Nature by Design
11.23.2020 – 57 Ocean
SOUTH FLORIDA’S FOREMOST EXPERTS ON BIOPHILIA AND DESIGN DISCUSS THE IMPORTANCE OF LIVING GREEN.
By Patricia Tortolani
Biophilia–a desire to be close to nature–is a term that continues to grow in popularity since it was first introduced several decades ago. The benefits of surrounding yourself with nature include stress reduction, memory retention and mood elevation, among many others. So it comes as no surprise that biophilia is a growing trend in interior design among forward-thinking developers. One of those developers is Marcelo Kingston, whose 57 Ocean (57ocean.com)–an ultraluxury boutique residential building on Miami Beach–is set for completion in 2021. Ocean Drive sat down with Miami’s premier experts on biophilia to discuss the future of design and development. The panel included Paloma Teppa, founder and creative director of Plant the Future (plantthefuture.com); Yair Marcoschamer, who leads the development of the company alongside his wife, Paloma; Craig Morell, director of The Kampong national tropical botanical garden; and Margarita Blanco, co-founder and director of the award-winning ArquitectonicaGEO landscape architectural firm. What follows are highlights of the discussion.
ON PRIORITIES
“Businesses and developers should think differently about how they choose a space and how they plan that space. We need to think [about how] to prioritize the level of biophilia in spaces from both a budget perspective and a space consideration–If we can add a little bit more life, a little bit more plants, rather than putting a piece of furniture that maybe costs $50,000. I think that it’s about priorities shifting a little bit.” -Yair Marcoschamer, chief executive gardener, Plant the Future
Download the full article as featured in the November 2020 issue of Ocean Drive here.