Interiorscapes

[SFD]

I am comparing interiorscapes versus exteriorscapes to determine if interior landscapes are successful in simulating the connection between humans and nature; are interiorscapes and exteriorscapes comparable in terms of the experiences they provide? Any thooughts?Resources?

 

Thank you!

[Rob Halpern]

That rather depends on which interior and which exterior you are comparing, doesn’t it? And just what experiences you are interested in measuring. And what you mean by “nature.”

Some amazing “interiorscapes’ exist at zoos and botanic gardens (Bergers Bush, ZooZurich’s Masoala, Bronx Zoo’s JungleWorld, Garfield Park Conservatory’s Fern Room, the glasshouses at Longwood Gardens, Missouri Botanic garden….I could go on), even The Grand Ol Opry’s original plantings and other commercial installations can be beautiful. But you can’t play ball, you can’t climb a tree, you can’t lie on the grass, you can’t bicycle, you can’t search for bugs under rocks…

Interior landscapes are, in general, a different animal than exterior landscapes in my opinion.

How are you exploring and comparing them? It would be interesting to hear more about your thoughts.

[SFD]

I am comparing them, I would like to see if interiorscapes can simulate the same experience as that of exteriorscapes to those living in arid climates who tend to do almost everything indoors due to harsh or extreme weather conditions outside.

[Liz]

Just to follow-up on Rob’s comments, there are many examples where interior spaces (e.g. zoos, biodomes, botanical gardens) have been designed to replicate certain natural environments (e.g tropical rainforest, the ocean) . You should check out the California Academy of Sciences building in San Francisco, which has a four-story rainforest. There were many different birds and insects inside the biodome.

In my opinion, I believe that interior landscapes are successful in ‘stimulating’ the connection between humans and nature. I’ve put ‘stimulating’ in quotations to emphasize your inquiry. Even though these environments may be seen as artificial, certain natural elements such as trees and plantings evoke different sensations to humans. When I was conducting research for my thesis project on interior landscape design, I came across several scientific research papers on the benefits of indoor plants and worker’s productivity. Furthermore, research has also been conducted on the use of indoor plants within hospital environments and their effectiveness on therapeutic healing.

I do not agree that interiorscapes and exteriorscapes are comparable in terms of the experiences they provide. The experiences within an interior environment is limited versus the natural environment which is continuous, a cycle that evolves over time where many components are connected to one another. However, indoor plants can provide many benefits for buildings. You should try to check out books/articles by Nelson Hammer, Dr. B.C. Wolverton & NASA research papers.

Is this helpful? Let me know if you need more info!

[Rob Halpern]

I think you need to define your terms more precisely.
“Same experience as that of exteriorscapes” seems awfully broad and vague to me. So how can it be compared and tested?

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