Architectural Record
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Subscribe
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Architectural Record
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • Awards
    • Interviews
    • Obituaries
    • Podcasts
      • Design:Ed Podcast
      • Sponsored Podcasts
  • OPINION
    • Book Reviews / Excerpts
    • Exhibition Reviews
    • Forum
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Videos
    • Design Vanguard
    • Top 300 Firms
    • Future of Practice
    • Sponsored Content
    • Sponsored eBooks
    • From the Archives
  • CONTINUING ED
    • Editorial Continuing Ed
    • CE Center
    • CE Academies
  • PROJECTS
    • Buildings By Type
    • Reuse & Renovation
    • Museums & Arts Centers
    • Colleges & Universities
    • Multifamily Housing
    • Interiors
    • Lighting
    • Kitchen & Bath
  • HOUSES
    • Record Houses
    • House of the Month
    • Featured Houses
  • PRODUCTS
    • Products by Category
    • Record Products of the Year
    • Material World Newsletter
    • Sponsored Products
  • EVENTS
    • Dates & Events
    • Record on the Road
    • Innovation Conference
    • Sustainability in Practice
    • Women In Architecture
    • Webinars
    • Ad Excellence Awards
    • Submit an Event
  • CONNECT
    • Newsletters
    • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Store
    • Customer Service
    • My Account
  • MAGAZINE
    • Digital Edition
    • Current Issue
    • Historic Archive
    • Subscribe
    • Firm Pass
  • SUBMIT
    • Submission Guidelines
    • RECORD Competitions
Architecture NewsOpinion

Architects Gather at Serenbe for Seventh Annual Biophilic Leadership Summit

By Pansy Schulman
Attendees of Biophilia Summit at Serenbe

The seventh annual Biophilic Leadership Summit at Serenbe, Georgia. Photo © Foster Branding

April 17, 2025
✕
Image in modal.

Biophilic design is a buzzy, but fuzzy, concept, encompassing everything from the simple act of adorning a space with potted plants all the way to complex infrastructural interventions. In simplest terms, the design philosophy argues that incorporating natural elements and processes into the built environment improves human health, cognitive function, and emotional well-being. Architects and designers have increasingly embraced the idea, knowingly or not, as evidenced by trends ranging from verdant high-rises to the exposure of mass-timber structural elements. However, despite its growing popularity, biophilia’s elastic definition and uneven implementation have led critics to question whether its principles represent genuine innovation or merely a marketable veneer.

In late March, architects, urban planners, academic researchers, and wellness entrepreneurs gathered at Serenbe, a planned community in Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia, for the seventh annual Biophilic Leadership Summit, presented by the Biophilic Institute and Biophilic Cities. Nestled among the rolling woodlands just outside of Atlanta, Serenbe presents itself as an exemplar of community-scale biophilic design. It was founded in 2004 by former Atlanta restaurateur Steve Nygren, an energetic presence at the summit, and draws inspiration from New Urbanism's walkable neighborhoods and mixed-use development patterns, but differentiates itself through a focus on wellness, ecological preservation, and architectural diversity.

Biophilic Leadership Summit Serenbe.

Serenbe founder Steve Nygren. Photo © Foster Branding

"People don't know what biophilic design means," Nygren admitted at the event's opening dinner, "but it's not something you can understand logically—you feel it." Rather than offer a concrete definition, he pointed to the "health, harmony, and happiness" of Serenbe community members, which currently number about 1,000, as living testaments to its power.

Of course, those attributes correlate with the privileges of wealth as well, which Serenbe also cultivates. With home prices starting in the mid six-figures and stretching toward the 3-million-dollar mark, the town stands in a long tradition of ground-up urban experiments, like Seaside, Florida, that have struggled to transcend their status as privileged enclaves for those who can afford to escape the challenges that plague the residents of existing cities. While certain qualities—a commitment to preserving 70 percent of its land as green space and a diversity of housing scales—represent meaningful departures from conventional suburban models, Serenbe’s framework raises uncomfortable questions about who benefits from biophilic design.

Biophilic Leadership Summit Serenbe.
1
Biophilic Leadership Summit Serenbe.
2

Serenbe's neighborhoods include carefully designed main streets (1) and an eclectic collection of residential architecture (2). Photos © J. Ashley

These tensions hung in the air during the summit, which drew an eclectic roster of speakers for three days of panels, presentations, and participatory experiences. The programming toggled between rigorous academic discourse and new-age wellness practices, with technical presentations on economics and materials science sharing the schedule with "focus activation meditation" and "forest therapy” sessions. Attendees could supplement their usual morning coffee with lion's mane–mushroom extracts (purported to enhance cognitive function) and evening cocktails were preceded by "wellness walks" along the community's meandering trails.

Biophilic Leadership Summit Serenbe.

Summit attendees participate in a "forest therapy" session. Photo © Foster Branding

Biophilic Leadership Summit Serenbe.

Architect Tye Farrow. Photo © Foster Branding

The presenting architects, perhaps best equipped to define and clarify biophilic design, offered varied framings. Tye Farrow anchored the concept at the intersection between architectural praxis and neuroscience and discussed his Toronto-based practice’s healthcare work, including Helmsley Cancer Center in Jerusalem. Thomas Robinson, founding principal of Lever Architecture, presented a theory of regenerative architecture within the context of the firm’s wide-ranging portfolio, and SHoP’s Chris Sharples proposed a high-performance approach to integrating nature in architectural design. Issues of equity and the design philosophy’s broader applications emerged most clearly in a data-driven presentation by Lawrence Frank, a professor of urban studies and planning at the University of California San Diego, who coined the term “walkability” in the 1990s. In his talk, Frank persuasively laid out the connections between human health and the built environment, focusing specifically on the challenges facing Los Angeles.

