The Power of Biophilic and Fractal Design at Metro Center, DC: A Sensorial Intervention to Enhance Well-Being

Chronic social stress severely impacts one's health and well-being with cumulative everyday stressors being more detrimental than acute periods of stress. Nature is proven to be restorative and immediately reduces levels of psychological and physiological stress. It is the fractals within nature's forms that elicit this biophilic response. Humans have the innate ability to recognize natural and artificial fractal patterns in their surrounding environment. Through a sensorial intervention at Metro Center station within the District of Columbia, this thesis will incorporate biophilic and fractal design elements to improve the spatial experience through design that highlights nature's forms and patterns. This intervention will transform an environment that completely lacks nature to one that provides many opportunities to experience biophilic responses. Allowing for stress relief to become an integral part of one's day, this thesis proposes a systematic design to increase the wellness of Washingtonians, one metro rider at a time.

Author

• Fatni, Melissa Anne

Language

• en

Keyword

• Well-Being
• Biophilia
• Biophilic Design
• Stress
• Fractal Design

Date created

• 2014

Type of Work

• Master's Thesis

License

• All rights reserved

Rights statement

• In Copyright

GW Unit

• Interior Design

Degree

• M.A.

Advisor

• Healey, Jonathan

Committee Member(s)

• Bishop, Emily

Persistent URL

•  https://scholarspace.library.gwu.edu/etd/sb397840v