1/Climate & society
Natural Living Foresight Report
Co-living with nature
Nature & wellbeing
Source of wellbeing
Nature is not there for us to exploit; it is our guiding ally and source of wellbeing. Our heart rate goes down when we see green. Access to green spaces in childhood appears to increase cognitive development and significantly decrease psychiatric disorders in later life. Neuroscientists are busy understanding why we are mentally fitter and healthier when we are immersed in the natural world.
Access to nature is only self-evident for some. The poorest communities are twice as likely to live in neighbourhoods without natural areas. Not having access to nature can affect life expectancy by 15 years.
Left to right, HomeSweetHome / Fostering Synergies for Biodiversity by Piuarch, happy hiker by @intentionallyelise, Green Screen by Sojung Jun at the Leeum Museum of Art, Korea
Nearly half of adults in the UK report spending more time
outdoors than before the pandemic (45%, March 2022).
Close to four in ten say that nature and wildlife are more
important than ever to their wellbeing (39%, March 2022).
Opportunities
• Create organic and natural experiences
• Focus on those that have limited access to nature
• Incorporate nature in everything you do, digital or physical, and be honest and respectful
Smart commuting
Pendler is a lightweight E-bike providing solutions to daily issues such as bike storage and carrying your belongings.
Pendler bike by Studio Layer
Geography
Plan to revive the harbour bath to fit in the landscape using carbon neutral materials like biochar concrete.
Norwegian Harbour Bath Knubben by Snøhetta
Vertical cities
A car park rooftop transformed into an urban garden to create new urban spaces of connection.
The Countryside by Selvatico
Wood structures
Modular timber tower designed for extended the lifecycle of tall buildings and prevent the need for their demolition.
The Regenerative High-Rise by studio Haptic and Ramboll
Organic cities
CapitaSpring is a seamless transition between a garden and the city, with spiraling gardens woven through the building.
BIG and Carlo Ratti Associati
Perspectives
Miniature world to envision future scenario from an unusual perspective.
Visions of Kataro by Jasper Bloem
Our natural need for contact
Contact & community
Building interactions
Common areas such as parks, community centres, and workspaces are necessary to create a healthy society. The challenge is to build communities that emphasize well-being and mental health and strengthen intergenerational social ties at the local level.
To live within the limits of the planet, we must rethink the meaning of property. Communities, services and products should be designed as collective property, focusing on sharing knowledge and spaces.
Left to right, El Refugio rural co-working space in Spain, Pattern Project custom-fit clothing microfactory, photo by Aaron Glasson
People want stronger relationships, a sense of connection,
and to be seen.
At work 46 % cited the desire to work with people who trust
and care for each other as another reason to quit.
McKinsey
Opportunities
• Build communities around positive actions, repair, cooking, growing food, books and bring people in contact with each other
• Support and invest in the local community and social connections
Local for local
Garments made from local African materials, made by local craftspeople, for local people to create a design identity.
Traditional raffia garments by Bubu Ogisi
Share knowledge
Initiative to teach children and adults from across London how to grow, prepare and cook delicious, nutritious food.
Hackney School of Food by Surman Weston
Local food waste
Seafood scraps from a UK restaurant turned into ceramic plates and bowls
Off the Menu by Carly Breame
Made local
Robotic 3D printing that transforms plastic waste into circular products.
The New Raw
Unwanted material
Project that uses the unused wool of a local herd.
Comfort in the Herd by Alma Lomholt Breun
Local crafts
Broken parts, excess stock, and waste material transformed into products.
The Eternally Yours exhibition, Beasley Brothers repair shop
Caves, nature and simple tools
Primitivism
Our natural state
Our civilizations have evolved over thousands of years and shaped how we live, eat and dress. Caves as a metaphor for contemplating and reassessing our place in the world. Design and architecture investigate the effects of the Anthropocene era, with cave-like architecture blending in with the landscape and seeking to disrupt it as little as possible.
The primitive state of materials in their simplest form is used to create objects that bring us in contact with nature and that are non-intrusive because of their simplicity.
Left to right, Cace restaurant and house in Ube Japan by Junya Ishigami, House with Plants by Junya Ishigami, Spruce Cone Hut by Uma
“Stone Age. Bronze Age. Iron Age. We define entire epics of
humanity by the technology they use.”
Reed Hastings
Opportunities
• Our tools may have become too smart and complicated, simplicity can suffice in many cases
• Organic shapes and surfaces add warmth
Organic shapes
An experience of nature through the organic shapes of the space.
The Organic House by Javier Senosiain
Primal roots
Cooking utilities to help people rediscover their primal
culinary roots.
Project Roots by Amalia Shem Tov
Shelter
Natural shelter made to make people feel safe made from curved wood.
Wooden cave by Tenon Architecture
Playful
By breaking down all formal borders Link Loop triggers an anarchic sitting.
Link Loop by Raw Color x Sancal
Natural dye
Textile dyeing process using rusted metal and salt.
Woven textiles by Lily Lofts
AR & human
AR-powered traditional craftsmanship by digital modelling, combining robotically-driven fabrication and human labour.
A Steam Odyssey by Soomeen Hahm