The most coherent framing of biophilic design came from ZGF Architects' presentation on the new, tree-lined main terminal at Oregon’s Portland International Airport. ZGF principal Rena Simon, joined by sustainability consultants Catie Ryan Balagtas and Bill Browning of Terrapin Bright Green, outlined the firm’s strategic and place-based approach to the ambitious project's biophilic elements, explaining how numerous site studies and informed design choices created an experience that relieves the stress incorporated with commercial air travel.

Biophilic Leadership Summit Serenbe.

Catie Ryan Balagtas of Terrapin Bright Green and ZGF's Rena Simon. Photo © Foster Branding

The Summit’s tendency to prioritize innovation rhetoric over critical engagement was most apparent during the panel on AI, led by architect and researcher Tuwanda Green, visual effects and interactive gaming designer Zai Ortiz, and data scientist Jeffrey Smith. I expected some discussion of the technology's potential for data analysis in architectural design, but the panelists focused narrowly on their launch of BioPhilia.One, a large language model–powered generative design platform. The environmental impact of AI systems was left unaddressed, and the panelists seemed ill-prepared for critical audience questions—including one about AI's ability to do more than generate design imagery, and another about the ethical concerns around the technology.

The conference's setting at Serenbe offered both clarity and contradiction. Walking through its thoughtfully arranged neighborhoods during Nygren's guided tour on the last evening, one could glimpse the potential of biophilic community design. Yet the summit largely sidestepped the crucial question of how these principles can be meaningfully translated to existing urban or public contexts, where human-nature connection might deliver the most profound benefits. Systematic public divestment has left many civic success stories in the hands of ventures like Serenbe, which rely on the power of private capital. But there are architects, urban planners, and policy advocates working to implement biophilic interventions in the public realm—and hopefully drive the evolution of such experiments from privileged pastoral retreats into genuinely transformative models.

KEYWORDS: biophilic design Georgia

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

 

AR Subscribe

Pansy Schulman is a former associate editor for Architectural Record.

Post a comment to this article

Report Abusive Comment

Subscription Center
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
  • Create Account
  • eNewsletter Subscriptions
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Connect with AR

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Architectural Record audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Architectural Record or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Office Building
    Sponsored byReef Industries, Inc.

    Vapor Barriers Help Control Moisture in Tighter Building Designs

  • Africatown Plaza
    Sponsored byBŌK Modern

    Standard Systems, Custom Results: BŌK Modern’s Façade Solutions for Affordable Housing

  • Building with StoVentec Cladding
    Sponsored byStoVentec®

    Fiber Cement Ventilated Rainscreen Cladding Systems

DESIGN:ED Podcast
Listen to Architectural Record’s DESIGN:ED Podcast

Events

March 12, 2025

Fire-rated Expansion Joints: Employing Best Practices and Avoiding Field Problems

NOW ON DEMAND

Credits: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 AIBD P-CE; 0.1 ICC CEU; 0.1 IACET CEU

This AIA CES program deals with the life safety specifics of fire barriers, industry standards, and testing.


May 6, 2025

Wood in Architecture: Mass Timber in Transportation Infrastructure

Credits: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 AIBD P-CE; 0.1 ICC CEU; 0.1 IACET CEU

This course examines mass timber’s role in bridge and transit hub design, highlighting innovative, durable, and sustainable projects.

View All Submit An Event

Products

2025 Architect's Square Foot Costbook

2025 Architect's Square Foot Costbook

See More Products

Popular Stories

House Between Two Rivers

House Between Two Rivers by Sebastián Mancera + Taller 3000

325 Binney Street atrium, Cambridge

A Soaring Atrium Anchors NBBJ’s New Cambridge Headquarters for Moderna

SouthBay_Studio AC Lead.jpg

South Bay House by StudioAC

Kvartshuset Lead.jpg

Kvartshuset by Studio Lebisch

The Frick Collection Renovation

New York’s Frick Collection Reopens Following Multiyear Renovation

Embodied Carbon in Architectural Projects - Free Webinar - May 7, 2025

Related Articles

  • Grace Farms Design for freedom.jpg

    Architects Convene at Grace Farms for Second Annual Design for Freedom Summit

    See More
  • Design for Freedom Summit at Grace Farms

    Design for Freedom Hosts Third Iteration of Annual Summit at Grace Farms

    See More
  • 2016-Pritzker-Ceremony-1.jpg

    Architects Gather at United Nations to Celebrate 2016 Pritzker Prize

    See More

Events

View AllSubmit An Event
  • October 24, 2024

    Biophilic Art in Interior Design: From Specification to Implementation

    NOW ON DEMANDCredits: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 AIBD P-CE; 0.1 ICC CEU; 0.1 IACET CEU; 1 IDCEC CEU/HSW; 1 GBCI CE Hour We will explore how art enhances health, wellness, and productivity, and provide specific guidelines and requirements for specifying artwork and imagery for interior finish products.
  • November 12, 2024

    Harmonizing Nature and Sound: Enhancing IEQ with Biophilic Design and Acoustics

    NOW ON DEMANDCredits: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 AIBD P-CE; 0.1 ICC CEU; 0.1 IACET CEUJoin us for this insightful webinar, where we'll delve into the principles of biophilic design and acoustical strategies.
View AllSubmit An Event
×

The latest news and information

#1 Source for Architectural Design, News and Products

SUBSCRIBE
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Submit
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SUBSCRIBE
    • Create Account
    • My Account
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • Linkedin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing