Building With Nature & Scaling Biophilic Ideas with Mary Davidge

Biophilic Solutions: Nature Has the Answers

Mary Davidge has spent her career at the forefront of biophilic design. Between 2014 and 2021, Mary served as Google’s Director of Global Design, where she worked closely with biophilic leaders like Bill Browning and Judi Heerwagen to implement design solutions across Google’s campuses that prioritize health, happiness, and the environment. Prior to that, she ran her own firm, where her groundbreaking work in biophilic design and green building helped lay the foundation for certifications like LEED Platinum and the Living Building Challenge. Nowadays, Mary serves on the board of the Biophilic Institute and on the advisory board of the International Living Future Institute Biophilic Design Initiative, advocating tirelessly for biophilic solutions at scale. In this episode, we discuss Mary’s career at the intersection of tech and green building, the importance of placemaking, and why greening cities can solve multiple societal problems at once.

Show Notes

• About Mary Davidge
• Google’s Mary Davidge Talks Sustainability Changes in Silicon Valley Over the Years (Green Building Matters)
• Why Does Biophilic Design Make Us Feel So Good? With Bill Browning (Biophilic Solutions)
• Biophilic Design and the Human Habitat with Dr. Judith Heerwagen (Biophilic Solutions)
• Terrapin Bright Green
• LEED Rating System (U.S. Green Building Council)
• Living Building Challenge (Living Future)
• Defining the Worst Type of Street Design (City Lab)
• What is Placemaking? (ArchDaily)
• Opinion | Since When Have Trees Existed Only for Rich Americans? (New York Times)
• The Biophilic Institute

Keywords: Nature, Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Green Building, Google, Google Campus, Silicon Valley, Tech, Tech Industry, Design, Architecture, Equity, Environmental Justice, Health