The College of Architecture and Design (CAED) showcased the benefits of biophilic design and green healthcare in the Kiva Monday night.

Anna Marshall-Baker, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), headlined the discussion and stressed the importance of biophilic design to the audience by use of statistics and research results. Her lecture focused on how biophilic design, as defined by the Encyclopedia Britannica as the human instinct to bond to nature, aids in increasing a human being’s overall health through a connection with nature.

“The primary message is that we forget that human beings are natural beings,” Marshall-Baker said. “It is important that we make the connection between the two.”

As a lecture within a series the CAED hosts, it is also sponsored by multiple colleges. Since Marshall-Baker studies a variety of issues concerning the health and well-being of humans, the CAED co-sponsored this lecture, along with the College of Nursing and the College of Public Health.

 Ji Young Cho, an assistant professor of interior design program in the CAED, was excited to see the diversity within the audience, saying there was a good range of majors present. Architecture, interior design, anthropology and nursing were just a few majors were represented Monday night.

 “It’s been about six or seven years since I have been to Kent. This trip is different because so much has changed. The campus has changed,” Marshall-Baker said. “There is a nice energy here at Kent.”

Keisha Burley is the architect reporter for The Kent Stater. Contact her at [email protected].