Learn to Create Landscapes that are in tune with Human Well Being

Learn to create landscapes that benefit people

What Will You Learn

• To understand the psychological and physical impact of the environment on people
• To choose and use soft and hard landscaping materials in ways that enhance a person's health and wellbeing
• To be a better and more successful professional - horticulturist, garden designer, builder, planner, engineer or architect

Lessons

There are ten lessons in this course as follows:

1. Relationship between Outdoor Environments and Human Well-being
What is Biophilia?
Understanding Biophobia
Health Problems of Biophilic Design
Urban Heat Island Effect
Psychological and Physiological Street
Breakdown of Ecosystems
Environmental Degradation.
Health Benefits of Biophilic Design
Theories of Stress Recovery -attention restoration, stress recovery
The Value of Green Space
Terminology -biophilia, biomimicry, cityscapes, urban landscaping, built environment, etc

2. Design Considerations
Evolution of Design Considerations.
Not Designing for Use
Do not Fail to Involve the Local Community
Avoid Isolation from Nature
Avoid Poor Accessibility.
Connect with Nature
Develop a Sense of Place
Achieve Long-Term Sustainability
Develop Sensory Stimulation
Achieve Beneficial User Experience.
Practical Considerations - Multidisciplinary Approach, Town Planning, Consideration of Outcomes.
Looking at the Future - Further Research, Amendments to National Standards.

3. Patterns and Principles in Urban Design
Introduction.
Design Principles.
Design Patterns.
Terrapin Bright Criteria
Nature and Space Patterns
Natural Analogue Patterns
Nature of the Space Patterns
Relationship to Health
Application of Patterns

4. Components of the Landscape
Introduction - Biophilic Components.
Hard Landscape Components - Surfaces, Stone and Brick, Timber, Metal.
Soft Landscape Components - Turf, Plants.
The Relationship Between Health and Design Components
Direct Experience of Nature -light, air, water, plants, animals, weather, natural landscapes, fire
Indirect Experience of Nature -nature images, natural materials, natural colour, information richness, biomimicry, etc
Experience of Space and Place -prospect and refuge, organised complexity, transitional spaces, mobility and way finding, etc
Some Natural Components in More Detail - Trees, Vegetation, Animals, Water.
Water quality issues

5. Providing Services to People
Introduction.
Five Principles of Healthy Places
Healthy places improve air, water and soil quality
Healthy places help overcome health inequalities
Healthy places make people feel comfortable
Healthy places optimise opportunities
Healthy places are restorative
Water Harvesting, Retention, and Re-use - Storm water, Rainwater, Urban Runoff, Integrated Urban Water Management.

6. Affecting the Individual
Biophilia in different Environments
Environmental stress
General Adaptation Syndrome
Physiological effects of stress -gastric ulcers, immune system, heart disease
Biophilia in the workplace
Noise levels
Temperature
What biophilia can and cannot do

7. Affecting Environmental and Climatic Conditions
Water contaminants
Chlorination
Microbiological Problems
Water quality in aquaria and ponds
Legionnaires Disease in Soil and Potting Media
Using Plants to Extract Contaminants
Growing Plants in Contaminated Soils
Biological Filters for polluted and waste water
Air Quality
Roof and Wall Gardens to Improve Air Quality and Aesthetics
Roof Garden accessibility and safety
What is a Vertical Garden -advantages and disadvantages
Pruning to prevent problems
Decorative Plant Supports
Temporary Props
Types of Roof Garden Installations
Types of Wall Gardens
Narrow Profile Green lines
Plant Selection - considering climate, structure, aesthetics, etc
Construction of Roof and Vertical Gardens
Sealing with weight, water, leaks, heights, etc
Waterproofing
Plant damage
Plant knowledge -epiphytes, ground covers, etc.

