Wood as a Restorative Material in Healthcare Environments
David Fell, Forestry Innovation Investment Ltd. and Sally Augustin, Design with Science has released a report that draws the link between the use of wood in the built environment and pro health outcomes.
While the study of wood and health is relatively new in the field of environmental psychology, a clear relationship between the presence of other natural elements has been established in built environments. Early evidence suggests that the human relationship with wood is similar to previously investigated responses of our species to other natural materials and nature cues. That is, wood is a biophilic material that reduces stress reactivity when present.
The argument for increased use of wood in healthcare environments in this paper is based on research-based logic indicating that wood, other natural materials, and nature surrogates provide positive health effects for humans in any type of built environment.