Memorializing Biophilia: Architecture's Epigenetic Impact Through Nature Connections

This paper explores the intersection of architectural memory, biophilia, and epigenetics to understand how built environments inSuence human health across generations. Through the theoretical frameworks of Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology and E.O. Wilson’s biophilia hypothesis, we examine how architectural design mediates our embodied connection to nature. We posit that recent epigenetic research may substantiate the science in this connection. It suggests that environmental exposures can inSuence human gene expression without altering DNA sequences, with effects potentially inherited across generations. SpeciRcally, residential greenness has been associated with reduced epigenetic aging, while nature deprivation may contribute to biophobia—fear or aversion to natural settings. We analyze concepts of the Via Verde housing project in the South Bronx, New York as an exemplar of biophilic design that integrates key nature elements throughout its vertical structure, potentially inSuencing residents’ epigenetic expression through multiple enhanced nature connections. The theoretical and practical implications suggest that thoughtful architectural design can promote beneRcial embodied experiences and potentially mitigate negative epigenetic patterns established through nature deprivation. We propose that by “memorializing biophilia” in architectural spaces, designers can create environments that reconnect inhabitants with nature while fostering beneRcial biological patterns that persist through time.