8. Assessing and Analysing Existing Landscapes
Assessing Component Attributes of a biophilic experience
Using a checklist
Problems of Assessment
Measuring Pollutants - air, water, noise
Creating Buffer Zones for Pollution.
Using Windbreaks, Hedges, Screens
Creating Shaded Areas
Designing a New Home Garden using Biophilic Design Principles
Creating a Natural Approach to Gardening
Avoiding Problem Materials
Disposing of Waste
Work with Nature
Simple Design Procedure

9. Integrating Biophilic Design into Existing Landscape
Introduction.
Retrofitting Green walls and Roofs.
Using hydroponics for a Vertical NFT Wall
Redevelopment of Public Institutions - adding biophilic elements
Redesign considerations
Water Chemistry of Runoff - urban runoff quality, pollutant loadings, etc
Improving water runoff and recycling - storm water management, biofiltration
Reducing the Use of Pest Control Chemicals in the Garden
Natural Pest and Weed Control
Biocontrol
Working in/ Improving Urban Development

10. Introduction and Population Growth
Challenges for Design - Green walls and Roofs, Permaculture, Hydroponics, Swales for Water Retention, etc.
Working in Urban Development -Beatley's Biophilic City Qualities.
Case Studies.

Course Length - 100 nominal hours

THE NEED FOR MORE BIOPHILIC LANDSCAPING

Many landscapes and cityscapes have not been designed under biophilic principles; but as the awareness and understanding of this discipline grows, the demand for skilled biophilic landscapers is also growing rapidly.

Indeed, many are not only not very people-friendly and lacking in representation of nature, they are distinctly biophobic. By now you should have a very clear understanding of what parts of a landscape can be considered biophilic and what parts are not. Of course, not everything can be biophilic. For example, the surface of a road has to be of a particular texture and surface in order for tyres to grip it but the roadsides and walkways can be enhanced with planting. Sometimes it just takes a little imagination or thinking outside the box to make something of even the most hostile places. In the East End of London, for example, one man has been installing miniature gardens in potholes in the gutters of streets by inserting annual flowers and tiny embellishments. They may not last very long but they receive a lot of attention from passers-by whilst they do.

There are different ways you can examine a landscape to determine its effectiveness as a biophilic one. For example, you can look at how it makes you feel. Does it instill a sense of calm or relaxation, or does it make you feel anxious? What types of sensory stimulation does it offer? Sight, sound, or smell perhaps? Would you like to spend time there? If so, why?  

It can be said that three kinds of experience represent biophilic techniques (Kellert et al., 2008), namely: direct experience of nature, indirect experience of nature, and experience of space and place.

As a reminder:

• Direct experience of nature - this includes contact with plants, animals, water, soil, and air.
• Indirect experience of nature - this includes contact with representations of nature such as pictures, photographs, images of nature, as well as natural patterns and materials. 
• Experience of space and place - this includes spatial arrangements from natural environments which humans have used over the centuries to enhance health and wellbeing. 

WHERE CAN THIS COURSE LEAD

Anywhere in the landscape or environmental industries.

It can open your eyes to opportunities in your chosen industry and greatly improve the way you move forward not only in your profession, but also in the private places where you spend your time. 

LEARN FROM AN EXCEPTIONAL TEAM OF EXPERTS

ACS Distance Education is unique, and we have trained tens of thousands of people in horticulture. The principal is an internationally renowned horticulturist; the only person to have been made a fellow both by the Australian Institute of Horticulture and the UK Institute of Horticulture. He is also a fellow of Parks and Leisure Australia; and early in his career, at the age of 23 was the youngest parks superintendent in Australia. Our team of expert tutors are all university trained and exceptionally well experienced professionals.

Landscape Design Can Affect People in So Many Subtle Ways

Environmental stimuli for example, are potential stressors. They don't actually cause anyone to experience stress, until that person perceives them to be stressful.  So, when planning a biophilic landscape, you should consider that it is not necessary to remove all potential stressors but to allow for means of coping with them. If you are designing a roof top garden in the middle of a city, you can't get rid of all the noise from traffic below but you may be able to dampen the noise with screening of dense shrubs or mask the noise with a pleasant alternative like trickling water from a fountain.