practice: Healthier Workplaces, Happier Employees
The Role of Biophilic Design in Landscape Architecture for Health and Well-being
Biophilic Design Patterns: Emerging Nature-Based Parameters for Health and Well-Being in the Built Environment
CTBUH Journal, 2014 Issue 1
Implications for sustainable design
Chapter 12: Sustainability and Energy Considerations
The theory, science, and practice of bringing buildings to life, Chapters 22 & 23
Recent articles from our blog that describe our work and ideas
A special issue of Architecture entitled, “Biophilic School Design for Health and Wellbeing”, Terrapin’s Bill Browning teamed up with Jim Determan of Craig Gaulden Davis Architecture to explore the results from the yearlong study of biophilic measures in a sixth grade mathematics classroom in Baltimore. Those results influenced the design of the new Bethel-Hanberry elementary […]
Every once in a great while, a completed project is even better than the architectural renderings. When that happens, it is an absolute thrill. This delight and joy is what we experienced when walking through the newly rebuilt terminal core of Portland Oregon’s PDX International Airport. PDX has for many years been the top-rated airport […]
British Columbia (BC), Canada’s westernmost province, has a centuries-old tradition of wood construction by the First Nations of the region. Their round houses and planked long houses made great use of the giant western red cedar and the fine-grained yellow cedar. For BC’s largest city, Vancouver, timber exports were the basis of its original economy. […]
The administration at the University of California Santa Barbara finally realized that the emperor had no clothes and cancelled the mostly windowless Munger Hall,1 but the fight for natural light and air continues. The monstrous dorm would have sentenced over 4,000 students to bedrooms with no windows, creating a potentially disastrous living experience. In location near […]