As standards such as LEED, WELL, and the Living Building Challenge place a greater emphasis on human well-being, biophilic design has become a familiar part of the sustainability conversation. Biophilic design is the incorporation of natural elements into the built environment to foster a connection with nature and enhance well-being. At its core, biophilic design is about strengthening people’s connection to nature. These frameworks push project teams to look more closely at how light works, how air moves, what occupants see, the materials they touch, and ultimately how people feel within a space. The acoustic environment shaped by those early choices, however, often doesn’t get the same level of attention, even though it strongly influences how grounded or at ease people feel when they enter a room.
The conversation of biophilic design often begins with light and views, but the intent reaches further than the visual alone. Acoustics is part of the broader sensory experience that biophilic design depends on. Sound affects how people settle into a space and how easily they can listen or concentrate. Studies of biophilic environments show that natural cues can lower stress and improve attention. And given that most people spend more than 90 percent of their time indoors, those sensory conditions play a much larger role than teams may realize.
Connecting biophilic decisions with acoustic performance
The relationship between biophilic choices and acoustic performance is evident in some of the earliest design decisions, and at times, the two can seem at odds. A common example is glazing, which brings in sky, landscape, and natural light. This is one reason teams reach for it so readily. However, glass reflects sound and presents challenges with sound isolation. In highly glazed areas, buildup of reflected sound can be excessive if not balanced with acoustical treatments.
Mass timber offers a similar mix of benefits and effects. It’s warm and grounding, supporting the natural palette many teams prefer, while also being more acoustically resonant than typical structural materials. This introduces unique sound isolation challenges. The desire to showcase the mass timber ceiling introduces challenges in incorporating acoustic absorption while preserving the structure’s visual and biophilic qualities.
Open plans allow movement and daylight to flow, but they also let sound travel. Noise traveling unobstructed through an open space can compete with the feeling of refuge that biophilic design aims to create in certain areas. Water features can add motion and life; they add sound too. In the right context, intentional incorporation of natural sound is beneficial, providing a form of sound masking that works well in spaces such as open office environments.
Acoustics and biophilic design can align with thoughtful planning and incorporation of acoustic strategies. Biophilic centered design can be expressed both directly or indirectly. Typically, direct nature includes views, water, and landscape. Acoustic strategies such as absorptive plant walls or water feature soundscapes fall into this category. Indirect nature shows up in the materials, geometry, and patterns that take inspiration from the natural world and give a space its character. There are boundless opportunities for implementation of acoustic strategies that fall into the indirect category. Sculptural waveform baffles, wood grille systems, PET or felt panels in organic colors and shapes, and textured surfaces can all support acoustics while reinforcing natural patterns or responding to the character of a place.
Defining the elements of acoustic well-being
Acoustic well-being is influenced by three key areas: how sound behaves within a room (room acoustics), how it travels between spaces (sound isolation), and ambient noise created by building systems or exterior sources (noise control). These conditions shape clarity and ease of speech, a sense of privacy, and how comfortable a space feels. Because sound influences how we experience a space, acoustic design plays a crucial role in supporting the sensory connection central to biophilic design.
LEED and WELL both dedicate points to acoustic performance for occupant well-being, but viewing acoustics only through these credits or features is restrictive. Occupants don’t experience buildings in categories, they respond to the whole. Exploring the role of acoustics within biophilic design categories creates greater design synergy. WELL’s biophilia features emphasize incorporation of landscapes, plants, and water features, as well as sensory connection including the use of pattern and form. Acoustic materials can support that intent with an ever-expanding variety of products offering geometries and surface qualities that fit into this framework. Diffusers and absorbers shaped by natural cues can reinforce a sense of place while supporting acoustic performance. Plant walls can be designed to provide meaningful acoustic absorption, adding function within a space. LEED v5 extends biophilic thinking through its new “Connecting with Nature” category, encouraging teams to consider how sound contributes to the broader environmental experience.
Integrating acoustics to strengthen biophilic goals
Acoustic strategies can blend into a space without calling attention to themselves and can further enhance the visual biophilic intent with purposeful selection of acoustic treatments.
At Buddy Holly Hall in Lubbock, Texas, shaped walls provided acoustical diffusion, necessary for distributing sound in the hall, while visually echoing the rock formations that define the region. This project shows how acoustic elements can respond to their surroundings and mimic the natural world while still meeting precise acoustic performance goals.
At Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, bubbling water features are incorporated throughout conservatory spaces, creating a gentle, natural soundscape. These water features provide a natural sound masking effect, balancing the acoustic environment and enhancing the sense of tranquility. By blending acoustic benefits with biophilic elements, the design enriches the visitor experience in a way that fits the setting.
These examples of integration reflect what becomes possible when acoustics and architectural intent are developed together.
Creating environments that support whole-person experience
Biophilic design asks teams to consider the whole person – how they see, breathe, orient themselves, and settle into a space. Acoustics is part of that same story.
The goal isn’t to treat acoustics as a roadblock to biophilic design, or as a separate entity or set of requirements to be achieved. It’s to let acoustics collaborate with the architectural idea from the start, including the biophilic design goals. When acoustics is part of the discussion of biophilic design, whether through direct or indirect elements, teams have more opportunities to create cohesive spaces that look, feel, and sound the way they’re meant to be experienced in a way that holistically supports well-being.
