Biophilic design – a system not a product
The Neuroplaces conference was absolutely brilliant. I left with a full brain and a broad grin.
So many great conversations and inspiring people.
The main lesson for me?
The most successful biopholic designs are approached as a system, not a product.
They start with the needs and interests of the people who live and work in the space, decisions are driven by an attitude of mutual respect and personal pride, and understand that nature doesn’t stay still – and neither do we.
A plant with nobody to water it doesn’t last long.
Celebrating Black History Month
One of the most devastating impacts of dementia is memory loss.
Here in the UK, people from Black communities are at 22% greater risk of developing dementia than White people. They also die over two and a half years earlier on average after diagnosis than their peers – Incidence, age at diagnosis and survival with dementia across ethnic groups in England: A longitudinal study using electronic health records. And yet they are vastly under-represented when it comes to accessing social care, with the majority living in community settings rather than purpose-built residential care – New major review to tackle barriers in dementia care.
What’s that got to do with the lights?
- Internal time – The typical African-American internal body clock runs close to a perfect 24-hour cycle while a European American runs around 20 minutes longer – Racial Differences in the Human Endogenous Circadian Period. That shorter cycle is less responsive to resetting with light, so it’s harder to recover from jet lag or night shift work, increasing risk of poor sleep and related health outcomes, even in adolescence – 0320 Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Circadian Misalignment and Cardiac Autonomic Modulation in Adolescents. So keeping a solid routine of bright light in the morning and darkness at night will help to keep that powerful internal clock on side.
- Sunny side up – Darker skin needs much more UV radiation to synthesise Vitamin D – 30 minutes to three hours compared to 15 minutes for lighter complexions. The process takes longer too. Vitamin D status is linked to a range of health disparities including risk of Alzheimer’s Disease – Does the High Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency in African Americans Contribute to Health Disparities? A simple home-testing kit will spot a problem. Allocating a south-facing room in a house, placing a favourite chair next to a window, using Vitamin D supplements and fortified foods – and perhaps supervised UV light box therapy are all simple ways to keep hose levels topped up.
- Take pride – it’s tempting to make interiors ‘safe’, choosing standard products from a catalogue and wipe-clean materials. But more important to celebrate personality and place with pride: vibrant colours, bold patterns and natural materials that have a story to tell – 5 unsung ways Black interior design has influenced your home decor. Choosing LED’s with higher colour rendering (a wider range of wavelengths) makes bright colours look more natural – and more flattering for darker skin tones too.
Older adults living in our communities carry that proud Black History – it’s time to give them the care they deserve.
The responsive eye
Well worth a trip to Tate Modern for a lighting geek – or anyone fascinated by the gap between eye and brain and tired of the current drive for monumentalism and CGI Avatar cute. That’s a triple-yes for me… French artist Julio Le Parc’s series of installations are disarmingly simple – scraps of tinfoil on string gently moving in the air currents produced by the visitor’s breath, coloured acetates on a a turntable, lights in louvered bollards vibrating in a grid of sheer fabric sheets. A refreshing combination of wit and humility – an invitation to see for yourself.