Page - 119 - in Critical Issues in Science, Technology and Society Studies - Conference Proceedings of the 17th STS Conference Graz 2018

spent a long time in the African savanna. In case the "savannah theory" was valid, it was fair to expect to see some key elements of the habitats which had helped to the human progenitors to survive and also an innate appeal of people to those kinds of surroundings. These elements included: • "A high diversity of plant (especially flowers) and animal life for food and resources. • Clustered trees with spreading canopies for refuge and protection. • Open grassland that provides easy movement and clear views to the distance. • Topographic changes for strategic surveillance to aid long distance movements and to provide early warning of approaching hazards. • Scattered bodies of water for food, drinking, bathing, and pleasure. • A "big sky" with a wide, bright field of view to aid visual access in all directions." (Heerwagen, 2003, p.2). According to the research of design of the retailing, the modern places like shopping malls, golf ranges, retails and parks which reflect the savanna features have a manipulative effect on people through the light, décor, sounds, food, flowers, smells, visual corridors (Heerwagen, 2003). There are several clinical studies about the positive effects of biophilia on human well-being both physiologically and psychologically. Roger Ulrich who has substantial studies on healthcare facilities design carried out many investigations into the restorative effects of the innate tendency for nature on patients. He suggested that biophilic features like natural vista and light have a substantial positive impact on patients, attendants and facility personnel. He stated that biophilic design evidentially helped out stress reduction, pain mitigation, emotional well- being enhancement, and so on. Exposure to artificial environments and materials like concrete, glass, metal, and plastic did not have that therapeutic effect whereas natural substances like vegetation, water, etc. had (Ulrich, 2008). There are also some approaches in which biophilia is related to the fractal structure of the living beings. They discuss the biophilia through the assertion of the human eye is programmed to recognize the fractal structure in which all the living beings share essentially. Nikos Salingaros states that "The word biophilia is sometimes misused by architects to buttress the case for "green" aspects of otherwise non-adaptive designs. Yes, the presence of plants is therapeutic — a key property of biophilic architecture — but a building's structure itself must be healing as well if it is not to induce anxiety." (Salingaros, 2015, p.24). He claimed that our visual relationship with the built environment did not need to be through the mimicry of the biological entities; a restorative complex structure had stimuli which humans responded. Also, he adds “Healthy socio-geometric configurations in society rely upon our inherited intuitive response to built forms and natural settings, and generate even more healthy social interactions by encouraging their spontaneous occurrence.” (Salingaros, 2015, p.33). What about biophilia in product design? There is need to define what the biophilic product is to discuss biophilia in the context of product design. It is not a one-sentence definition for sure. Since the product is a multifaceted creation, it should be evaluated with its all aspects like formal, structural, psychological, cultural 119