The Next Generation Is Designing With Nature in Mind

Susanna Greiner Designs by Harnessing Natural Elements

For centuries, nature has been a form of therapy—whether through the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) or through Western philosophers prescribing “a walk outside” for holistic rehabilitation. Today, as climate change accelerates, the environment’s critical role in public-facing design is evolving almost as quickly as nature itself. 

For Pooling (2023), Future100 honoree Susanna Greiner and her partner Roshan Jose, both Clemson University students, envisioned a climate-resistant 98-bed community hospital in Indian Land, South Carolina. Inspired by biologist Esther Sternberg’s research into healing gardens, the pair imagined outdoor/indoor structures focused on integrating daylighting and water flow. Pooling mitigates the effects of erosion and watershed disruption by incorporating water refinement and collection through permeable pavement, bioswales, and natural swimming areas. Storm surges pass through a biofiltration pond, where native flora and fauna sift the resulting debris and allow for sedimentation before the pond water flows through the central hospital courtyard, providing organic cooling. Elevated clinical spaces promote passive ventilation, while operable windows and a solar roof optimize mechanical cooling and heating. The facade is made of locally sourced terra-cotta and is in structural harmony with the flexible steel primary system.

Kate O’Neil Refines Concepts of Salutogenic Design

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Interior Architecture student Kate O’Neil’s Salutogenic Sanctuary, a low-intensity, inpatient/outpatient addiction recovery center, is based on sociologist Aaron Antonovsky’s concepts of salutogenesis design, in which structures promote health through natural interventions. The exterior is interwoven with greenery from roof to ground. Inside, the three-floor facility offers an upward gradient of seclusion. The first floor features a communal living space with direct outdoor access; the second houses in-treatment patients and includes private rooms and a balcony; the third is dedicated to intensive care and boasts a rooftop garden. In the main living space, a curtain wall curves inward to allow light to filter through, while opposite, a row of windows showcase the landscape. “I have always been interested in blending architecture, interiors, and the surrounding environment to create a seamless transition,” explains O’Neil of the elemental interplay. “All of these work together with the natural materiality to create a place of restoration.”