Children's Preferences for Biophilic Design In Vertical Schools.

Children's need for contact with nature is critical to their well-being, especially in school environments where they spend the majority of their daytime. Vertical schools are increasingly built in high-density neighborhoods; however, due to their limited access to outdoor environments, they may struggle to offer children a sustained engagement with nature. This participatory study explored children's perspectives on their preferences for biophilic design within three vertical schools in Australia. Thematic analysis of children's narratives indicated their preferences for nature across the three categories of direct and indirect experience of nature, and in the nature of the space. The discussion argues that biophilic design can be incorporated in this school typology through the design of terraces, rooftop gardens, school grounds, windows, interior decoration and climbing play equipment. Building more vertical schools in the future seems inevitable. This paper argues that design of the vertical environment with reference to children's observations and preferences can improve children's contact with nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]