The 14 patterns of biophilic design help designers consider how people experience nature through buildings and landscapes. They cover direct contact with nature, nature-inspired materials and forms, and spatial qualities such as open views and sheltered places to sit.
Published in 2014 by William Browning, Catherine Ryan and Joseph Clancy through Terrapin Bright Green, the framework groups the patterns into Nature in the Space, Natural Analogues and Nature of the Space. This guide explains the original 14 through practical examples, then looks at the later addition of a fifteenth pattern: Awe.
For the broader concept, see what biophilic design means. Here, the focus is on recognising individual patterns and deciding how to apply them.
The 14 patterns of biophilic design at a glance
Select a pattern to read its explanation. The examples are illustrative design ideas, rather than descriptions of assessed projects.
| No. | Pattern | What it means | Practical example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature in the Space: patterns 1–7 | |||
| 1 | Visual Connection with Nature | Seeing nature during everyday activities. | A desk overlooking trees. |
| 2 | Non-Visual Connection with Nature | Experiencing nature through senses other than sight. | Hearing birds from a terrace. |
| 3 | Non-Rhythmic Sensory Stimuli | Noticing brief, irregular natural events. | A fluttering leaf shadow. |
| 4 | Thermal & Airflow Variability | Experiencing gentle changes in warmth and air movement. | An occupant-controlled opening window. |
| 5 | Presence of Water | Encountering water through sight, sound or touch. | A courtyard pool beside seating. |
| 6 | Dynamic & Diffuse Light | Experiencing varied light and shadow. | Daylight filtered through a canopy. |
| 7 | Connection with Natural Systems | Noticing seasons and ecological processes. | A garden that changes through the year. |
| Natural Analogues: patterns 8–10 | |||
| 8 | Biomorphic Forms & Patterns | Using shapes and motifs associated with nature. | A branching ceiling structure. |
| 9 | Material Connection with Nature | Expressing the qualities of natural materials. | Timber with visible grain. |
| 10 | Complexity & Order | Organising detail into a readable whole. | A coordinated pattern at several scales. |
| Nature of the Space: patterns 11–14 | |||
| 11 | Prospect | Having a clear view across a space. | A seat overlooking a garden. |
| 12 | Refuge | Having a sheltered place to pause. | A recessed reading seat. |
| 13 | Mystery | Being invited to discover what lies beyond. | A path curving around planting. |
| 14 | Risk/Peril | Experiencing apparent danger with dependable protection. | A protected atrium viewpoint. |
The pattern names come from Terrapin’s framework; the explanations and examples here are our interpretation. Read the original 2014 report for its detailed definitions, research and guidance.
Are there 14 or 15 patterns of biophilic design?
Both numbers appear because the framework has developed over time. The original publication set out 14 patterns. Terrapin’s tenth-anniversary edition, revised in April 2026, includes Pattern 15: Awe, and its current report is presented as 14+ Patterns of Biophilic Design.
15. Awe: the additional pattern
Awe concerns experiences that challenge our usual sense of scale or understanding. An expansive view or a dramatic spatial transition might create that response. A tall room alone does not establish that occupants will experience awe: the setting, individual and circumstances matter.
Illustrative UK application: a sheltered viewpoint opening onto a broad landscape could offer an experience of scale and discovery. Plan an accessible route and places to pause, while preserving the view. Treat awe as a possible personal response rather than a feature you can guarantee.
This guide retains the original 14-pattern structure. For the expanded version, visit Terrapin’s current report and downloads.
Nature in the Space: direct experiences of nature
The first seven patterns concern encounters with natural features and processes. Consider what occupants can actually experience from the places they use most.
1. Visual Connection with Nature
A classroom window may face a planted courtyard, yet tall storage can block the view from a child’s seat. Moving the storage could make the landscape part of the everyday learning environment.
Design consideration: check views at seated and standing heights, including from wheelchair positions. Balance visibility with privacy, glare and summer comfort. More glazing is not automatically a better solution.
2. Non-Visual Connection with Nature
A sheltered terrace might allow people to hear birds, feel air movement and touch a timber handrail. These experiences add another dimension to a setting already rich in views.
Design consideration: offer choice. Strong scents, textured surfaces and amplified sounds will not suit everyone. Assess sensory preferences, allergies, accessibility and neighbouring noise before selecting an intervention.
3. Non-Rhythmic Sensory Stimuli
The important distinction is intermittency. A bird briefly landing outside a window differs from a continuous birdsong recording. Likewise, an occasional ripple of leaf shadows differs from a predictable flashing display.
Design consideration: provide opportunities for observation beside places where people pause. Avoid effects that distract from tasks requiring sustained visual concentration.
4. Thermal & Airflow Variability
In an office retrofit, controllable windows might give occupants a choice about occasional air movement when outdoor conditions allow. The practical question is whether people can adjust the experience and remain comfortable.
