Biophilic architectural design has emerged with the aim of reintegrating nature into the built environment. However, existing research has focused primarily on identifying the aesthetic and functional components of this approach. Accordingly, this study aims to develop and evaluate a biophilic architectural design process from an existential and semantic perspective, drawing on Christian Norberg-Schulz’s ontological framework. Its ultimate aim is to explain how abstract phenomenological concepts can be connected to biophilic design, translated into formal and spatial strategies, and assembled into a conceptual model for enhancing the quality of spatial experience. The study is applied in purpose and qualitative in terms of its data. Its research strategy combines logical reasoning with comparative analysis. The theoretical foundations were developed through documentary and library research, while the applied section draws on analyses of documents, plans, and diagrams from selected case studies. The findings indicate that integrating the biophilic approach with Norberg-Schulz’s phenomenology can produce a conceptual framework and guide for the biophilic design process. The model identifies seven sources for generating the central idea and fourteen sources for developing design concepts. The ideas are then translated into architectural form through Norberg-Schulz’s triad of architectural actions: “visualization” (making the site’s natural qualities perceptible), “complementation” (gathering and connecting biophilic data with human biological needs), and “symbolization” (giving the meanings of nature a physical and formal expression). Finally, the architectural form is articulated through contextual filters—culture, climate, history, and social values—and spatial structures—perceptual, cognitive, and abstract space—in order to realize Norberg-Schulz’s “modes of dwelling” and proceed to the production of architectural drawings.
Keywords:
Biophilic architectural design, Design process, Christian Norberg-Schulz, Phenomenology.