The Role of Biophilic Architecture In Enhancing Salutogenic Well-Being: A Focus on Elderly Care Centre Design

Biophilic architecture has emerged as an important design approach that enhances the restorative potential of built spaces by strengthening human–nature connections. Complementarily, the concept of salutogenesis focuses on the origins of health by emphasising factors that support and sustain well-being. However, built environment responses for elderly care have traditionally prioritised physical health while often overlooking cognitive and psychological needs. Addressing this gap, this study investigates the role of biophilic architectural strategies in enhancing salutogenic well-being in elderly care centres. The research approach employed data collected through questionnaire surveys, interviews, and activity mapping to evaluate the existing salutogenic conditions, utilising a selected facility in suburban Sri Lanka as a case study. Thereafter, three-dimensional virtual models were developed to simulate spatial design interventions and then reassess residents’ perceived well-being. A comparative analysis between existing and developed spaces explores the systematic integration of biophilic architectural attributes to improve both the overall level of salutogenic well-being and the balance between salutogenic domains within Elderly Care Centre environments. The findings demonstrate that integrating biophilic design attributes positively influences multiple dimensions of elders’ salutogenic health. Based on these insights, the study proposes a stakeholder-informed framework outlining key architectural considerations to guide the design of future elderly care environments.