Design consideration: assess outdoor noise, air quality, security and the ventilation strategy. Uncontrolled draughts and overheating are problems to resolve. Include controls and maintenance when evaluating biophilic design costs.
5. Presence of Water
A small outdoor pool could be visible from accessible seating. An existing river view may offer another opportunity without installing a new feature.
Design consideration: establish responsibility for cleaning, inspection and upkeep. Assess water hygiene, slips, safeguarding and sound levels. Water is optional; an unsuitable feature should not be added simply to complete the list.
6. Dynamic & Diffuse Light
A reading area beneath a rooflight might experience gradual changes as clouds pass. A canopy or screen could moderate direct sun while retaining a sense of the changing day.
Design consideration: distinguish this pattern from circadian lighting. Variable light and shadow are a spatial experience; circadian responses also depend on exposure timing, intensity and other factors. Check glare, task visibility and occupants’ ability to adjust blinds.
7. Connection with Natural Systems
A school garden can make budding, flowering, leaf fall and decomposition observable across the year. A visible rain garden may help pupils understand what happens to rain after it reaches the ground.
Design consideration: plan for winter appearance, maintenance access and the site’s ecology. Consider what people will notice from normal routes, rather than relying on a feature hidden in an infrequently visited corner.
Natural Analogues: materials, forms and organised detail
These patterns explore nature-related qualities through a building’s fabric and interior design. They provide a way to consider structure, finishes and detail.
8. Biomorphic Forms & Patterns
A designer might explore a branching structural arrangement or a leaf-inspired screen. Identify the natural reference and explain how the design expresses it, rather than treating every curved object as biophilic.
Design consideration: retain a clear function. A screen must still work for privacy, cleaning and visibility. Biomorphic form and fractal organisation can overlap, but they are not interchangeable descriptions.
9. Material Connection with Nature
A timber bench can reveal grain, variation and the way its pieces are joined. Locally appropriate stone may offer a different relationship to a site’s landscape and construction traditions.
Design consideration: assess durability, finishes, cleaning, fire performance and sourcing. Natural origin does not by itself demonstrate low environmental impact or suitability for a particular building.
10. Complexity & Order
A façade study could coordinate openings, screens and smaller details, giving the eye relationships to follow. Fractal design explores related structure across scales, but an arbitrary collection of intricate motifs does not necessarily achieve this.
Design consideration: test the composition from normal viewing distances. Check that patterns do not obscure signs, entrances or changes in level, and assess whether occupants find the result engaging or visually tiring.
Nature of the Space: views, shelter and discovery
The final four original patterns offer a lens for reviewing seating, circulation and the relationship between rooms and outdoor areas.
11. Prospect
A garden-facing seat can provide an outlook while allowing its user to understand nearby activity. In a workplace, test whether partitions and storage unnecessarily interrupt useful views.
Design consideration: assess the view from the user’s position. An entirely open-plan layout is not a requirement; balance broad visibility with privacy and acoustic comfort.
12. Refuge
A recessed reading seat or covered garden bench can provide a place to pause away from a busy route. Pair it with an outward view so users can choose shelter without losing awareness of their surroundings.
Design consideration: check access, supervision and personal preference. Comfortable enclosure for one person may feel isolating to another. Offer different seating choices where possible.
13. Mystery
A path curving around planting can reveal a garden gradually. Indoors, a partial glimpse of a courtyard may encourage someone to investigate a place beyond their immediate view.
Design consideration: keep destinations and routes understandable. Explore gradual discovery within a clear layout, particularly where visitors are unfamiliar with the building or need additional wayfinding support.
14. Risk/Peril
An elevated viewpoint may make a drop perceptible while a suitable barrier provides protection. Some people may enjoy the outlook, while others prefer to remain farther back.
Design consideration: resolve guarding, structure, accessibility and supervision through appropriate professional design. Provide comfortable alternatives. This pattern is not a reason to introduce an avoidable hazard.
How to apply the patterns to a real project
Start with a specific space and its users. A waiting room, classroom and office have different requirements, even when the same patterns are relevant.
- Record the existing experience. Walk normal routes, try the available seats and observe conditions at different times.
- Identify the practical problem. This might be blocked views, a lack of quiet seating or excessive glare.
- Select relevant patterns. Consider interventions that address the problem and fit the space.
- Test the proposal. Use layouts, samples or temporary arrangements to gather feedback.
- Assign maintenance and review. Establish who will look after the installation and how its performance will be checked.
A school reading area could combine a view of seasonal planting, a sheltered seat and controllable daylight. Begin by checking supervision, access and glare. A water feature or elaborate finish would require its own justification.
Explore sector considerations in our guides to biophilic office design, school environments and healthcare settings.
