What Is Biophilic Design? Examples of Apartments Integrating These Principles in Mexico (2024)

Since the earliest civilizations, nature has been a mainstay in serving as a natural habitat for humankind, providing shelter, food, and medicine. In modern times, industrial and technological revolutions took over the landscape, restructuring the way humans interact with nature. However, today, due to the events we have experienced as a society, it is necessary to focus on creating cities and spaces that integrate nature into our daily lives.

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One of the trends that is gaining more and more strength in the world of architecture and interior design is "biophilic design", the term 'biophilia' translates as 'the love of living things' in ancient Greek (philia = love of / inclination to). Biophilia was first used by psychologist Erich Fromm in 1964, only to be popularized in the 1980s by biologist Edward O. Wilson, upon detecting how urbanization was beginning to promote a strong disconnection with nature.

The aim of this principle is to connect humans with nature to improve well-being. This has been achieved by integrating nature into spaces. In Mexico, it is very common to integrate patios inside houses or apartments as it is a way to bring the sun and rain inside the house, to open the chance to other trajectories and coexistence that do not happen entirely in the interior spaces. However, when it comes to collective housing such as lofts or apartments, other elements such as balconies and terraces that can serve to incorporate the natural world are integrated. That is why, this time we present a selection of apartments that seek to connect with these principles to offer a higher quality of life to its users, some of them focus on the interior of the same and others seek to integrate terraces and other elements to the common places of the set. Read on for the complete list.

Chiapas 168 Building / Vertebral

Roma Terrace / Marc Pascal ODA

DGB Apartments / Estudio MMX

Cova07 Building / DFArquitectos

AS Building / Ambrosi I Etchegaray

Artia Departments / AS Arquitectura + CO-LAB Design Office

Alcázar of Toledo / Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos

LC 710 / Taller Héctor Barroso

PRV 843 Building / JL arquitectos

Capulin 59 Residential Building / ArquiPartners

IT Building / Ambrosi I Etchegaray

DPS Apartments / Estudio MMX + Olga Romano

Kiki Tulum Housing / Central de Proyectos SCP

Tribu Apartments / Arista Cero

Loft on 72nd Street / Nauzet Rodríguez

Argáez Building / Taller de Arquitectura X - Alberto Kalach

Zacatecas Building / Taller ADG

Apartment Kepler 196 / All Arquitectura

Edificio Punta Majahua / Zozaya Arquitectos

Tribu Apartments / Arista Cero

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Editor's Note: This article was originally published on February 16, 2023.