Business administration and MS in sustainability management alum Becks Treharne describes how she turned biophilic design into an entrepreneurial endeavor and career, thanks to lessons learned at Kogod.
This is the first version of the article written by a Kogod School of Business writer.
Biophilic design connects the innate need for people to interact with nature through architecture and the environment. Most of our surrounding environment has been built, so biophilic design aims to bring back the basic elements of nature and celebrate them through design.
Washington, DC has been a part of the biophilic cities network for the past six years and with continuous effort by experts who do work similar to Kogod business administration and master’s in sustainability management alum, Becks Treharne, DC remains an integral part of this network.
Since graduating, Treharne has been working in the UK. She came to the US from the South of Wales on a field hockey scholarship and attended the Kogod School of Business for both her undergraduate and graduate degrees. “During my master’s, I interned with a company called Urban Ecosystem Restoration that basically helped land and business owners bring in more nature and regenerate spaces that were once marshland or forests within the city. This was the start of my interest in bringing more nature quality into cities,” says Treharne. “During my master’s program we learned about the concept of biophilia, which is essentially our connection to nature and the understanding that we are biologically connected to nature, we have an innate need to spend time in it.”
Treharne’s desire to connect cities with nature sparked the growth of a consultancy business. “Naturally Reconnected is based on inspiring the next generation of biophilic cities. I’m looking to deliver as part of a holistic approach, not just urban design. I’m looking at how you can integrate the knowledge of our connection to nature into education and I’m using my travel experience to be able to showcase examples and provide a personal approach to the idea of biophilic space,” says Treharne.
Treharne is currently working with a company called Planted Cities which is a contemporary urban design company in the UK that transforms events in the business sector into sustainable and eco-friendly spaces. “It’s great work with Planted Cities and see biophilic design implemented on a different level. It gives me a wider appreciation of how it is possible to integrate biophilic design into cities,” says Treharne.
Biophilic design comes in three categories that Treharne uses to mirror the natural environment. “You’ve got direct experiences with nature: fire, water, animals, light, and air; indirect experiences with nature: images of nature, natural materials, natural colors and shapes; and the experience of space and place: how you experience the place you’re in, mobility, views, vistas,” says Treharne. “Nature is so complex, it’s more than just green infrastructure.”
Treharne uses her knowledge to integrate nature in a more intricate way–educating others is a huge focus. “If you give people the opportunity to interact with nature, they’re more likely to develop a connection to it and learn more about the benefits of biophilic design,” says Treharne. “Our relationship to nature is like a muscle in the body. Your have to work to develop it in order for it to grow and mean something.”
Development of biophilic cities increases biodiversity. Moving around without cars leads to better physical and mental health and well-being and relieves loneliness as more people go outside and come together. “A study in 2016 showed that 75 percent of children in the UK spend less time outdoors than prison inmates,” says Treharne. “And during the COVID-19 lockdowns there were times in the UK when you were only permitted to go outside for one hour a day. For some you can’t even get to a park and back in that amount of time.”
During the months of lockdown due to the pandemic, Treharne combined her imagination and knowledge of biophilia with her father’s passion for woodworking. They live in Llanelli on the coast of Wales where driftwood and other natural materials wash ashore. Together they created seascapes and other sculptures to sell on their Etsy shop, Turned by the Tide. “I wanted to help bring nature into people’s homes,” says Treharne.
Now that lockdowns have been lifted, Treharne is focusing more on her consultancy business. “I hope to grow it to a point where urban designers, architects, and local authorities all have a biophilic agenda in mind when designing spaces,” says Treharne. “Your connection and access to nature shouldn’t depend on your lifestyle, money, background, or ethnicity but unfortunately, right now it does. This is why we need to be making cities better places for kids to grow up.”
If Treharne has one ultimate goal, that is to inspire change. “We’re not going to be able to rely on parks in the future. Biophilic connection is repetitive exposure. Hopefully, in the future instead of walking past one park on the way to school or work we can walk past ten buildings all filled with biophilic architecture with natural colors, shapes, and forms. That will do huge amounts for our well-being,” says Treharne.