Our case studies of Green School Bali and Amazon’s Spheres provide larger-scale examples to examine. Compare their climate, operation and resources with your own project before drawing lessons.
A practical UK office example: apply a few patterns well
Imagine a small rented office with windows facing trees, high storage beside the glazing and an underused break area. This is an illustrative brief, rather than a completed client project.
- Improve visual connection and prospect. Test moving the storage so occupied seats have an outlook. Check privacy, screen reflections and circulation before committing.
- Create a choice of refuge. Reposition existing seating away from the busiest route. Keep it accessible and offer both quieter and more social places to pause.
- Review changing daylight. Test existing blinds at different times and keep useful views where glare control allows. Assess winter conditions as well as summer sun.
- Add planting selectively. Survey the available light, agree watering responsibilities and choose locations that people can see without obstructing routes.
- Review the result. Record use of the break area and ask about comfort before and after the trial. Keep a note of seasonal changes and other work taking place.
Price the layout work, planting, installation and upkeep separately. Our UK cost guide includes itemised office budgets, VAT assumptions and five-year running costs. Use those scenarios to structure a quote request, then replace the allowances with prices for your own space.
What does the research support, and what should you measure?
The patterns provide a framework for design decisions. They do not establish that every application will produce the same health, learning or productivity outcome.
One influential example is Roger Ulrich’s 1984 study of window views and surgical recovery. It compared records for 23 patients with a natural view and 23 matched patients facing a brick wall. The natural-view group had shorter postoperative stays and used fewer potent pain medicines. Its small, specific hospital sample should not be used to promise equivalent results in other buildings.
Choose measures that match the proposed change, recording conditions before the work and repeating the assessment afterwards:
- Views and use: which occupied positions have an outlook, and whether proposed seating is used.
- Comfort: occupants’ feedback on glare, noise, temperature and available controls.
- Operation: maintenance time, plant condition and faults affecting water or lighting systems.
- Experience: short surveys about preference, perceived restoration and satisfaction.
Interpret changes alongside occupancy, seasonal conditions and other work carried out at the same time. A better survey result does not, by itself, identify which feature caused it. For context, see the science behind biophilia and our research-backed benefits guide.
Common mistakes when using the 14 patterns
- Counting features instead of examining experience. A planted area has limited value to occupants who cannot see or reach it.
- Trying to include every pattern. Select interventions for the building and its users.
- Ignoring basic comfort. Planting and finishes will not resolve excessive noise, glare or unreliable ventilation.
- Leaving maintenance until handover. Establish responsibilities, access and costs during design.
- Making universal claims. Distinguish design intentions from measured outcomes.
Frequently asked questions
Who developed the 14 patterns of biophilic design?
William Browning, Catherine Ryan and Joseph Clancy authored the framework published through Terrapin Bright Green in 2014. It brings together ideas and research from several fields; biophilic design itself has a wider history.
Are biophilic design patterns the same as principles?
The terms sometimes overlap in everyday writing, but they should not be assumed to describe an identical framework. Terrapin uses numbered patterns, while other authors organise biophilic design differently. The University of Minnesota’s framework comparison explains how Terrapin’s approach relates to frameworks associated with Stephen Kellert and colleagues.
Do you need to use all 14 patterns?
No. Assess suitable opportunities, then select and test a combination appropriate to the project. Applying more patterns does not automatically establish better performance.
What is the fifteenth pattern?
The fifteenth pattern is Awe. It appears in Terrapin’s expanded anniversary report and addresses experiences that challenge a person’s usual frame of reference.
Where can I download the original report?
Visit Terrapin’s original 2014 report or its current report page for the expanded edition and available downloads. These are the publisher’s resources; this article is an independent explanatory guide.
Are the patterns a UK compliance checklist?
No. They are a design framework. Check the regulations, standards and project requirements applicable to the building’s location, use and proposed work. Selecting a pattern does not demonstrate regulatory compliance or certification.
Choosing the right patterns for your space
Use the 14 patterns to ask better questions about an occupied space: what can people see, hear and touch; where can they pause; and how does the experience change through the day and year?
Choose interventions that address observed needs, fit the building’s constraints and can be maintained. Then evaluate the result. A modest change that people use and value can be a worthwhile starting point.
Sources and further reading
- Browning, W.D., Ryan, C.O. and Clancy, J.O. (2014). 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design: Improving Health & Well-Being in the Built Environment. Terrapin Bright Green.
- Terrapin Bright Green. 14+ Patterns of Biophilic Design. Tenth-anniversary edition, including Awe; the publisher page identifies a revision dated 23 April 2026.
- University of Minnesota, Biophilic Net-Positive Design Project. Biophilic design framework comparison.
- Ulrich, R.S. (1984). View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science, 224(4647), 420–421.
To see how the patterns fit alongside other approaches, read the comparison of biophilic design principles and frameworks.
Further Reading
