Biophilia as an Inclusive Design Strategy

Accessibility frameworks within the construction industry remain largely ocular-centric and focused on regulation, reducing visual impairment to the binary categories of 'sighted' or 'blind'. This approach alienates people within the wider spectrum of visual impairment — such as those who are partially sighted or have fluctuating vision — who struggle with glare, sensory overload, light sensitivity and depth perception: experiences that are overlooked in architectural guidance and discourse.

This dissertation investigates how biophilic design strategies can enhance sensory inclusivity within architecture, particularly for people with fluctuating or partial vision. Adopting an ethnographic methodology informed by lived experience, the study combines a pilot spatial analysis of two everyday buildings with case studies of Maggie's Centre, West London and the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco, analysed through a critical reinterpretation of the '14 Patterns of Biophilic Design' examined through the lens of visual impairment.

The findings suggest that strategies such as dynamic and diffuse lighting, material connection with nature, and refuge can reduce sensory overload, visual fatigue and disorientation — making spaces that offer autonomy to people with a range of visual impairments — though when applied in isolation they can unintentionally reinforce the isolation felt by people with partial or fluctuating vision. The dissertation argues that inclusive and sustainable architecture must move beyond prescriptive compliance towards a holistic, multisensory design approach, where biophilic principles and inclusivity are integrated from the earliest stages of design.